The year 2020 has been one that most of us will be happy to see in our rear-view mirror. I have not come across a single person, business or organization that is sorry to see this year end. The pandemic, which hit the country in full force in March, changed the way that we live and work in the blink of an eye. I could never have imagined seeing the things that we have experienced this year: stay-at-home orders issued by the federal as well as state governments; forced business closures; social distancing; quarantining.

Because of federal and state emergency actions, employers were forced to change their business operations along with their safety and leave practices instantaneously. The pandemic completely changed the employment law landscape with new, albeit temporary, laws like the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES), both of which are set to expire at the end of 2020. The FFCRA was designed to protect employees who were unable to work during the pandemic, either due to forced business and school closures, exposure to the virus or illness. The law and its regulations were implemented, and employers were expected to digest and follow it in real time to make sure that they were in compliance. The CARES Act included several different paid leave and unemployment insurance provisions.