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.
Perlos, a designer and producer partner in the mobile phone industry, announced that it was cutting 500 jobs, halving its 1000 strong full time Hungarian workforce, most probably with direct dismissals, during the first quarter of 2009. The Finnish headquartered company, acquired by the Taiwanese Lite-on in 2007, justified this measure with falling stock demands from its main client, including Nokia, its major client. The production facility in Komárom (North of Hungary), is specialized in injection molding spare parts for mobile phones, in painting and assembling them and in printing. Previously the factory also dismissed 110 temporary agency workers and is planning to do the same with the remaining 160 very soon. The Hungarian facility was opened in 1999 and employed 2000 workers before layoffs started. So far there is no information whether the company would assist in any way its dismissed workers or not.
Eurofound (2008), Perlos, Internal restructuring in Hungary, factsheet number 67694, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/67694.