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.
Supermarket chain Morrisons has announced plans to restructure by cutting 1,500 managerial jobs. At the same time, Morrisons will create 1,700 new junior customer assistant roles. There are 800 managerial vacancies currently across the retailers network, which geography permitting, could be filled by redeployment from the pool of 1,500. This would still leave a minimum of 700 managerial workers facing the choice between redundancy or accepting a lower paid job within the organisation.
A spokesperson for Morrisons has commented that this restructuring is intended to help give better service to customers. However, it has not gone unnoticed by commentators that the retailer, in common with others in the 'Big Four' has faced significant pressure from the discount sector, and that this restructure will replace higher paid jobs with ones paid at a lower level. Consultation will take place before job changes take effect. There has been no official announcement of the timescale by the employer, but a spokesperson for the USDAW trade union has revealed that Morrisons intends the changes to take effect from April 2018.
Eurofound (2018), Morrisons, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 93188, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/93188.