When considering if an employee should be compensated for training sessions, two questions must be answered: Is participation in the training session mandatory, and is the training directly related to the employee’s job performance? If the answer to both questions is yes, then the employee should be compensated. While that equation seems simple enough, there are other factors involved that managers must consider. What about traveling out of town for training? If a manager wants to take the entire staff to an off-site conference, should the company be expected to pay for everything? It comes down to exactly how voluntary the conference is. If it is indeed completely voluntary, the company shouldn’t be responsible for any of the costs. However, if employees are expected to attend, the company becomes responsible for all costs incurred that the employee would not normally encounter, including meals, airfare, and lodging. Management must determine and make clear from the beginning if the session is truly mandatory or not—no gray area should exist.