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.
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Monte dei Paschi di Siena, one of the largest Italian banking group, is to reduce the staff at its Italian units by 4,350 persons.
The decision is part of a restructuring plan intended to exit a long period of crisis (see Monte dei Paschi di SienaIT-2013, Monte dei Paschi di SienaIT-2016). The plan, developed under EU rules on bank recovery and resolution, entails a reorganisation of the business model, the disposal of non-performing loans, a reduction of branches, a cap on senior managers’ pay, and a precautionary recapitalisation by the Italian State.
For what concerns the workforce, the plan envisages 5,500 exits over the 2017-2021 period. As many employees already left the company over the latest months, forthcoming exits should actually be 4,850, 4,100 thereof to be implemented with incentives to dismissals, and the remaining share (750) by means of retirements. The company also envisaged 500 hirings, lowering the number of net exits in Italy to 4,350.
Further 450 redundancies should be implemented in the bank’s branches located abroad.
Unions have started negotiations with the management on dismissals, calling for exits to be implemented on a voluntary basis.
Eurofound (2017), Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Internal restructuring in Italy, factsheet number 91543, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/91543.