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 paper stationery producer Harmanec-Kuvert announced business expansion and creation of 100 new jobs in 2020. Due to rising demand, company plans to raise its annual production of paper bags by 75 million in Brezno in Slovakia. In 2020, it envisages to make over 234 million paper shopping and postal bags and will install new bag production machinery. Thanks to this 100 new jobs will be added to the existing 170. According to the president of the holding company Eco-investment, to which the plant belongs, the firm plans to make an investment of around €3 million.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for envelopes has fallen, but the firm compensated this shortage with higher demand for paper shopping bags or takeaway paper bags for the catering industry. Besides Slovakia, it exports the products to the Netherlands, the UK, Hungary, Czechia and Belgium.
Eurofound (2020), Harmanec-Kuvert, Business expansion in Slovakia, factsheet number 101311, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/101311.