On September 4, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio concluded that the workday starts when remote call center workers begin operating a program or application they use as part of the principal work activities they are employed to perform, not when they first engage their computers. This ruling, in Lott v. Recker Consulting LLC, supports arguments that the compensable workday in remote call center environments is shorter than the time elapsed between boot-up and boot-down.

• In Lott v. Recker Consulting LLC, a “boot-up time” case, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio ruled that compensable time begins for remote call center workers when they start operating programs that are integral to their work. Likewise, compensable time ends when the worker closes the last program.
• The court found that turning on a computer, typing in usernames and passwords, and opening applications are preliminary activities and not compensable time. Likewise, it found shutting down the computer, locking the screen, or putting it in sleep mode are postliminary activities and not compensable time.
• The time needed to access or start up applications and programs integral to performing one’s job duties is considered compensable.

In August 2023, workers for a patient call center brought a class action against Recker Consulting LLC, an IT firm, and LYP Call Center, claiming they were not paid for compensable time under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act...

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