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.
Posten Norge, a state-owned company responsible for the Norwegian postal services, announced in early December 2008 that it had to cut around 450 of 1,500 jobs in administration-related functions. As of January 2008, the number of job losses was reduced to 370 of which 340 in 2009 and the remainder in 2010.
The company attributed this decision to the decline in customer demand and increased competition. Most of the cuts will affect larger cities, whereof 200 in Oslo. 340 of the cuts will be implemented in 2009, the rest in 2010. The leader of the union Postkom said to the media in December 2008 that the morale is very low among the employees and the atmosphere has been growing increasingly tense. Posten Norge has undergone large restructurings and downsizing in the last years. Since 1998 more than 10,000 jobs have been lost. The union now demands that none of the redundant employees shall become unemployed, which means that Posten has to find new jobs internally or externally.
Posten has an agreement with the union on reorganizations which regulates use of early retirement pensions and severance pay packages. Those who resign voluntarily within short time will get an extra bonus of 3 monthly salaries in addition to the agreed severance pay.
Eurofound (2008), Posten Norge, Internal restructuring in Norway, factsheet number 67543, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/67543.