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.
Multinational communications technology provider, Ericsson, has given notice to 2,200 employees in Sweden in accordance with the company's global restructuring programme which aims to decrease costs and improve efficiency. The plan was initially indicated in November 2014 with a more detailed announcement made only more recently. The reductions will affect both Research and Development facilities and production sites.
The following sites will be affected by the restructuring: Stockholm (1,125), Katrineholm (400), Borås (200), Göteborg (140), Kumla (130), Linköping (120) and Karlskrona (85). The entire site in Katrineholm will be closed.
Ericsson will also make general reductions in sales and administration and will cut down on external costs such as consultants as well as general overheads. Ericsson aims to reduce the number of consultants in Sweden by over 850.
Negotiations with the unions have been initiated and Ericsson esitmates that details of how the restructuring will be carried out will be made public in July 2015 after the negotiations have finished.
Ericsson employs a total of 17,569 people in Sweden (2012). Ericsson also recently reduced the workforce at their facility in Lund.
Update 2015-06-24: The details of the savings programme has now been finalised and the total number of jobs cut will be just over 2100.
Eurofound (2015), Ericsson, Internal restructuring in Sweden, factsheet number 78752, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/78752.