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.
In November 2017, German industrial group Siemens announced that it would cut 6,900 jobs worldwide, as part of its plan to restructure the Power and Gas division. In Germany, 3,400 employees were to be made redundant and some plants to be closed.
After negotiations with the metalworkers Union IG Metal and the works council, the company reduced the number of redundancies by 500 to 2,900 in total. The two sides agreed on socially acceptable measures, such as partial retirement, severance pay and internal transfers. The plant in Görlitz, whose planned closure triggered mass protests and political debate, will remain intact.
Eurofound (2018), Siemens , Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 95950, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/95950.