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.
On May 2004, SBS, a subsidiary of the Siemens group specialised in IT services, is reported to be planning to cut over 1,000 jobs in Germany. In the area of training and services, 300 jobs are to be contracted out, while a redundancy scheme will provide for 700 job cuts by the end of the 2004/05 financial year. The reason for the planned job cuts is that the company needs to improve its profit. Negotiations between the management and the staff council are reported to have lasted a long time, but have been conclusive.
Eurofound (2004), Siemens Business Services (SBS), Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 58966, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/58966.