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 Anglo-Dutch consumer goods maker Unilever has announced that it is to cut 250 jobs (full-time positions) worldwide as a part of its restructuring plan to consolidate its research and development activities. The restructuring would mainly affect the company's research centres in the UK and Netherlands. Unilever attributed the job cuts to the need to improve efficiency and to cut costs. A Unilever spokesman said none of its six international research sites would close, but there was likely to be a shift in resources towards the markets of Asia (Bangalore in India and Shanghai in China). As of December 2008, there is no information on when the job losses will occur.
Eurofound (2008), Unilever, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 68043, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68043.