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.
Vodafone is a British mobile operator. It operates in many countries around the world. In order to improve customer service, Vodafone announced that it will bring offshored call centers from South Africa back to UK. With a £2bn investment in customer service, 2,100 jobs will be created in the UK. The jobs will be spread across the Midlands, Manchester, Scotland and Wales.Vodafone said in a statement: “As part of its £2bn investment programme over the 2016-19 period, Vodafone is committed to enhancing the quality of its UK customer services operations. A significant expansion in the number of UK-based customer service advisors is integral to that commitment.” Over the next two years, Vodafone will create 800 new jobs in Manchester, around 150 new jobs in Newark and Stoke, as well as around 100 in Glasgow.
Eurofound (2017), Vodafone, Reshoring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 132, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/132.