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.
Fashion retailer New Look has confirmed plans to close 60 of its 593 stores and make 980 redundancies out of a total headcount of 15,300, as part of a rescue package to keep the business operational. The company had been forced to enter into a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) with its creditors. The deal will see rents reduced on 393 stores in the portfolio. The deal had been announced earlier in March, but was subject to final approval from creditors. The decision to approve the deal was seen by many commentators as inevitable, given the current financial position of many high street retailers. Final decisions on which stores will be closed will be confirmed by New Look in due course, and it is understood that the closures will take place between six and twelve months following this announcement.
Eurofound (2018), New Look, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 93712, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/93712.