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.
On 19 March 2020, Apotea, a Swedish pharmacy that sells products exclusively online, has announced the recruitment of 100 new employees at company's logistics centre located in Heby. In May 2020, the company announced that 200 people, in total, have found new jobs at the plant since the beginning of March 2020.
According to the company, demand for their products has increased rapidly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and facing the sudden medications demand has required a lot of re-organising in terms of shifts, new machinery and recruitment of new employees. In March 2020, the company has also reported temporary employees 'borrowing' from companies operating in sectors where the COVID-19 pandemic had led to sudden drops in demand.
Eurofound (2020), Apotea, Business expansion in Sweden, factsheet number 100795, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/100795.