The Post-Shutdown Compliance Crunch: Preparing for Agency Action
The longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history has ended, and employers must now refocus their attention on agency actions and compliance priorities that may have resumed or accelerated. After 43 days of near-total inactivity, key labor and employment agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Department of Labor (DOL), and National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), are back online and poised to clear massive backlogs. This means a surge in enforcement activity, renewed regulatory initiatives, and heightened scrutiny across multiple fronts. Why the Crunch Matters During the shutdown, most non-essential agency functions were suspended. EEOC investigations stalled, and mediations and investigative conferences were canceled . The DOL halted wage and hour audits, classification reviews, and technical assistance, while the NLRB postponed union elections and representation hearings. Although deadlines for certain filings were tolled (temporarily suspen...