Cummins’ Linebarger: ‘It’s Our Duty’
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAmid reports of increasing violence and discrimination aimed at Asian Americans, Tom Linebarger is making a statement. Last week, the Cummins chief executive officer and Executive Director of Human Resources Linda Shi sent a detailed message to the company’s nearly 60,000 global employees – including 8,000 in Indiana – expressing concerns about what they are hearing from employees of Asian descent.
“There’s no question the number of incidents is rising in our communities,” said Linebarger, who adds many of the incidents are happening in the workplace. “If that’s where these incidents are occurring, it’s our duty to create safe and inclusive workplaces for our employees.”
Linebarger talked about the issue and also offered a bullish outlook on business in this week’s edition of Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.
Linebarger says recent discussions with the Cummins East Asian Employee Resource Group elicited some troubling comments. “What they are feeling and seeing is an increase in aggressive tactics and incidents against them in neighborhoods where they used to feel welcome and safe,” said Linebarger, who adds workers are experiencing emotions ranging from disappointment to anxiety to fear and anger.
Linebarger also talked about his outlook for business in 2021, a view that is distinctly bullish.
“We’re seeing very strong orders from our customers that really started in the fourth quarter of last year when we saw significant increases and that’s continuing now.” Linebarger notes the company’s biggest struggle is keeping up with demand with a supply chain that has been adversely impacted by the pandemic.