{"title":"Understanding digital sweatshops: A qualitative investigation of workers’ perspectives","authors":"Manoj Kumar Kamila, Sahil Singh Jasrotia, Pooja Singh Kushwaha","doi":"10.1007/s13520-024-00210-y","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Digital sweatshops represent exploitative digital workplaces where individuals are compelled to work long hours under high demands for minimal compensation. This study employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with digital workers to explore digital sweatshop operations’ challenges and adverse aspects, mainly focusing on ethical considerations. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The findings highlight three key themes: conditions mitigating factors, organisational factors, and work environment factors, all of which contribute to the persistence of digital sweatshops. The study advocates for comprehensive labour laws, education and advocacy for digital employees, mental health support, transparency and accountability, skill development, career advancement, and ethical business practices. These recommendations are intended to help governments and organizations create a fair and ethical digital workplace, prioritizing workers’ rights and well-being.\n</p>","PeriodicalId":54051,"journal":{"name":"Asian Journal of Business Ethics","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Journal of Business Ethics","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13520-024-00210-y","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ETHICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Digital sweatshops represent exploitative digital workplaces where individuals are compelled to work long hours under high demands for minimal compensation. This study employs in-depth, semi-structured interviews with digital workers to explore digital sweatshop operations’ challenges and adverse aspects, mainly focusing on ethical considerations. The collected data were transcribed and analyzed using grounded theory methodology. The findings highlight three key themes: conditions mitigating factors, organisational factors, and work environment factors, all of which contribute to the persistence of digital sweatshops. The study advocates for comprehensive labour laws, education and advocacy for digital employees, mental health support, transparency and accountability, skill development, career advancement, and ethical business practices. These recommendations are intended to help governments and organizations create a fair and ethical digital workplace, prioritizing workers’ rights and well-being.
期刊介绍:
The Asian Journal of Business Ethics (AJBE) publishes original articles from a wide variety of methodological and disciplinary perspectives concerning ethical issues related to business in Asia, including East, Southeast and South-central Asia. Like its well-known sister publication Journal of Business Ethics, AJBE examines the moral dimensions of production, consumption, labour relations, and organizational behavior, while taking into account the unique societal and ethical perspectives of the Asian region. The term ''business'' is understood in a wide sense to include all systems involved in the exchange of goods and services, while ''ethics'' is understood as applying to all human action aimed at securing a good life. We believe that issues concerning corporate responsibility are within the scope of ethics broadly construed. Systems of production, consumption, marketing, advertising, social and economic accounting, labour relations, public relations and organizational behaviour will be analyzed from a moral or ethical point of view. The style and level of dialogue involve all who are interested in business ethics - the business community, universities, government agencies, non-government organizations and consumer groups.The AJBE viewpoint is especially relevant today, as global business initiatives bring eastern and western companies together in new and ever more complex patterns of cooperation and competition.