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.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch is looking to reduce its workforce as a cost saving measure. The majority of the job cuts will be back office staff and bank tellers, as automation and increased digital capacity moves an increasing number of banking operations online. There will also be some job creation in face-to-face sales roles such as mortgage lending, but figures on this front have not yet been announced. This move follows a trend since the financial crisis, with 40,000 jobs being cut from the bank since 2009. The cuts come at a time when Bank of America's shares are down 21% in comparison to last year. Retrenchment is also occurring in the bank's Irish arm, which has seen assets drop from EUR 361 billion to EUR 5 billion since 2010. An ongoing shift to London may continue, although this is in doubt following the UK's referendum on EU membership.
Eurofound (2016), Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 88016, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/88016.