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.
As announced on 28 July 2020, the German agriculture wholesaler, retailer and service provider BayWa plans to close 20 locations in 2021 due to internal restructuring, which will result in the loss of 90 jobs. While BayWa has been exempted from the impacts of the COVID-19 crisis, the management announced closure of 20 locations in East German in the next year. The reduction is necessary because farming businesses in this region continue building their own storage and logistics facilities. Detailed information on the affected locations is not yet available. BayWa intends to make the job reduction as socially acceptable as possible.
Currently, BayWa has 50 locations with approximately 390 employees in the eastern part of Germany.
Eurofound (2020), BayWa, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 101446, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/101446.