Do I need a jury duty policy in my handbook?

While all employees must be provided with the necessary time off work for jury duty service, no law requires that a nonexempt employee be paid for jury duty. That is not the case for an exempt employee. Both federal and state law require that an exempt employee be paid their regular weekly salary for any workweek in which they perform work.

Nonexempt employees do not need to be paid for jury duty unless the employer has a policy or practice of providing pay. It is recommended that an employer have a nonexempt jury duty policy that specifies whether nonexempt employees are paid for jury duty and under what circumstances. Without such a policy, an employee may incorrectly assume that the employer