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.
Blues is a company whose main activity is training of disabled persons. Its second activity is production of components for household equipment. The company employs 270 disabled workers. The main customer of Blues in the field of components for household equipment is Gorenje, the largest Slovenian producer of household equipment. Blues entered into trouble when Gorenje decided not to renew the contract for components because cost-wise Blues could not cope with competitors. Later on, due to public pressures, Gorenje changed its decision and offered another contract to Blues. Still, it seems that this has not been enough to solve the problems of the company. Therefore, the owner of Blues decided to dismiss 100 workers. At the end of the restructuring of Blues, it is planned that only 80 employees will remain employed in Blues, while approximately 90 employees will be re-employed in a newly established company Bisol, whose activity is the production of the equipment for solar systems.
Eurofound (2006), Blues, Internal restructuring in Slovenia, factsheet number 63614, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/63614.