Another major Charlotte employer delays plans for return to office during COVID
Another major Charlotte employer has delayed plans to bring employees back to in-person offices.
Earlier in the summer, Duke Energy planned to bring the majority of its office employees back to the office in phases starting in September.
Instead, Duke Energy now plans to start that process in October, spokesman Neil Nissan told the Observer Friday. He did not specify when in October that move would start.
“This delay will give us time to continue evaluating the data and assessing our safety protocols and floor plans,” Nissan said in an email. “We’ll also look at how local mask mandates — such as the one here in Mecklenburg County — could impact our plans and our teammates.”
Local doctors have been disappointed in Mecklenburg’s coronavirus vaccination rates, which have largely stalled with just over half of county residents fully vaccinated.
Mecklenburg County has seen some slight improvements in coronavirus indicators, including daily cases and hospitalizations, according to county data released Friday. But county health officials think those trends will worsen again soon as they begin to reflect the impact of Labor Day travel and large public gatherings at football stadiums and elsewhere.
The change in plans for return to offices at Duke Energy was decided in August, Nissan said. Also in August, the company announced it would require all employees, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors.
Duke Energy has about 6,000 employees in the Charlotte area and 27,500 workers spread out over seven states.
Another delayed return
Duke Energy is not the only Charlotte employer delaying return to office plans.
In August, Wells Fargo announced it would postpone return to office plans until Oct. 4 due to rising COVID-19 cases.
Wells Fargo is one of Charlotte’s largest employers, with more than 27,000 workers in the area.
The same week of Wells Fargo’s announcement, another bank, Truist, confirmed that it was pausing its return to office efforts and requiring employees working in-person to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.
This story was originally published September 10, 2021 at 2:09 PM.
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