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 office supplies wholesaler Office Centre has declared bankruptcy: 350 employees will lose their jobs. The company has been struggling with financial problems since 2019, when it recorded its first losses, going to a loss of €19 and €15 million in 2020 and 2021. Despite the increase in revenues, the business has failed to stay open, and negotiations for a relaunch with interested parties have not yield any results. 32 locations will be closed, while seven other locations closed prematurely in January. The dismissed employees have been reported to the UWV benefits agency (the Employee Insurance Agency Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen).
Office supplies wholesaler Office Centre is a click & mortar business with 39 locations all over the Netherlands and employs 350 people. The company supplied offices and schools with almost all types of supplies, furniture, and computers.
Eurofound (2022), Office Centre, Bankruptcy in Netherlands, factsheet number 106744, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/106744.