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.
Unilever, multinational producer of food and household products, has announced that it will cut 1,500 management jobs worldwide, as the company is trying to improve its performance after a failed acquisition of GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer health unit. Around 15% of senior managers and 5% of junior managers will be dismissed. Job cuts are part of a restructuring programme aimed to reshape Unilever’s business: there will be five main business units - beauty and wellbeing, personal care, home care, nutrition, and ice cream.
Currently, Unilever employs 149,000 people globally.
Eurofound (2022), Unilever PLC, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 106333, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/106333.