The UK arm of Ikea has announced that all of its 10,400 retail co-workers are now eligible for at least one weekend off in every four.
The Swedish furniture giant is one of the first retailers in the UK to offer this initiative, which aims to provide co-workers an improved work-life balance and ensuring fairness and equality.
It comes less than a year after Ikea committed to paying UK staff the voluntary Living Wage rate, which in October had been raised from £8.25 per hour to £8.45 an hour.
“Last year, we conducted an internal survey which highlighted work-life balance as a priority for our people,” Ikea UK human resources manager Pernille Hagild said.
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“That‘s why we‘ve introduced this new benefit because we want everyone who works for us to spend quality time with their loved ones at the weekend, which is traditionally the busiest time in store.”
The new weekend initiative forms one part of the Global IKEA Employment Standards, which were introduced to enrich co-worker satisfaction, regardless of the department, team or level they work in.
Retail co-workers are also entitled to a pension loyalty scheme and an annual bonus.
“We want to ensure our co-workers feel valued and remain happy,” Hagild said.
“By focusing on their basic needs, we can build a better experience for our customers.”
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