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 technology provider Bosch will cut 260 jobs at its site in Göttingen by the end of 2020. According to the company, this site is no longer competitive and profitable due to high labour costs in Germany. The repair sector is a mature market and will be transferred to the Ukraine and Slovakia. The site in Göttingen will then concentrate on technologically high-quality remanufacturing products.
Management is currently negotiating with employee representatives. Dismissals due to operational reasons are to be avoided and the company aims to make use of socially acceptable measures. Moreover, Bosch considers relocating employees to other sites. The above plant has been suffering from job cuts for two years now. At the end of 2012 about 690 employees were employed; at the end of 2015 only about 590 remained.
Bosch, headquartered in Gerlingen (Baden-Wuerttemberg), currently employs around 375,000 staff worldwide. Over 130,000 employees work in Germany. For latest restructuring at Bosch see June 2016 and May 2016.
Eurofound (2016), Bosch, Offshoring/Delocalisation in Germany, factsheet number 88038, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/88038.