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.
German retailer and coffee roaster Tchibo has announced the elimination of 300 jobs, most of them at its Hamburg headquarters. With the job cuts, Tchibo aims to bring its workforce back to pre-Corona pandemic levels. The job cuts are to be achieved through the elimination of unfilled positions, the expiry of fixed-term contracts and fluctuation, but operational layoffs cannot be ruled out. In 2021, Tchibo generated international sales of €26 billion with around 11,230 employees, 7,100 of them in Germany. Tchibo is the market leader for roasted coffee in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary and is one of the leading e-commerce companies in Europe.
Eurofound (2023), Tchibo, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 109212, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/109212.