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.
Omniva, the parcel delivery company owned by Eesti Post, has announced 66 redundancies. The largest number of job losses, 52 will be for parcel distributors, as well as 5 parcel distribution team leaders, 4 coordinators and 4 support staff. The planned changes are related to the modernisation of the parcel distribution process. Omniva is investing in and will soon open a new logistics centre in Kaunas, which will be the most modern in the Baltic States and will have automated distribution lines, which will change Omniva's parcel distribution process. As a result of the automation of the parcel distribution process, the company plans to reduce the number of employees in the parcel distribution unit in Vilnius, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, and Panevėžys. The company says it informs employees in advance of the changes to make it easier for those who are about to be made redundant. The HR department, in cooperation with the company's works council, has developed a series of measures to help employees in their job search, up-skilling or career change. In addition, according to the company, they promise to invite these workers first to come back and join the seasonal work during the busy season. Omniva has been operating in Lithuania since 2014 and currently has 484 employees. The company hopes that the logistics centre currently under construction in Kaunas FEZ will help attract more employees to Kaunas in the future. Modern technologies and innovations for process efficiency will allow the company to save resources, increase the quality and volume of its services, which will enable it to increase the flow of international shipments and, at the same time, its market share.
Eurofound (2024), Omniva, Internal restructuring in Lithuania, factsheet number 200996, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/200996.