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.
Telecommunications company BT has announced that it is to create 1600 new jobs across its Openreach local access network business. The jobs will be for engineers to install lines and fix faults. As part of the recruitment drive, BT has launched a campaign to encourage more women into engineering jobs. The company also expects a significant number of these jobs to be filled by ex-service people, reflecting a long standing association between the company and the UK's armed forces. Over the last three years more than 1600 of Openreach's recruits have had a service background. The timeline for the new jobs is not clear, but it is reported that advertising has already started in some areas.
The industry regulator Ofcom has indicated that BT needs to improve service levels so that customers who have faults are not left too long without web access. Faults should be repaired within two working days and new lines should be installed within twelve working days.
Eurofound (2014), BT Openreach, Business expansion in United Kingdom, factsheet number 77095, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/77095.