The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently updated its annual statistics that reflect the volume of back wages collected through compliance audits. The figures provide a clear reminder that while the Trump administration is widely viewed as more employer-friendly than the Obama administration, enforcing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is still front and center on the agency's dashboard.

The California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board (OSHSB) voted unanimously to pass the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) Emergency COVID-19 Prevention Regulation on November 19, 2020. The regulation became effective after the Office of Administrative Law (OAL) adopted the regulation on November 30 . The regulation addresses a coronavirus prevention program, plus multiple infections and outbreaks, major outbreaks, and virus prevention in employer-provided housing and transportation to and from work. This article focuses on the prevention program.

When states and localities first began sheltering in place because of COVID-19, many employers scrambled to determine whether to furlough or terminate employees, while others set up work-from-home policies and procedures. Although most states have moved into phases two or three of reopening, the ever-growing number of positive coronavirus cases presents ongoing hurdles for employers seeking to bring employees back into the workplace. So what happens if an employee refuses to return?