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.
In Sokoró Kft., a major supplier of Audi, 200 workers were made redundant, due to the unexpected cancellation of a major contract with Audi, originally signed and valid until 2010. The company had already laid off 50 workers in December 2008 and halted the operation of commuters' buses which took workers from 72 neighbouring villages to the facility in an attempt to slim down company expenditure. However, after receiving Audi's notice the company was forced to close its wire processing unit. Those workers (approximately 30 people) with qualifications in metal processing were transferred to the agricultural machine production unit while the rest were dismissed by mutual agreement.
Eurofound (2009), Sokoró, Internal restructuring in Hungary, factsheet number 68429, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68429.