Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Dutch retail company Jumbo announced it will cut 300 jobs at its head offices in Veghel, in order to make the head offices more efficient. Internally, the company had already announced plans to restructure the 1,300 people head offices as early as January.
The restructuring includes the outsourcing of 180 administrative jobs, such as personnel administration and accounts payable administration. These workers are expected to be transferred to the company the work is outsourced to. In addition, 120 management jobs will disappear as a result of internal restructuring. 40 of these jobs are reported to be cut by natural attrition, whereas the remaining 80 jobs will be cut by direct dismissals.
Jumbo has announced a social plan, stating that it will be more generous than anticipated before the COVID-19 outbreak. The restructuring will be effective from September, but dismissed employees will remain on the payroll until December.
Jumbo is a Dutch retail company with supermarkets operating under the same name, mostly in the Netherlands. In recent years, it has expanded its online activities, opened its first stores in Belgium and acquired several stores from other Dutch companies.
Eurofound (2020), Jumbo, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 100751, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/100751.