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.
According to the Solidarity labour union active within the Polish Petroleum Consortium Orlen (Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen), the company is planning an internal restructuring programme geared at improving its financial standing. Under the premises of this restructuring, three of the 12 Orlen branches would be organised into three business centres, and the remaining nine would be shut down. Of the approximately 2,000 people now employed in Orlen, around 600 to 700 would be laid off, and 350 people would be hired to work in the new centres. This information, as announced by Solidarity, has not been confirmed by Orlen's management. The company board maintains that the 12 branches will be kept in place and supplemented with three sales centres, as warranted by modern methods of management and business organisation.
Eurofound (2004), Polish Petroleum Consortium Orlen (Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen), Internal restructuring in Poland, factsheet number 60399, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/60399.