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.
Latvia's State Forest service is planning countrywide restructuring including redundancies of 100 to 150 employees. The job cuts are part of a reorganization programme: Today, the State Forest service consists of ten structural units (forest districts) and 77 subunits (forestries). After the reorganization the structure will consist of ten units with 29 subunits.
The State Forest Service is a state administration civil institution associated with the Ministry of Agriculture, which is responsible for pursuing a unified forest policy in all the Latvia`s forests, controlling observance of the provisions of statutory acts, and implementing support programs which in the long term aim at ensuring sustainable forest management.
It is reported that the main goal of restructuring is to secure the performance within the budget constraints. The general director of the State Forest service Andis Krēsliņš stated that after the restructuring it will be possible to raise the salary for rest of employees, thus keeping professionals in the State Forest service. Currently, employees are leaving the State Forest service because of the noncompetitive salary.
Eurofound (2011), State Forest Service, Internal restructuring in Latvia, factsheet number 72749, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/72749.