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.
The Royal United Hospital has anounced that it expects to make only 200 job cuts rather than the 300 announced. The 650-bed hospital, which employs 3,500 staff, must make £13.2m savings. The trust also plans to reduce costs by discharging patients 'as soon as clinically possible' and halting the use of agency staff. The job cuts in Bath will follow a restructuring programme which the trust says will make the hospital 'work more effectively'. A statement says it will stop using specialist agency staff from April 2006, and stop using agency employees altogether from May 2006.
Chief Executive Mark Davies said the reduction in job losses had been achieved through the hard work of staff, managers and trade union representatives.
Eurofound (2006), Royal United Hospital, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 63300, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63300.