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 Japanese producer of printers and copying machines Ricoh has announced that it will cut around 245 jobs (equivalent to 220 FTEs) in its Dutch daughter company Ricoh Nederland. It is deemed necessary in order to cut costs in view of recent losses so that the company will be profitable again, as well as to adapt to changing client demands. The job cuts will affect mainly administrative and support staff in marketing, finance, HR, facilities, and logistics, and they are expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2017. The unions have responded somewhat surprised to the high number of job losses, though they had foreseen some job cuts. According to the Dutch union CNV, all employees made redundant will fall under the earlier bargained social redundancy plan which expires in April 2017. Ricoh Nederland is part of the Ricoh Group based in Tokyo, which has activities in over 200 countries.
Eurofound (2016), Ricoh, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 89724, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/89724.