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 15 January 2025, the online platform for luxury watches Chrono24 is cutting 110 jobs globally, including 75 at the headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany. This represents a quarter of the workforce of 300 in Karlsruhe. Affected employees will be offered "comprehensive severance packages". The goal of the layoffs is to make the company more efficient and streamline hierarchies. The company has been profitable for years. However, the market situation has become increasingly challenging. The luxury goods business has declined after the boom during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Chrono24 currently employs 460 people worldwide, and after the restructuring, it will have 350 employees.
Eurofound (2025), Chrono24, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 202234, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/202234.