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.
JCB, which manufactures digging equipment, has announced plans to cut up to 196 jobs at five bases in Staffordshire and Wrexham. The company said that there had been no increase in demands for products and that it did not anticipate order levels to increase. As a result there must be a reduction in staff numbers. A 90 day consultation period has begun at the firms world HQ in Rocester and other sites have started a 45 day consultation period.
On 12 January 2010, JCB announced it would make 75 more people redundant on top of nearly 200 job losses announced in November. It said tough global market conditions had lead to the need for more job cuts and it was looking for voluntary redundancies. A 30-day consultation with staff has begun.
Eurofound (2009), JCB, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 69875, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/69875.