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