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 French public broadcast network has announced its intention to cut over 500 positions by 2020. France Télévisions has seen several rounds of restructuring, with this current announcement quickly succeeding a previous round which was launched in 2015 and affected 315 jobs. A further 500 positions were lost in a restructuring event that was announced in September 2012. The public broadcaster is facing €150 million in new expenses over the next four years. These expenses are related to a contract of objectives that were negotiated with the State and outline strategic improvements to the network. The expenses are linked to a natural increase in expenses (increase of the pay-role, inflation etc.) as well as new investments such as a new information channel, and additional support to programme creation and production. The CEO of France Télévision, Delphine Ernotte has announced a plan to save €70 million; €50 million of which will be saved by the non replacement of one departure for retirement out of two. It means that 500 employees will be hired by 2017 to replace 1,000 employees that will retire during the same period. The company currently employs about 9,750 equivalent full time employees. With this new goal, according to the union CGT, the workforce will decrease by about 12.5% between 2012 and 2020.
Eurofound (2016), France Télévisions, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 88209, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/88209.