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.
UK optical and audiology company, Specsavers will close one of its lens making laboratories. This will see 200 workers being made redundant. Aston Labs Ltd, the laboratory to be closed, is owned by Specsavers and is located in Birmingham. The company has said that the workload from this laboratory will be absorbed by other manufacturing sites in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company has commenced the required formal consultation period with the affected staff, due to end on 22 September 2016. The company has said efforts will be made to try to redeploy the staff within the wider business and all staff to lose their jobs will be offered redundancy packages.
Eurofound (2016), Specsavers, Closure in United Kingdom, factsheet number 88460, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/88460.