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.
German book retail chain Weltbild plans to shortly cut 50 out of 400 jobs in Augsburg. The company wants to focus more towards digitising its sales channels as the majority of the company's turnover already comes from its online platform. It also said that a lot of its investment goes towards marketing, including television advertisements in the run up to Christmas.
In November 2014 Weltbild already announced its plan to cut 200 jobs. A total of 100 employees were dismissed before Christmas 2014 and the remaining 100 employees by February 2015. Weltbild is a German publisher and media retailer based in Augsburg. Currently, around 1,300 employees are working for Weltbild in Germany of which 400 work at the company's headquarter in Augsburg.
Eurofound (2015), Weltbild, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 85732, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/85732.