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 Dutch hospital ZGT (Ziekenhuis Groep Twente), operating two hospitals in Hengelo and Almelo (east Netherlands), will cut 150 jobs in the next two years as part of a cost reduction plan that is to fill a financial deficit of 15 to 20 million euros in response to poor financial performance due to the rising costs of medicines, diagnostics, and the rising influx of elderly patients with complex problems. The restructuring will affect at least 31 administrative and supporting staff, 14 facilities staff, and 79 medical staff, in addition to what has been designated as 'volume reduction' of 26 staff across departments. The job cuts will be spread over two years starting in 2017 and the possibility of forced redundancies is not excluded. The nurses' union NU'91 contests the use of forced redundancies and hopes it will still be possible to negotiate a redundancy deal which precludes forced redundancies.
As of October 2017, the two hospitals employ 3,400 people.
Eurofound (2017), ZGT, Internal restructuring in Netherlands, factsheet number 92472, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/92472.