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.
Scottish Power has announced that it is to cut 200 jobs from its customer service departments. The contact centres employ 1,800 staff and are based over five sites, including three in Glasgow and Hamilton. Following a change to the way in which customers contact the company, it has been determined that fewer staff will be required. The company has stated that it intends to lose the jobs over the course of 2017 and that it will seek to achieve the reductions through voluntary redundancies. If more than 200 staff volunteer for redundancy, then selections will be based on operational need. The voluntary scheme will be open for approximately one month until 13 January 2017. When Scottish Power last ran a similar scheme, it was oversubscribed; this may suggest that enhanced packages are on offer.
Eurofound (2016), Scottish Power, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 89414, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/89414.