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 UK-based building maintenance and services company, George Birchall Service was placed into administration on 28 March, 2019. The company’s 400 employees were made redundant with immediate effect and sent home without pay – only a small group of workers remained employed to close down the business.
A representative of the administrators, FRP Advisory, said that it is their immediate priority to support affected employees and work closely with clients. Hopefully, this will include the further transfer of a significant proportion of the workforce to alternative contractors.
George Birchall Service had offices in Newcastle-under-Lyme and London. It provided building services maintenance to a wide range of public and private sector clients across the UK, including hotels, supermarkets and commercial office buildings. Its sister company, George Birchall Ltd, an electrical contractor was placed into administration last September, leading to the loss of 141 jobs.
Eurofound (2019), George Birchall Service Limited, Bankruptcy in United Kingdom, factsheet number 97606, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/97606.