When your store is more than 300,000 square feet in size, a lot of people are needed to work there. And that can mean a lot of employee turnover.
That’s the case for IKEA Canada, which has 14 giant locations in Canada. With 380 staff, the Etobicoke store in Toronto’s west end is no exception. That’s why the company has been working in recent years to develop ways, not just to cater to its customers, but to its workers, as well.
Hardlines was invited to take a tour of the Etobicoke store recently and see firsthand what IKEA has been doing to get and, more importantly, to retain workers.
Taking care of employees begins with their first day on the job. According to Wanda Arnott, human resources manager at IKEA, new hires get shadowed from the start. “The first day, co-workers are assigned a buddy, and the buddy is with them for at least the first five shifts, which gives them a very detailed learning journey for the first three months about what they need to understand, to learn.” With that support, new staffers “don’t feel alone.”
She added that the camaraderie is further encouraged at lunch. IKEA is renowned for its restaurants, which are good locations for workers to gather. The purpose, said Arnott, is “that we all mingle together. And it really does feel like: ‘What a big family!’”
And that attention continues year-round. Said our next tour guide, Grace Museitef, IKEA’s people and culture manager: “At the beginning of each fiscal year, we create something called a co-worker experience calendar, where we map out different events throughout the year for co-workers, along with cultural events that are relevant to our co-worker base.” Museitef used November (when our tour took place) as an example of how to celebrate and acknowledge the diversity of the workforce. “We celebrated Diwali at the beginning of the month. We brought in special treats for all the co-workers. We also participated in take-our-kids-to-work day,” she adds.
Given the number of new Canadians who get hired at the Etobicoke store, IKEA makes sure to offer a program that better helps them understand the opportunities available in their new country. Called Canada Life, the program includes “an information session to talk about the different things that are available through Canadian life to our co-workers.”
Keeping to IKEA’s commitment to health and well-being, the company has been using a program called Next Gen.
“It’s a program that we have for co-workers who want to grow with IKEA and take on more responsibility and develop into a leadership or specialist position,” said Museitef. Over the past four years, 30 employees at the store have participated, and half of them have moved up from previous roles.
“I’m happy to say that 50 percent of them have stepped into leadership positions, taken on more responsibility, and this program also gives them an opportunity to have mentors—peers that they work with and really take care of them.”
