customer service representative

warehouse worker

sales

security officer

collaborateur

IKEA

When I started at IKEA, everything was relatively decent by retail standards. The Sales role was fairly challenging but far from overwhelming for me, and the environment was very supportive. Pay was somewhat above minimum wage to start, and turnover was very low. The scheduling was okay because the store hours weren't too extreme. About a year into my experience, lower and middle management got shuffled around along with some department responsibilities. This happens periodically in retail, so that's not particularly surprising. It's part of the development track of managers.

The pandemic significantly changed things. During lockdowns, we all continued going into the store to fulfill online orders. Many people take transit to work and so had to potentially be exposed to the virus, and the new roles stressed a lot of us mentally and physically, with many people suffering a variety of injuries. When lockdowns were lifted, security guards were supposed to enforce the mask mandate, but I personally had many confrontations on the sales floor with maskless customers on behalf of myself and my more timid coworkers.

The biggest issue is that the country office went full steam ahead with market intensification plans in spite of the pandemic and all the issues it introduced, like capacity limits and supply chain problems. Upper management was changed, and the attitude in the store was changed. Expectations were heightened, but without the needed support. The store didn't hire more staff, and in fact repeatedly cut our hours to contract minimums, but it also extended the store hours, all while not having any stock, ensuring every customer interaction and order fulfilment would be agonizing and antagonistic.

Lower and middle management has also been shuffled around constantly, far more frequently than I think is healthy. It's become perfectly normal for a lower manager to bounce from role to role with not even months of experience, while other managers come and go in and out of the store. This gives a distinct sense of a total lack of focus and kills any confidence the staff might have that any decisions will be followed through on, or even that we can build any kind of productive relationships with managers. I mean, if you know your manager is only sticking around for a few months, what's the point of getting overly invested?

IKEA is, in turn, not overly invested in your development. To get my own job full time instead of part time, I had to put in an application and wait two months for an interview, after which I found out I didn't even get it. I wasn't qualified to do my current job full time, apparently, and the reasons I was given weren't even related to the job. Similarly, when the store set up a planning services studio in earnest, I was apparently one of the top talents that could have gotten in, or so I'm told. But the studio managers hired a bunch of outside applicants and got the operation rolling before even reaching out to me, and not even concretely offering me a position then (I should point out that planners get paid significantly more than sales coworkers do, even with zero experience and zero knowledge). I don't know if it's all smoke or just disorganization and poor communication, but neither scenario is good. IKEA is a highly bureaucratized organization with far too much movement and little consistency, meaning they're constantly trying to do a lot of things at once, yet moving inefficiently and slowly anyway because their planning and execution are poor. All of it is the result of trying to squeeze blood from stones, the stones being the coworkers.

If you need a part-time job, go ahead and apply, but do not set high expectations. The organization is far too discombobulated to execute efficiently, and between that and the constant confrontations with annoyed customers, you'll just stress yourself out. I don't know if things will improve as supply chain improves (which is a long, long way off, given global conditions), but at 20 hours a week, my bills won't let me have the patience to find out. Good luck.

When I started (1 beginning of 5 years) there were a lot of perks, there are 2 restaurants (cafeteria and snack bar) in Ikea, so even though you can't really leave for lunch or break you can grab discounted food, which over the years never went up in price which is amazing for some really good meals with drink, sides and dessert.  There are 2 big parties every year (pre-covid) and the upper management plan the whole thing and usually went all out. For some of the staff, I think this might have been the first big parties they had ever been to so they went all out and bought new dresses, suits etc.  They were all really good the first two years but then kind of went downhill (ie cheap) in 2018 and I did not attend a 2019 Christmas party because of this.

There were other perks, mgmt brought in food trucks and huge portions of popular dishes.  It was fun and we felt rewarded.  Once we received a raise because of the mandatory increase in minimum wages, this stopped.  Very unfortunate. Not sure if it was because of low sales, new general manager, or what but that was disappointing too.  

Other good things are getting to know your co-workers, most people are pretty great to work with.  There are those who are very difficult to work with, and most of the time these people have worked for Ikea for a long time (not always though). They are unpleasant to downright surly.  

So on to more cons... sometimes calling other departments you can be subjected to shocking rudeness on the phone-- some employees have super low interpersonal skills, as well as some supervisors.

