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.
The mobile communications provider Hutchison "3" Austria is to shed up to 170 jobs by the end of January 2014, according to the company's CEO Mr Trianow.
The company took over the competitor Orange in February 2013. It has now decided to make the brand 'Orange' disappear by the end of the third quarter 2013. At the time of the acquisition, Orange employed 600 employees whereas "3" 800.
Since then, about 100 employees have left the company voluntarily or have received 'golden handshakes'. In June 2013, 97 employees have been registered in the Public Employment Service's (AMS) early warning system. They are store employees as the number of stores is to be reduced from 140 to 90. In addition to that, 70 employees stand to lose their jobs by the end of January 2014 due to the closure of an Orange call centre in Wiener Neustadt (Lower Austria). The headcount reduction is necessary due to huge investments in the expansion of the network.
Hutchison "3" Austria expanded its business in Austria in 2010 (see Hutchison "3" Austria 2010).
Eurofound (2013), Hutchison 3G Austria, Merger/Acquisition in Austria, factsheet number 75567, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/75567.