A former call center employee has launched a proposed class action accusing Volvo of requiring customer service representatives to work off the clock — alleging the company demanded workers be “phone ready” at the precise moment their shifts began without paying them for the time it took to prepare.
The Volvo Unpaid Worker suit, filed Monday in North Carolina federal court, claims Volvo Group North America LLC violated both the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the North Carolina Wage Act by failing to compensate hourly employees for pre-shift and mid-shift preparatory tasks.
Booting Up Before the Clock Starts
Plaintiff Anna James, who worked for Volvo from June 2019 through May 2025, alleges that the company required customer service representatives to log in early and load necessary systems before their scheduled shifts — all without pay.
According to the complaint, being “phone ready” meant employees had to be fully logged in and have all required software, programs and applications open and operational so they could immediately answer customer inquiries the instant their shifts began.
“Defendant expected plaintiff and all other CSRs to respond to customer inquiries and handle calls for the entirety of their scheduled shifts,” the complaint states. Combined with strict attendance and adherence rules, that expectation allegedly forced workers to perform unpaid tasks off the clock.
James claims representatives routinely arrived 10 to 15 minutes early to boot up computer networks and applications described as “an integral and indispensable part” of their duties.
