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 mineral water manufacturer Aqua Römer announced the closure of its plant in Göppingen, where 100 workers are employed, by the end of October. The company holds three plants; the one in Göppingen is the only non-profitable one. The closure will affect 100 workers, 50 out of these shall loose their jobs, the remaining 50 workers shall be employed in another plant some 50 kilometers away.
The news came as a shock to the community which is also being affected by job cuts in the metal and electrical industry. The city council debated strategies aimed at preventing the plant closure, but at the beginning of August the company made it clear that it was not considering any other alternative.
Eurofound (2019), Aqua Römer, Closure in Germany, factsheet number 98286, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/98286.