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 Solingen-based company Zwilling, which manufactures household goods, has announced that it will cut around 120 jobs at its Solingen site (North Rhine-Westphalia) by mid-2026. Of these, 80 jobs will be in logistics and 40 in administration. The company mentions the after-effects of the coronavirus pandemic and weak consumer sentiment as the reason for the company's difficult economic situation. The restructuring is part of a transformation programme that has been running since 2023 and aims to streamline processes and focus on the core business of knife production.
The redundancies will be carried out in a socially responsible manner via a voluntary redundancy programme, early retirement schemes and the establishment of a transfer company; however, some compulsory redundancies are also planned.
A reconciliation of interests has been concluded with the works council.
Zwilling currently employs around 700 people in Solingen and around 3,200 worldwide.
Eurofound (2025), Zwilling J. A. Henckels, Internal restructuring in Germany, factsheet number 203036, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://dev.eurofound.europa.eu/restructuring-events/detail/203036.