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 US online payments company Paypal has announced a restructuring programme which will reduce its workforce by 9%, cutting 2,500 jobs worldwide in 2024.
So far, the company announced a restructuring programme in Ireland where 205 jobs are expected to be cut. The conditions of the programme will be negotiated with employee representatives according to local regulations. PayPal said it would offer discretionary enhanced redundancy and support packages to departing staff.
President and CEO Alex Chriss emphasised the need to “right-size” PayPal, allowing the company to move swiftly to deliver for its customers and drive profitable growth. The company aims to achieve this by deploying automation, consolidating technology, and enhancing efficiency.
Previous restructuring events have been recorded in the ERM database for Paypal. In [2023], 2,000 job cuts were announced globally (https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/108357). In 2022, 307 job cuts were announced in Ireland [Paypal-2022-IE] (https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/106848), and in 2021, due to offshoring, 131 job cuts were announced in Ireland [Paypal-2021-IE] (https://apps.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/104726).
UPDATE 18/06/2024
It has been announced that PayPal completed negotiations with employees representatives in Ireland. As a result, the company will cut its employment by up to 85 jobs instead of the 205 inital planned cuts in Ireland.
Eurofound (2024), Paypal, Internal restructuring in World, factsheet number 200783, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/200783.