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.
British Petroleum (BP) announced on 5 May 2009 it would cut 320 jobs in financial administration and customer services in Germany in 2010. The jobs will be transferred to a new Business Services Center in Budapest, Hungary. Management does not exclude direct dismissals. The measure will affect 220 employees at the Bochum service division, 70 at Hamburg and 30 at Mönchengladbach.
These plans go along with a major european restructuring programme to concentrate business services tasks at a new Budapest location. The measure wiill affect about 1.000 jobs across Europe and 90 locations. BP says the company will create 1.000 jobs at the central Hungarian BSC.
Also, BP will cut an additional 340 jobs at two refinery plants at Gelsenkirchen, Germany by 2012. After negotations with the works council it has been decided that there will be no direct dismisslas in this case. (see separate fact sheet)
Eurofound (2009), BP, Offshoring/Delocalisation in Germany, factsheet number 68863, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/68863.