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.
Morrisons supermarkets has announced further store closures which will result in the loss of 680 jobs. The decision to close the stores comes despite the chain recording a surprise rise in sales over the Christmas period. Morrisons closed a number of stores in 2015 and sold off its unprofitable smaller convenience shops. Seven unprofitable medium sized stores have been earmarked for closure and consultations over redundancies have begun. The stores which are understood to be loss making are: Westgate, Bradford, West Yorkshire; Wigan, Greater Manchester; Boston, Lincolnshire; Stowmarket, Suffolk; Braintree, Essex; Tunbridge Wells, Kent; and Hounslow, west London. It is not known exactly when the stores will close, but it is being reported that the closures will take place in the next few months.
Eurofound (2016), Morrisons, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 86209, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/86209.