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 oil company Shell has announced, on 14 December 2015, further details of the proposed operational and administrative restructuring related to the merger process with BG group. Shell expects an overall potential reduction of approximately 2,800 positions globally across the combined group, or approximately 3% of the total combined group workforce. These reductions are in addition to the announcement, last July, of a plans to reduce Shell’s headcount and contractor positions by 7,500 globally. With these measures and forecasted synergies, Shell expects to save about 3.5 billion dollars per year. As explained by Shell, "the proposed changes are subject to deal completion, engagement with affected employees and relevant employee representatives". "Further detailed work will be undertaken on the details of the proposed operational and administrative restructuring as part of ongoing integration planning", added the company. The acquisition of BG remains on track for completion in early 2016. Then the job cuts will begin. Job cuts were already announced in 2015 in the United Kingdom and in Norway. About the last worldwide level restructuring (7500 positions), there are no details about the share between job cuts by Shell only and job cuts affecting contractors has the company has informed markets with a global number of job cuts. Worldwide restructuring were already recorded : 2,000 and 1,000 job cuts in 2010 ; 5,000 in 2009.
Eurofound (2015), Shell, Merger/Acquisition in World, factsheet number 86018, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/86018.