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 20 September 2021, the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas is to close its plant at Lauchhammer by the end of 2021, resulting in the loss of 460 jobs. According to Vestas, which produces rotor blades for wind turbines at Lauchhammer, production costs are too high while sales are too low. The market has moved to America and Asia, where Vestas has built new production site in the last years. As of today, there are no information on a social plan for affected employees.
Two years ago, in 2019, Vestas already cut 330 employees in a move to make the Lauchhammer plant profitable.
Eurofound (2021), Vestas, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 105277, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/105277.