2020 hindsight: from zero to 60 in about 9 months

From the rapid shutdown of the workplace, to the gradual return to the office, to the day-by-day challenges of coping with stress and dealing with guidance updates, COVID-19 has certainly kept me on my toes. Here are some reflections on when the virus became reality, where it has taken us this past year, and how to cope with it in the future.

Rapid, overwhelming change

Within a matter of days in early spring, COVID-19 forced our law firm to change its operating procedures completely. To prevent the virus from spreading, we first implemented strict policies for office hygiene and cleanliness but very shortly thereafter sent all employees home to work remotely and locked our doors to the public. At that point, I put a makeshift desk in my attic and tried my hardest to fit in work between taking care of my infant.

The amount of changes and challenges that came within the first month was overwhelming. The issues were nonstop and, just like the coronavirus, novel:

• Dealing with employers' wage and hour issues because so many staffers are working from home;
• Adjusting to the brand-new paid leave provisions in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA); and
• Providing advice to employers on difficult layoff decisions.

In “normal” periods, the issues would have been intriguing. In COVID-19 times, however, they were physically and emotionally draining given the speed at which they were coming, the impact they had, and how uncertain everything seemed to be.

Returning to the workplace and adjusting