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.
Avon Products, international manufacturer and distributor of beauty, household, and personal care products, announced in a press statement that it plans to reduce its global workforce by 1,500 people by the end of 2013. According to the company, these job reductions form part of previously announced cost cutting plan set up to counterbalance difficulties in some of its key markets.
While Avon claims it wants to focus its resources on high priority markets and activities, no reference has been made on where the majority of job cuts will fall. While there is no explicit reference as yet to Europe, the company has said that the job cuts will affect all regions and all functions of its operations.
Eurofound (2012), Avon Products, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 74642, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/74642.