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.
Cheshire East Council has announced that it expects to cut 300-350 jobs by the end of March 2011, about 5% of its total workforce, due to restructuring. This follow the council already having identified 241 positions that faced redundancy or redeployment in October 2009, following its formation to replace individual borough authorities last April. It stated that it hopes to make the cuts through redeployment, re-skilling and voluntary redundancy, but added that if not enough volunteers can be found compulsory redundancies would be made. Details have not yet been released as to which departments the cuts are to come from. Roland Domleo, councillor for Congleton Town West and portfolio holder for adult services, pictured, said: "As the council has re-designed itself it has resulted in surplus staff. Roland Domleo, councillor for Congleton Town West and portfolio holder for adult services said "The council is keen to put those for whom there is no post into a redeployment pool to see if they could be trained to do another job. Staff have been aware from the beginning there could be further redundancies. This is the way the Government wanted to do things to make sure we become more efficient."
Eurofound (2010), Cheshire East Council, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 70452, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/70452.