A new report*, titled The inclusive digital workplace: Forging digital ethics, is free to access and tackles the difficult conversation of ethics in a digital world. This is a hot topic given the host of new technological capabilities becoming available, with organizations scrambling to work out how these can best be applied and employees concerned about their job security and the threat of being replaced.

As we move further into the digital age, and technology continues to evolve rapidly, so must our thinking around ethics. With the growth of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and DALL-E, we’re moving into uncharted territory where the possibilities are almost endless and, as more options become available to us, we must continue to ask questions about their morality. Just because we can, should we?

DWG, long at the forefront of innovation in the digital workplace conversation, aims to answer some of these questions in this latest report. Using its industry-leading expertise, garnered from working with clients such as Adobe, Michelin, Nestlé and The Cola-Cola Group, DWG picks apart some of the complex conversations that need to be had around not just these new technologies, but also our approach to the digital workplace as a whole. The research provides some fascinating takeaways for organizations that incorporate technology and digital tools in their setup and are wanting a steer on how to do so ethically.

Forging digital ethics also makes use of DWG’s extensive organizational network, surveying 1,082 managers and employees across the UK and US. These findings highlight some of the key concerns employers and employees face, amplifying the disconnect between the two. In one example, 49% of managers said that digital surveillance tools helped them to manage their team, while 47% of employees were concerned by their use. In an ever-changing workplace environment, where workplaces are still looking for their best approach around how to use digital assistance, this is a timely report that seeks to address some of these concerns.

The report also touches on growing movements such as ‘Tech for Good’, which are striving to keep digital ethics at the forefront of people’s minds as technology moves forward, viewing all considerations through a digital workplace lens, and offering practical advice on how organizations can incorporate an ethical approach to their work.

Included in the report are several key references that organizations can use when making ethical decisions, ranging from key principles to consider, through to questions organizations can ask when establishing an ethical approach.

The report also takes insight from a host of organizations, such as Oxfam International, Harrow Council and Comcast, which all provide their experiences across different sectors and help to make up an extensive report.  

The author of the report, Shimrit Janes, who is Director of Knowledge for DWG, said this of this latest instalment of the inclusive digital workplace series:

“Too often with the digital workplace and emergent technology, we get excited by what the technology can do, without also asking whether it should be doing it. Whether it’s the impact of digital overload, surveillance technologies, AI, or any of the myriad ways in which we create and use digital tools, digital workplace teams need to become comfortable with embedding an ethical approach into their work. This is going to be crucial as we move forward, not only because the speed of innovation is increasing, but also to nurture trusting relationships with employees.”

*Digital Workplace Group (DWG)