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 1st February 2013, Bosch announced a restructuring plan, which will result in 117 redundancies out of a total 1,542 currently employed.
520 job cuts were initially expected but the management decided to bring down the number of redundancies. The restructuring is part of a plan to deal with the current crisis in the automotive sector and to increase the competitiveness of the plant by obtaining the manufacture of new products.
In addition, the management wants to increase the working time by 2015 by revoking “days of working time reduction” (free days given to the employees for working over 35 hours/week), but there will be no wage reductions. Bosch will fund an early retirement plan reduce its workforce and has assured that there will be no forced dismissals .
Eurofound (2013), Bosch, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 74872, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/74872.