- DGB Chairwoman joins expert panel on responsible use of modern technologies and AI in HR management
- Employee perspective as a central element in the public debate on artificial intelligence in companies
Frankfurt am Main, December 21, 2022. Yasmin Fahimi, Chairwoman of the German Trade Union Confederation, (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund, DGB), joins the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board. She replaces Reiner Hoffmann, who had represented the interests of the employee side in the expert committee for the responsible use of modern technologies and AI in HR management during his term as DGB chairman.
“Modern technologies are significantly and dynamically transforming the world of work. This makes it all the more important to use them in the interests of good work and thus drive innovation forward. Clear rules ensure that the consequences for work processes can be assessed and possible conflicts of objectives resolved. This creates the necessary trust for the use of modern technologies. Against the backdrop of demographic developments, too, the potential of digitization must be better utilized and clarified in the best spirit of social partnership. I am therefore delighted to be able to deepen the discourse on rules for the socially sustainable use of technology as a member of the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board,” says Yasmin Fahimi, explaining her reasons for joining the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board.
From the point of view of Dr. Elke Eller, co-chair and co-initiator of the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board along with Michael H. Kramarsch, the membership of the DGB chairwoman is proof of the importance that the trade union side attaches to modern technologies in companies and especially in HR management. The investor, supervisory board member and former personnel director emphasizes: “Modern, strategic personnel management is hardly possible without technology and data analysis. As the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board, we have set ourselves the goal of discussing ethical issues of their use in a broad public debate. As the representative of millions of employees, Yasmin Fahimi brings an important perspective to the table here. After all, it is the employees who should benefit from more technology in HR work. The DGB has been involved with the Advisory Board since its inception and I am pleased that we are continuing our dialogue on these important issues for the future and that the unions are playing a formative role in this.”
In addition to his commitment to the Ethics Advisory Board, Michael H. Kramarsch, founder of HR Tech, investor and partner of the management consultancy hkp/// group, adds: “The members of the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board have diverse professional backgrounds. They are united by the will to ensure responsible use of modern technologies and AI in HR. In this context, the employees’ point of view is important to us, as our survey of union members on the topic of HR tech with the Hans Böckler Foundation and Verdi last year also showed.”
The consultant for strategic HR management and corporate governance is convinced: “The debate on ethical rules in the use of digital technologies must be conducted on a broad social scale. After all, the enormous opportunities for more efficient, fairer management and HR work that caters to the needs of the individual are offset by risks such as perpetuated discrimination and dehumanization through surveillance. Companies, employees, software providers and all those affected are helped by standards that are as binding as possible and must adapt dynamically to current developments,” says Michael H. Kramarsch.
About the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board
The HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board was established in December 2019. The expert panel for the responsible use of modern technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) consists of renowned scientists and experts from the fields of behavioral economics, human resource management, psychology, business ethics and law. Among them are HR executives from established companies, experienced HR practitioners, founders, CEOs, stakeholders from successful HR startups, trade union members and representatives of civil society. The aim is to provide all people, and in particular HR managers, who come into contact with digital innovations in HR work with guidance on how to use them responsibly.
To achieve this goal, the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board has developed ten guidelines for the responsible use of AI and other digital technologies in HR work as part of a broad iterative discourse in its first year. Currently, the main focus of activity is on operationalizing the ethical guidelines that have been developed, while continuing to pursue a broad social approach in dialogue.
Contact for the HR Tech Ethics Advisory Board
Thomas Müller
Partner, Head of Marketing & Communication hkp/// group
E-mail: thomas.mueller@hkp.com
Tel.: +49 176 100 88 237
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