Ethical considerations for employees disrupted by job automation technology

Abstract

The role of job automation technology within the financial services sector has gained prominence recent years. Decision-makers are faced with questions from the external and internal environment relating to the future of work and career outlook of human capital. While the benefits of job automation are undoubtedly a key driver towards adopting this technology, ethical questions on responsible and ethical leadership have been put under a lens so as to understand what this means for employees within the financial sector. The study explores the ethical considerations made by decision-makers within the financial services sector in South Africa in relation to the employees disrupted by job automation adoption. The findings of this qualitative study were obtained through eighteen semi-structured interviews with decision-makers from the financial services sector and consulting firms with exposure to the financial services industry. The study found that the intent of job automation technology adoption goals coupled with the predominant mindset of decision makers was influenced the nature of considerations made decision makers. These consideration categories were largely aligned to the extant literature and the study contributed to the business ethics domain by sharing specific considerations made by decision makers in industry. Communication, transitions services, change management, shared value framing, empowerment through custodianship, an analysis of transferable skills and skills profiling were the main emergent findings found in the study.