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.
Tyres manufacturer Michelin has announced an in-depth transformation "to improve customer satisfaction, empower the teams, simplify operating modes and digitalise the group". This worldwide transformation affects mainly the United States (450 job cuts) and its France-based sites, notably Clermont-Ferrand, with 1,500 job reduction by 2020. The reduction of group workforce in France, will happen from non-replacement of retired employees: 3,500 employees will be recruited to replace the 5,000 departures in retirement and early-retirement expected until 2021. Therefore, there will be 1,500 job reductions including 979 for its sites in Clermont-Ferrand (Puy-de-Dôme). The aim is to increase the "agility" of the company and to save 1.2 billion of costs per year by 2020.
The company has expanded several times within France over the previous few years, in 2010, 2011, 2013, inMay 2016 in its site of La Roche-sur-Yon (Vendée) in December 2016 in its site of Cholet (Maine-et-Loire) and in March 2017 in its site of Blanzy (Saône-et-Loire). But the group also had job cuts occurrences in 2009 and 2013. Michelin has recently announced a plan to restructure one of its sites in Clermont-Ferrand, with a site closure by the end 2017 and a reorganisation of its engineering department by 2018.
The group Michelin employs about 11,000 employees in Clermont-Ferrand and 111,700 worldwide.
Eurofound (2017), Michelin, Internal restructuring in France, factsheet number 91338, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/91338.