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 airline KLM has announced a new round of layoffs, the company will cut between 800 and 1,000 jobs.
Travel restrictions for COVID-19 are lasting longer than previously expected, for this reason, a new reorganisation is necessary, especially for long-distance flights. Most job cuts will affect cabin crew, as long-distance flights require relatively much cabin crew. As a result, 500 jobs will be cut among cabin crew, as well as 200-400 jobs in ground staff and 100 jobs among pilots.
In July 2020, KLM has already announced 5,000 layoffs., but the airline has managed to absorb most of the job losses through natural attrition and a voluntary departure scheme, without having to lay off people, but now it seems inevitable. So far, broadly 6,000 jobs have already been lost. KLM is the Dutch branch of airline company Air France-KLM and has around 27,000 employees.
Eurofound (2021), KLM, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 103190, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/103190.