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 supermarket chain Tesco announced its plans to close five hypermarkets in Leszno, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Łomża, Bełchatów and Wrocław, which will cause 380 redundancies. The jobs will be cut throughout a collective dismissal programme, which will affect 304 rank and file and 76 managerial positions. The company plans to carry out the redundancies between 1 February 2020 and 30 April 2020. According to the conditions of the redundancy programme, dismissed workers will receive severance pay. Tesco revealed that the decision was taken due to economic reasons.
Operating in Poland since 1992, the company has around 340 stores across the country. In 2019, the company already announced five other restructuring programmes: January (1,300 jobs cut), June (1,480 jobs cut), August (2,154 jobs cut), September (2,117 jobs cut) and November (224 jobs cut).
Eurofound (2020), Tesco, Closure in Poland, factsheet number 99666, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/99666.