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 largest Italian bank UniCredit has announced it aims to cut 18,200 jobs by 2018 in the framework of a €1.6 billion cost saving programme. The bank declared losses of €10.64 billion in the third quarter of 2015. Its aim is to cut 12,200 positions (including 6,900 in Italy) and to sell activities that currently employ 6,000 employees. These 6,000 job cuts are related to the sale of the bank’s Ukraine business and a stake in its Pioneer asset management joint venture with Santander. The main targets of its new Strategic plan are "exit or restructuring of poorly performing businesses such as retail banking in Austria and leasing in Italy, on top of the ongoing rundown of the Non Core Division", a "strong focus on new digital agenda" to accelerate the "Group's retail and corporate multi-channel transformation" and to become "a simpler and more integrated Group ".
Eurofound (2015), Unicredit, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 86022, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/86022.