Another thing about working on cash, most of the time you're spread out and not able to talk to your co-workers. The supervisors in later years started to micromanage the team and it was a problem. Also you feel unsafe sometimes when you're stationed at a cash way down the line away from everyone else without anyone around to support you with difficult customers.

The store also has a lot of rules and unnecessary tasks to complete before you can get anything done. It takes up a lot of time in these situations (like if the item is sold out and the customer brings up a display item). And there are often not enough phones for staff.  The cash registers are dirty and dusty and not cleaned. I always cleaned my area, but most cashiers do not. A lot of people just don't care.

Other things that are cons are cashing out. They often try to get you out on time but fall behind sometimes and you can't be sure if you're on cash that you'll be out by the end of your shift-- many times you're there later because having to wait to get approved to leave the cash office.  Another strict rule that takes up a lot of time etc. Plus everyone hates the cash office and how cramped and messy it is.

It's still imo a good place to work, supervisors are okay when you make mistakes (it's put into the training for your supervisors/managers) and for the most part don't punish you for making a mistake (usually when you're rushing or stressed this happens). And they have wonderful items to purchase at a 10% discount for staff which is amazing! 

--- Very long review ---

The first 3 months that I worked there the store director was amazing but his contract ended. When we got a new director, for some reason things started changing in IKEA Canada (so not just our store but all of the management above that) and they kept cutting everywhere, which led to employees being overworked, including the part-timers. Let me just say this, we constantly had 3 or more department managers who had to leave because of burnout and since I stopped working there in June (we're now at the beginning of March) all of the staff in the department I used to work in, which was roughly 18 people, is gone because they couldn't endure the terrible management's decisions and the work conditions that kept getting worse and worse while we never got compensated. We went from having an EXTREMELY pleasant environment to work in, even though there are a lot of customers (hey, it's IKEA) to being constantly pressured to do more while getting rid of all the fun things we had one by one (salaries went up way slower than they used to, managers were on edge because of the higher-ups and unavoidably had to start watching employees more to make sure we weren't having fun on the job and only on breaks). I could've recommended working for IKEA 4 years ago because the job was alright and my colleagues were the main reason why we all managed to have fun even when we had days with over 15,000 customers walking in and dealing with the aftermath of having so many people in the building in one day, but now I just can't. I've stayed in touch with a lot of my former coworkers and we're all in agreement that we've been way better ever since we left IKEA. There are pros to working there, but to me they weren't enough.

Pros: 
- Amazing insurance that costs almost nothing 
- Unless you really hate yellow, the uniform is jeans with the typical              yellow shirts for people on the floor and marine shirts with jeans or dark blue work pants for people in the warehouse.
- They tend to be alright when it comes to students and adjusting to their schedules

Cons:
- Too much pressure with no compensation for extra work (overtime was paid at regular wage)
- Management is INCREDIBLY mediocre
- You can do an amazing job but if you're not a goody-two-shoes who sucks up to the higher-ups it's very hard to go up the echelons.
- If you're not a student your schedule is usually super hectic (as it usually is in retail)
- Takes forever to get training for things that you care about but not at all for the useless details that your department manager could've just told you about in 5 minutes. We asked several times to have basic training with other sections of the store since self-serve has basically everything (living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms, bathrooms, seasonal stuff like holiday decorations and summer furniture, kids furniture, etc.) and we never got any of those after asking for more than 2 years BUT you can bet that they would force us to attend a "training session" of 2 hours to talk about the history of the company and make us watch a documentary about it.

Working with customers was (almost) always one of the best parts of the job, even with the few bad apples you'd get. And you do end up learning a few things about working the job. You meet some great people who feel unified because of the cultural aspect of the job. Lastly, you make money...

However, management was the biggest pain in the behind. Favoritism, neglect, selective memory, non-stop excuses, false assumptions about your work behavior, borderline-authoritarian rules, unwillingness to hear and/or heed the opinions/concerns/suggestions of the department, clashing of different orders/tasks from different managers, and emotional/professional manipulation are just SOME of the things you'll experience from the managers in this store. It made the job extremely stressful to say the least.

I often worked by myself, even on busy days, in spite of the fact that the job required a minimum of two people for the tasks to be done efficiently and properly. Many people were no-shows or called in sick to avoid the work, and while I couldn't blame them because of the work conditions, it made my life that much harder. It was a battle just to stay employed in spite of the rather lousy work conditions for the department. Anxiety was a growing concern for me as I would always dread the shifts where I'd have to put up with the more negative aspects of the job, which was more often than not.

