Forbes recognizes companies leading the way in diversity and
inclusion for Canadian workers
BURLINGTON, ON, July 9, 2024
/CNW/ - IKEA Canada proudly announces its recognition on Forbes'
list of Canada's Best Employers for Diversity for third consecutive
year.
This prestigious award is presented by Forbes and Statista, the
world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The
designation is awarded to companies leading the way in the areas of
age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, 2SLGBTQ+, and general
diversity and inclusion.
"At IKEA, our vision is to create a better everyday life for the
many people, and this starts with our co-workers," said
John Williams, EDI Leader, IKEA
Canada. "Being recognized on Forbes' list for the third year in a
row is not only an honour, but a testament to IKEA Canada's
unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive workplace that
celebrates diversity in all its forms. This starts with our
recruitment efforts and carries through to all aspects of our
business including ways of working, policies, processes, and
customer interactions. We're committed to continuing our work to
ensure that every employee feels seen, heard and empowered every
single day."
Key initiatives that contributed to this recognition
include:
- Gender balance: IKEA Canada is proud that 51% of its
managers and 52% of its co-workers are female. As part of its
Equality Plan, it will continue to work towards gender balance in
every unit, function, and level to ensure it is building an
organization that reflects the diversity of its communities.
- Co-worker Resource Groups: In support of its Equality
Plan, IKEA Canada launched Co-worker Resource Groups (CRGs) in 2022
as part of its effort to create an inclusive culture where everyone
can be themselves and contribute to making IKEA a great place to
work. These CRGs empower diverse voices and help create a culture
of belonging, creating a safe space for co-workers who are BIPOC
and 2SLGBTQI+, as well as promoting gender balance in all areas of
the business. The mission of CRGs is to positively influence the
work environment and provide insights on how to improve
recruitment, retention and overall company culture through the lens
of equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Evolved Indigenous Reconciliation plan: As
sustainability and social inclusion go hand in hand, IKEA Canada
works to ensure its renewed approach considers Indigenous Peoples
dependence on, and close relationship with, the environment and its
resources.
- EDI Days of Significance: IKEA Canada celebrates and
acknowledges many EDI Days of Significance in its units nationally.
This includes Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month, National
Indigenous History Month, National Day for Truth and
Reconciliation, International Day for Persons with a Disability,
International Women's Day, World Refugee Day, Pride, Diwali, EID,
Holi, Lunar New Year and more.
- Pride & acceptance for all: Since 2018, IKEA has
been recognizing May 17th as
International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
(IDAHOBIT) by raising the Pride Progress flag at store
locations across Canada and marking the start of Pride celebrations
at IKEA Canada. The organization donates a portion of the proceeds
of STORSTOMMA bags to 2SLGBTQI+ organizations that benefit local
communities, adding up to more than $250,000 raised since inception of the program.
IKEA Canada also announced a donation of up to $200,000 through sales of its Rainbow cake during
Pride to support Rainbow Railroad in their mission to create a
better everyday life for at-risk LGBTQI+ individuals seeking
emergency relocation, crisis response, and other forms of
assistance. Globally, IKEA has evolved resources for trans
inclusion, inclusive language, and a gender transition planning
tool.
- Disability Action Plan: IKEA Canada recently launched an
action plan focused on disability inclusion. The plan includes a
framework to build more diverse teams, create an environment where
everyone can be themselves and provide engagement and experiences
no matter one's ability or background.
- Diversity and Inclusion Co-worker Survey: The
second-ever Ingka Includes survey was sent to IKEA Canada
co-workers in November 2023 to better
understand how diverse and inclusive the business is, where it's
succeeding and where it can improve. The anonymous and voluntary
survey prioritizes EDI in the organization's business objectives
and helps develop initiatives to improve ethnic and cultural
diversity at all levels of leadership.
- Leadership training: Leaders from across Canada took
part in DECIDE, a 30-day digital initiative that helps managers and
employees break bias in everyday and critical people and business
decisions, based on deep neuroscience research on five types of
bias. Country leaders also engaged in Intentions to Actions Leaders
training to help bridge the gap between intentions and actions
through discussion of relevant dilemmas to create a more equal,
diverse and inclusive IKEA.
- Updated Global IKEA Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Plan: Refined areas of focus include improving gender equality
beyond the binary of male and female, reflecting ethnic diversity
in society across management teams, reflecting disability diversity
in society and improving accessibility for co-workers with
disabilities.
- Support for refugees and newcomers: IKEA has a
long-standing commitment of supporting those with lived refugee
experience through humanitarian efforts with the IKEA
Foundation.
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 379 IKEA stores in 31 countries, including 16 in
Canada. Last year, IKEA Canada
welcomed 28 million visitors to its stores and 166 million visitors
to IKEA.ca. 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 media inquiries:
Lisa Huie
PR Leader, IKEA Canada
lisa.huie@ingka.ikea.com
SOURCE IKEA Canada Limited Partnership