CTRL+ALT+DIGNITY: Digital challenges, human solutions
No one wants to do work which is undignified, but the digitalisation process and its aftermath could pose a threat to the dignity of workers. Any decent employer is concerned about the dignity of their employees, and will want to take steps to ensure that dignity for all is safeguarded. But what is dignity? And precisely how can it be maintained during and after digitalisation?
It seems undeniable that dignity has both intrinsic and extrinsic value (even those employers who aren't concerned with their employees’ dignity will want to make it appear as though they are concerned, if only for the sake of their reputation and bottom line). Dignity is something which is seen as a crucial requisite for an ethical workplace.
And yet, despite almost unanimous agreement upon its importance, dignity remains a slippery concept – something that people often struggle to define without simply citing examples of dignified (or undignified) treatment.
Even the slightest analysis of dignity highlights our varied use of the term. Is it a human right, or a character trait? Is it a fundamental and inviolable feature of human beings, or can it be eroded to the point where someone has no dignity? More specific to digitalisation, just how can the introduction of new technologies in the manufacturing workplace affect people's dignity? How can employers ensure that people's dignity is maintained throughout the digitalisation process and beyond? These are some questions which I will be endeavouring to answer over the coming year.
It seems clear that dignity is in need of untangling: my research will provide a detailed conceptual analysis, providing clarity where there is currently only disagreement and opacity. Further, through focus groups and industry engagement, I shall be examining the ways in which digitalisation could threaten people’s dignity in the workplace, and providing a process for ameliorative or preventative action to safeguard employees’ dignity.
After all, a world where digital progress and dignity were mutually exclusive would not be at all desirable.
Additional Resources
Dignity at work cards - contact P-LD
Author’s profile
Dr Karen Lancaster has a PhD in Philosophy (specifically, care robot ethics), and works in the Human Factors Research Group in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham.
If you would like to know more about this research, please email p-ld@bath.ac.uk.