No appreciation was given for my near-flawless attendance record, even with the odd late arrival due to problems with transit. None was given for my willingness to fill in hours that were needed. Information was constantly withheld from me; I was sometimes made to feel bad for mistakes that could have been corrected with additional staffing in my shifts; the equipment for the job was lousy and just barely worked, often failing or stalling at the worst of times, yet because of bureaucratic red-tape, nothing has been modestly repaired since the beginning of the year; cost-cutting measures and a cryptic, seemingly restrictive budget limited staffing & scheduling abilities; empty promises and shallow assurances from the upper echelons of management; lower-management (such as Duty Managers) would try to pawn off their duties on you any chance they'd get, in spite of how busy YOU were trying to get the job done, you know, the one you were being paid for.

Plan and review daily requirements, which included requests for maintenance or new works to be carried out, programmed preventive maintenance, assisting in projects, attending to contractors and service providers. Ensuring that the store is a safe place for customers and staff alike. Attending to all emergencies relating to the facilities. Daily inspection of store and both indoor and outdoors. Ensuring that janitors maintain washrooms to a high standard and all areas to be cleaned throughout the day. AS GOOD AS NEW concept.

This type of work has taught me to be proactive and be prepared to attend to any emergencies. This ensures minimum or no lost of time to the operations and also to maintain a safe working/customer environment at all times.

Continuously in close contact with management to ensure that all is in order. Co-workers are also our clients, so a good relationship is fostered through mutual respect and a electronic request system is in place enhance this. This allow for all parties to track progress of requests. Job can be challenging (hard) with with multiple requests/competing priorities but continuous and clear updates on progress helps put things at ease. Good communications is essential for this job and we are provided with the proper communication tools/programs to ensure this occurs.   

Enjoyable part of the jobs is being able to complete routine works with other competing requests and being able to solve problems both through own initiatives or through dialogue with others in the facilities department. Being able to work on my own and as a team both within the department or within the whole organization. I also enjoyed working on a buildup project (new store) in another IKEA location for two months. (IKEA Richmond in Vancouver.) Having access to a wide source of expertise within the IKEA organization was also a benefit. 

Was part of the Occupational Health and Safety  and Sustainability Committees for many years and was fortunate to do continuous training in both these areas; which in turn enable me to carry out my role more efficiently.

When I started here I was 110% enthusiastic in making it work. By the end I was broken down faster than their furniture and I only lasted a little longer than 6 months.

Myself and an other guy were hired at same time and he just quit without notice in less than three months.

They preach Ikea propaganda they don't back up or stand behind. You will have every employee as your boss knit picking and watching your every move.

Most all employees in area I worked were emotionless Zombies with chips on their shoulders. Very clicky group of miserable acting people not happy with their job. Every morning I heard screaming and yelling profanity at each from drivers on the dock.

Jump start meetings every morning that are useless dribble with useless information on how many trailers you have to work that day. After a while you will just hear blah blah blah. Wasted time and brain numbing verbal garbage from power tripping employees who like to hear themselves talk.

Be prepared for a workout and to start sweating profusely for 5 hours of your shift because they turn the Air conditioning off until the store opens at 10. I hated being drenched and hot working in sweat drenched clothes lifting heavy product.

I hope you like working in the dark because they also dim the lights to save pennies on the dollar until store opens at 10. Go figure that products are put in wrong places by employees who can't see product codes in the dark.

You will have many bosses and who one hand doesn't know what the other is doing.Your always struggling where to put product that isn't needed and product needed that is never ordered.

You will also have the pleasure of listening to the same bogus music and announcements that are played over and over and over again. It will make you insane faster than crazy house 

 Its was a unstructured Gong show that left me depressed and to quit without notice. It's better you keep this horrid place off your resume. It is a depressing and unhealthy environment to work. I've never felt better for quitting a job in my life.

Typical Day:

Making sure the shop is ready to greet the customer each day. 
Organizing tasks according to priorities for the day. 
Finding solutions to goods flow issues in the mornings and making adjustments during peak times, i.e. Sales Events. 
Taking over tasks where needed to make things flow smoothly. 
Helping coworkers with questions and finding solutions.

