COLUMBUS, Ind. — Cummins Inc. has unveiled plans to launch a pilot program to bring certain downtown Columbus employees back to the workplace in what company officials said could pave the way to a phased reopening of offices that have largely been vacant for more than a year.
Starting Monday, a group of employees will return to Cummins’ corporate headquarters in downtown Columbus to participate in a voluntary pilot effort, which is expected to last about six weeks, corporate spokesman Jon Mills told The Republic.
Currently, no dates have been set for when other employees might return to the office once the pilot is finished, but any eventual return to the workplace will be done on a site and regional basis based on a number of factors, including employee safety, Mills said.
It is not known exactly how many employees have opted to participate in the pilot program, but 1,500 employees received invitations, Mills said.
Cummins employs about 8,000 people in the Columbus area and has several offices downtown, including its corporate headquarters, which can accommodate around 1,000 workers.
However, those offices have largely been empty since March 2020, when employees started working remotely due to the pandemic.
“The idea is that if all goes well (the pilot) will be expanded and not ended, and the goal is that we can begin to look beyond the pandemic and reopen offices in a strategic, phased approach,” Mills said.
For the complete story, see Friday’s Republic.
