Bad work experience - People and Culture Administrator IKEA Employee Review

I worked by Ikea in SERVICE OFFICE for about one year. During these months, I covered the role of "People and Culture Administrator" . Unfortunately, it was not a nice experience, at least for me. During this period, I had a chance to observe how disorganised they are at the heart of IKEA as a company, not to mention the lack of respect towards the staff. On a managerial level, there is a high level of incompetence and lack of empathy. Those in charge were the first ones not to respect Ikea’s values, like for instance setting a good example. To give you an example, on August 10 th, we ‘the staff’ were forced to physically get back to the office, but the three in charge of the team continued working from home and got back to the office only a month later on September 7 th. This is a total lack of respect in my opinion. The staff has to return to the office in the middle of the summer, while those in charge could do smart working as long as they wanted from home or from the beach at the seaside? Were they not be supposed to set a good example? In addition, the workload is badly managed. Result: we had to work over the weekend on a continuous basis. Working overtime was, thus, not optional but a must-do. During this year, interns were forced to work on Saturdays (without getting paid, of course). We were working non-stop and without any prior notice, we had asked mandatory overtime. We were obliged to do so without complaining, and were often threatened to work hard, otherwise there was a good chance not to get the contract renewed. We were also told to be happy to have a job during such a difficult period like that of the Covid, and not to complain accordingly. Again, were they not be supposed to set a good example? How do they do it, by threatening and demotivating people and staying home longer than the staff? The perfect example of how wrong people cover wrong positions in IKEA. So, basically, our destiny as staff was determined by all this. In addition, during the lockdown period, we had to do lots of overtime. However, as a rule, all of the overtime is to be asked upfront in the mornings. This was not always possible. In order to deliver a good customer service, it was not always possible to foresee the day’s workload and actual number of hours. As a result, we often had to work for free. Now, delivering a good customer service requires sometimes to be working extra hours, but for IKEA Italy, if not foreseen and asked upfront, this must be done for free. So, if you want to work for IKEA, dear reader, get ready to be expected to work for the glory. Lastly, it is sad to state that in IKEA, at least in Service Office, people get on the career ladder by recommendations, friendships and nepotism. This explains why there are so many incompetent team leaders and managers covering the wrong positions. There is no meritocracy and favouritism is the norm there. I wish for the next future not to find another place as low and demotivating as that I found in IKEA Italy.