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.
Skanska, one of the world´s leading construction groups, has announced that it is to cut ca 3,400 jobs in Nordic countries out of a total of 20,500 jobs. Up to 800 employees - 600 blue collar and 200 white collar workers - in Norway may be affected in addition to 2,000 employees in Sweden and 600 in Finland. 250 employees have already left and 150 are expected to leave through normal attrition. The rest are to be implemented throughout 2009. The downsizing will be carried out in cooperation with the unions, the company says in the press release.
The market has deteriorated in the last months, especially the building of houses as a consequence of the financial crisis, the company says. This has led to reduced orders and uncertainty as to what will happen in 2009. The chief shop steward of Fellesforbundet says to NTB that he is shocked over the scale of the reductions and that the employees are angry. Also the leader of the national union, Arbeidsmannsforbundet, is worried, and demands that the goverment take measures to improve the situation in this sector.
Eurofound (2008), Skanska, Internal restructuring in Norway, factsheet number 67695, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/67695.