Taking work home when done for the employer's benefit falls under which concept?

• A. Special Mission Exception
• B. Coming and going rule
• C. Personal risk
• D. Commercial traveler rule

Answer: (A)

The concept being tested is how the special mission exception to the coming-and-going rule works. Normally, injuries that happen during a worker’s ordinary commute to and from work aren’t covered because the travel is considered outside the course of employment. But there are exceptions when the employer requires the employee to perform work away from the usual workplace or to complete a task outside the normal location—a special mission.

When an employee takes work home to finish because it’s for the employer’s benefit, that home-based task is effectively part of a special assignment. Even though the location has shifted to the employee’s home, the activity is still driven by the employer’s work, and it’s undertaken to further the employer’s interests. In that context, an injury that occurs while performing this work can fall within the course of employment under the special mission exception, making it compensable.

The other options don’t fit as well. The coming-and-going rule is the general principle at issue, but it doesn’t apply cleanly here because the activity at home is tied to a specific employer-driven mission. Personal risk focuses on dangers unique to the individual rather than the employment-related task. The commercial traveler rule deals with employees whose primary role is travel for business, which isn’t the scenario when the employee is taking work home to complete tasks for the employer.