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.
Boots, the British pharmacy chain and health and beauty retailer has announced restructuring plans that involve 4,000 job cuts across the UK, affecting its head office, network of stores and Boots Opticians practices. Consultations with the affected employees and their representatives are already underway.
The managing director said that in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic the company had taken “decisive actions” to accelerate the existing plans to transform the business. A representative of the trade union Unite commented that the announcement proved the government support to employers was not efficient enough to save jobs. Boots is one of the largest retailers in the UK and it also has operations in Ireland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands and Thailand.
Eurofound (2020), Boots UK, Internal restructuring in United Kingdom, factsheet number 101452, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/101452.