Here’s when Aflac, other big Columbus companies are returning to the office
Employees for three of Columbus’ largest companies have or soon will return to the office, representatives told the Ledger-Enquirer.
Aflac, Global Payments and Synovus have different time frames for their return as the businesses monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and follow public health guidelines.
Here’s what each company said about its return to the office:
Aflac
Aflac, a Fortune 500 insurer, will begin phasing employees into the office in July, said spokesperson Jon Sullivan.
A small percentage of the company’s workforce has remained onsite since last March, but 95% of the company’s workforce worked remotely on a consistent basis as of mid-May. The company has more than 11,000 employees in Japan and the United States, with roughly 3,800 in the Columbus area.
“Some will be in the office full time, particularly people managers. While others will be hybrid (working some days in office and some at home). Some will also be full-time remote workers, but that is not new, as we had full-time remote workers prior to COVID,” Sullivan said in an email.
Office workspaces will be socially distanced, he said.
Global Payments
A majority of Global Payments employees in Columbus returned to the office effective June 7, said spokesperson Emily Edmonds.
The Fortune 500 financial technology company with dual headquarters in Atlanta and Columbus will bring its U.S. employees back to the office this summer in states where it is allowed. Internationally, the company is following each country’s guidelines.
The company has roughly 24,000 employees, with more than 4,000 in Columbus.
Synovus
There’s been no change in Synovus’ timeline since the Ledger-Enquirer spoke with a representative of the Columbus-based banking and financial services provider in May.
Spokesperson Lee Underwood said Tuesday the company’s remaining remote workers would return to the office in late summer or early fall. At the start of the pandemic, 60% of its employees were working from home. That figure was down to about 35% as of mid-May.
The company has roughly 5,200 employees, with 1,900 of them based in the Chattahoochee Valley.
This story was originally published June 17, 2021 at 6:00 AM.