“People are at the heart of the IKEA business and over the past year, our co-workers have shown togetherness, agility, speed and leadership. We’re proud to be named one of Forbes’ Best Employers in Canada during a year when our culture and values have come to life as never before,” said Michael Ward, CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, IKEA Canada has prioritized the health and safety and livelihoods of its 7900 co-workers nationwide. Over the past year the retailer is proud to have maintained all co-worker employment throughout its temporary closures. IKEA has also introduced relevant, enhanced co-worker programs for both physical and mental health and well-being, new development opportunities, flexible Wellness Days and a Learning@Home initiative to build skills and competency for those working from home. All the while, the retailer continued to make long-term commitments to support its equality, diversity and inclusion platform.
“At IKEA, we strive to create a welcoming and inclusive environment that values every individual’s unique differences and contributions,” said Tanja Fratangeli, Head of People and Culture, IKEA Canada. “We remain committed to ensuring that IKEA continues to be a great place to work, always supporting a better everyday life for our co-workers.”
Here are a few, of the many reasons, why IKEA is a Great Place to Work:
- Equality remains a key focus at IKEA with the goal to reflect the diversity of Canada and create an inclusive work environment where every co-worker can be themselves.
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- The retailer is committed to supporting greater ethnic and racial equity and inclusion for Black people, Indigenous peoples and people of colour (BIPOC communities) through partnerships, community donations, leadership training, resources and co-worker support circles.
- Strong continued focus on gender equality – 51 per cent of co-workers and managers are women and the IKEA Canada management team is gender equal. The retailer is a founding member of the Gender Equality Leadership Project, a Global Compact Network Canada venture to eliminate barriers faced by women in the workplace.
- Committed to creating a welcoming, safe and accepting environment for LGBTQ+ co-workers and communities. This includes raising the Pride flag nationwide for IDAHOT, participating in Pride celebrations and partnering with organizations like Pride at Work.
- Support for those with lived refugee experiences through its Refugee Skills for Employment Initiative.
- In 2020, IKEA evolved its traditional Sick Pay program to introduce Wellness Days, offering more flexibility for co-workers to manage responsibilities outside of work.
- The IKEA benefits program was developed together with co-workers from across the country, with a strong focus on health and well-being. In 2020, IKEA Canada enhanced benefit eligibility as part of its Caring for Co-workers initiative.
- Co-worker Total Rewards include a competitive RRSP program, the Tack! Ingka loyalty program, a performance-driven bonus program, subsidized meals, a co-worker discount, paid uniform and safety boots subsidy.
- IKEA Canada supports its co-workers in living a more sustainable life at home through challenges like the Better Living App and ongoing education and tools.
- Ongoing opportunities for co-workers to give back to the local community and volunteer through #TogetherwithKindness COVID-19 relief efforts and long-term community partnerships with Tree Canada and Habitat for Humanity.
In collaboration with analytics firm Statista, Forbes selected Canada’s Best Employers based on an independent survey from a sample of more than 8,000 Canadian employees who work for companies that employ at least 500 people in their Canadian operations. The surveys were anonymous and administered in a series of online panels and provide a representative sample of the Canadian workforce. The resulting list included 300 employers that received the most recommendation. View the full list at http://www.forbes.com/canada-best-employers/list
About IKEA Canada
Founded in 1943 in Sweden, IKEA is a leading home furnishing retailer, offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible can afford them. IKEA Canada is part of Ingka Group which operates 374 IKEA stores in 30 countries, including 14 in Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada welcomed 22.9 million visitors to its stores and 178.4 million visitors to IKEA.ca and the IKEA app. IKEA Canada operates business through the IKEA vision – to create a better everyday life for the many people and does so through its local community efforts and sustainability initiatives. For more information on IKEA Canada, please visit IKEA.ca.
For further information, please contact:
IKEA Canada
Kristin Newbigging
Kristin.newbigging@ingka.ikea.com