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.
Samelin Ltd. is an Estonian enterprise with history dating back to 1945. It is the biggest manufacturer of footwear in Estonia and its products range from working boots to baby footwear. In large part the products are exported to Finland. Production of Karhu brand sport shoes is one of the latest and biggest projects of the factory. In cooperation with ALFA in Norway Samelin also produces ski boots, with HEAD in Italy it has manufactured boots for snowboarding and hiking. By the end of October Samelin will start manufacturing step and jazz dancing shoes for England.
The lack of employees has made the company to produce below its capacity. Currently there are about 300 workers in the factory and the company plans to hire hundred more employees. The scarcity of skilled workers in Estonia forces Samelin to hire people from Ukraine and Sri Lanka. In Ukraine eight employees are already waiting for their documents and also in 2007 there will be about twenty employees from Sri Lanka in the enterprise.
Eurofound (2006), Samelin, Business expansion in Estonia, factsheet number 64276, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/64276.