Generally no. If you’re a non-exempt employee, the time you work is generally required to be paid, including tasks before and after your shift, mandatory prep, and answering messages. Off-the-clock work — even if the boss “asks nicely” — is generally a wage violation and can lead to back pay.
Off-the-clock work is one of the most common forms of wage theft. Federal wage rules generally require that non-exempt employees be paid for all hours worked, and “hours worked” includes more than your scheduled shift: booting up systems, mandatory pre-shift setup, cleaning up after clocking out, and responding to work messages from home all count. It does not matter that the work happened outside the schedule or that you were not told to record it — if the employer knew or should have known you were working, it generally owes you for that time.
For a non-exempt employee, work-related tasks from home — including emails and messages — generally count as hours worked and must be paid.
It usually still counts. If the employer knew or should have known you were working, the time is compensable even if you were not told to record it.
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