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.
Swiss-based plumbing and heating distribution company Wolseley is currently anticipating 620 job reductions. As a result of acquiring 22 sites from its competitor Burdens, the company is planning to reduce its UK workforce by approximately 200 staff. Moreover, in an attempt to streamline its operations, Wolseley is planning to sell a major part of its French operations, selling 88 branches in the South of France and closing another 24. This move will result in a further reduction of its workforce by 400 staff. Wolseley is the world’s largest distributor of plumbing and heating products and currently employs around 44,000 staff globally.
Eurofound (2013), Wolseley, Internal restructuring in European Union, factsheet number 75136, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/75136.