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.
KaVo Dental, the German dental products provider, has announced plans to cut up to 800 jobs in Germany, where it currently employs 2,200 people. KaVo said the cuts were necessary to keep the company viable in the future. KaVo (3,300 people worldwide) was taken over by US conglomerate Danaher in March and it seems that the new parent group is behind the measures. The planned restructuring of the company will see its four areas of operations being merged into three. 330 jobs will be cut as a direct result of this, followed by a further 275 production jobs by 2007. 60 of the company's service staff such as gardeners and carpenters are also likely to lose their jobs. Staff, the unions and staff councils are outraged by the plans and have vowed to fight for their jobs.
Eurofound (2004), KaVo Dental, Merger/Acquisition in Germany, factsheet number 60805, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/60805.