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.
On 16 December 2010, the management of the French national blood donation service (Etablissement français du sang) presented a restructuring plan affecting at least 200 jobs. The plan outlines that in 2011 management want to merge the service's 14 regional laboratories into four centres based in Lille, Angers, Annecy and Montpellier. These units currently carry out blood matching work and check the health of blood that is collected. According to the trade union the result will be a loss of between 200 and 220 jobs (out of 400 in this sector). However management have explained that the company intends to avoid compulsory redundancies or internal transfers.
Eurofound (2010), Etablissement Français du sang, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 71321, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/71321.