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 23 September 2020, the German car manufacturer Daimler will be cutting 4,000 jobs at its site in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim by 2025 due to internal restructuring. According to insider information, costs at the plant are too high and the manufacture of traditional combustion engine units will decrease in the forthcoming years as the company pivots to electric cars. Since there is a protection against dismissals for all Daimler employees until 2029, the job reduction will mainly be accomplished via voluntary programmes, part-time retirement programmes or severance payments. The works’ council strongly opposes the company’s plans and intends to save as many jobs as possible.
Furthermore, Daimler as been hit hard be the COVID-19 crisis, suffering major losses.
Currently, Daimler has 19,000 employees at Untertürkheim.
Eurofound (2020), Daimler, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 101958, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/101958.