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.
Henkel, a German consumer goods company, will cut around 1,200 jobs worldwide within its adhesive division as a result of slow business growth. Around 100 of these jobs will be cut across Germany although no compulsory redundancies are to be made. In addition, about 500-600 jobs will be cut in Asia, 200 jobs in North America and 250 jobs in Europe except Germany.
The turnover of the adhesive division of Henkel has grown slowly in the second quarter 2015. Nevertheless, according to the company's CEO, the company wants to accelerate its austerity program. The process was originally planned to last until the end of 2016. According to latest reports, the programme will be realised by the end of March 2016.
Currently, around 50,200 employees are working at Henkel worldwide of which about 27,000 in its adhesives division.
Eurofound (2015), Henkel, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 85148, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/85148.