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.
As announced on 10 October 2024, DB Cargo, the German freight train subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, plans to cut 2,300 jobs.
After negotiations with works councils and the union, a restructuring plan was agreed upon. The jobs are expected to be eliminated not through compulsory redundancies, but through a social plan and a voluntary exit program. In addition to the job cuts, new business areas will be created, more closely aligned with customer needs.
DB Cargo has been in crisis for several years, reportedly due to mismanagement, which has put the company in a difficult financial situation.
Eurofound (2024), DB Cargo, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 201738, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/201738.