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I recently volunteered to serve as a juror, and as a curious – inquisitive – reporter, I overheard many conversations between potential jurors and their human resources staff, union representatives, and employers about whether they would be paid by their company while serving or whether they would have to take time off.

Federal law does not require employers to provide paid service, but states, counties and municipalities can. Here in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, jurors are paid $27 for each day of service, meaning minimum wage earners may lose about $57 per day. However, state law prohibits employers from requiring workers to take vacation or sick days for their service—or punishing them in other ways, such as by terminating them.

I put out a call on social media to see how other employers handle jury duty. A communications professional in Baltimore said he has served as a juror in criminal and civil cases and has reported for selection many times, but as an exempt employee, he has always received his normal daily pay while on duty.

“That’s good because until recently the court was only paying $15 a day. $15 wasn’t even enough for lunch and parking! Recently the courts increased jury pay to $30 a day, which is a little better, but still not great,” he said.

One aide said jurors in the South Carolina Lowcountry are paid $10 a day.

Another said her company offers compensation for jury service. “Personally, I haven’t had to use that time yet, but I’m grateful it exists!” she said.

My company did not deduct my jury time; I just had to notify my manager of my subpoena.

Since I already work from home, I was able to take my laptop to court and get a little work done while I waited to be called. Spoiler alert: I didn’t sit in to give my speech. All in all, I got a check for $54 and was able to leave my dining room for a few days.

But for some workers, it’s not always that simple. For example, in 2019, a Taco Bell manager claimed he was fired for refusing to lie to avoid jury duty.

And you could always be Ronald Gladden, star of the Amazon series “Jury Duty,” in which everyone except Gladden were paid actors serving on a jury.