Employers were faced with unprecedented challenges in 2020, ranging from ensuring a safe workplace in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and evolving CDC and New York State guidance to managing suddenly remote workforces to significantly reducing workforces. Who would have accurately predicted those challenges in January 2020 as among the primary issues to be faced by employers over the ensuing year?

While most of us eagerly bid a socially distanced adieu to 2020 with the hope that 2021 will bring a return to some semblance of normalcy, employers are not out of the woods just yet. Looking to the year ahead, the issues to be faced by employers will continue to be dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftershocks, while the shift in the federal administration will bring with it a new set of challenges. Below is a summary of issues and challenges employers faced in 2020 and can expect in 2021.

Remote Workforce Issues. Employers whose workforces went fully or partially remote in 2020 will continue to deal with related challenges. Accurately tracking the time worked by non-exempt remote employees is imperative to ensure compliance with wage and hour laws, including overtime, meal break and day of rest laws. If they have not already, employers should implement a remote work policy and communicate with their non-exempt remote workforce to set expectations regarding work hours, which will help employers better manage or minimize the overtime hours being worked by such employees.