What I learned:

Learning to be proactive in a very fast moving environment that changed daily. 
I learned that a happy team is more productive. 
Clear communication is key to a successful team. 
I learned about merchandising and sales steering according to Profit margin ratios and availability of goods.
Customer service and trust building with your customer. Meeting their needs and only promising what you know you can fulfill. 
Egos have no place in a team environment. It is about the business and not about an individual's needs but making sure that everyone feels they are making a contribution in some way. 

Management:

My Management team works hard to provide the staff with the support needed to run the shop at the highest level possible.
They try to support work/life balance as much as possible. 

Coworkers:

The most amazing group of hardworking people I know. 
All focused on a common goal. 
Positive and dedicated. 

Hardest Part of the Job:

Not being able to control everything. 
Being proactive all the time is hard when things change so quickly.

Most Enjoyable Part of the Job:

Helping customers find solutions to their decorating needs and having them leave happy with new ideas.
Building relationships with Customers.
Working with amazing people everyday.

I am a former IKEA coworker who has been in the company just over 10 years. I've worked as a cashier and sales (market hall & showroom). Over the years, I've seen the stages of changes. And I must say, unfortunately, the spirit of the store is going lower and lower. 

At the beginning of my IKEA journey, the management has been great - they were understanding and somewhat informative. The store keeps you up to date how the store is. But being as a cashier 4 years, due to retail environment, it was difficult to have a work-life balance. But one thing I must say is the cash dept is really close to one and another. The cashier family culture was top notch - i miss that dearly. 

For the rest of the years as sales, you learn a lot of skills such as how behind the scene is, how to deal with customer situations - the people skills. Sales coworkers who are on the floor with other depts are mostly good and very helpful to one another. Unfortunately, managements are favoritism. I was given hopes to advancement within the dept, but none has happened over the year; hence, more and more coworkers has left the company. As such, my motivation to work has declined more and more over the years. 

I would say overall, it is a great company to start - great benefits, great people, great food. IKEA is a great stepping stone to start your job as retail and may branch off to somewhere else (IKEA looks great on resume). But in a long run, I would say current management has a lot of damage control to take care of...

All in all, customers/friends asked me why did I stayed at IKEA for so long, I've always reply "It's the people I work with". Even to this day, my answer stayed the same :) Good luck

This is a good company to work for if you have no other obligations. It takes away all your physical and mental energy and time out of you. Favoritism is big here. Big issues aren't really discussed and resolved. They get swept under the rug and ignored. Benefits are good. Pay is average. Definitely can't make a living out of it if you are a single parent with small kids. Too much blame game played here and management believes we are in elementary school that they complain if they see anyone talking. Lol. They don't really recognize hard work and will recognize people only if you are in their good books.

Coworkers are the best thing. Since everyone is struggling we confide in each other and help each other. Management only helps when there is some big events otherwise they are invisible. They will smile and talk nicely but behind your back they will gossip about you to other managers.

They are good in giving minimum hours as per contract. Coworkers can get extra hours if needed from other departments. Everyone is so stretched out thin that there is always sick calls. They is a high turnover rate among coworkers.

If you are a type of person who is willing to give all your time and energy without any other obligations to a workplace this is good place to work for. There is always room for growth. Some managers are actually pretty good but some of them drain you out.

Working in the carts department at IKEA is a physically demanding job that requires a lot of movement throughout the shift. The primary task involves collecting and organizing shopping carts to ensure they are readily available for customers. While the job itself is repetitive, the level of difficulty greatly depends on the team, supervisors, and managers in charge.  

One of the biggest factors that influence the work experience is teamwork. When working with a well-coordinated team, the job becomes much more manageable and even enjoyable. Communication and cooperation play a crucial role in ensuring that tasks are completed efficiently. However, if the team is disorganized or lacks motivation, the workload can feel overwhelming.  

Supervisors and managers also have a significant impact on the overall experience. Supportive and understanding leadership makes the job easier, providing clear instructions and assistance when needed. On the other hand, poor management can lead to unnecessary stress, miscommunication, and an increased workload. A good supervisor ensures that tasks are fairly distributed and that employees receive proper breaks.  

Despite the physical nature of the job, working at IKEA in the carts department can be an easy and smooth experience when there is strong teamwork and good leadership. The key to enjoying this role is having a supportive team and supervisors who understand the challenges of the job. When everything aligns well, it can be a straightforward and rewarding position. However, in the absence of good coordination, it can quickly become exhausting.


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