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.
IBM is planning to cut 580 jobs at its German IT services subsidiary IBM Business Services GmbH, and, according to a company spokesman, forced redundancies are not ruled out. The aim of the cuts is to reduce costs on a highly competitive market.
The group is reported to be planning to cut 330 jobs at its Schweinfurt site and 250 at Hanover. It also announced its intention to transfer jobs in order processing to Eastern Europe. Ver.di, the German services sector union, has criticised the job-cutting plan, saying that management is attempting to avoid taking responsibility for errors in outsourcing business. ‘The company informed its employees Thursday of its intention to close down the two sites, but negotiations with the workers council will start next week', management said. A precise closure date is not yet known.
Eurofound (2005), IBM, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 61319, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/61319.