How IKEA India builds gender balance into its business model

Just as IKEA’s furniture is thoughtfully designed for functionality, so too is its corporate culture engineered for equality. The Swedish retailer has meticulously constructed a workplace where gender balance isn’t aspirational but foundational, achieving remarkable results in its Indian operation: approximately 48 per cent female co-workers overall and 60 per cent women in senior leadership positions.

In a country where social norms often restrict female workforce participation, these figures represent not just corporate success but a quiet revolution in workplace demographics. What distinguishes IKEA’s approach is its systematic integration throughout the organisation—equality is woven into the corporate fabric rather than stitched on as an afterthought.

“It comes very naturally to us. If you look at our founder’s vision, it was never about hiring more men or women—it was about people coming together for a shared purpose. That foundation hasn’t changed,” explains Taruna Lohmror, country centres of expertise manager, IKEA India.

“It comes very naturally to us. If you look at our founder’s vision, it was never about hiring more men or women—it was about people coming together for a shared purpose. That foundation hasn’t changed.”

 Taruna Lohmror, country centres of expertise manager, IKEA India

When IKEA entered the Indian market, it brought its values along with its furniture catalogues. Rather than dilute its commitment to gender equality to accommodate local conventions, the company maintained its principles while recognising the specific challenges of the context. This steadfastness provided both clarity and direction.

The company’s success begins with recruitment. IKEA deliberately reimagines retail roles that are traditionally gender-segregated in India. Recruitment materials are co-created with existing employees—both men and women—who design the posters and campaigns themselves. This approach ensures authentic representation and sends a clear message that everyone belongs in every role.

In IKEA’s Hyderabad store, the 45 per cent female workforce isn’t confined to customer service or cashier positions. Women operate forklifts, manage logistics and work in furniture assembly—areas typically dominated by men in Indian retail. This integration is achieved not through rigid quotas but by redesigning the environment to be inherently equitable.

The company’s hiring process scrutinises not only who is recruited but how. Training modules are gender-neutral, performance evaluations include mechanisms to counteract unconscious bias, and succession planning explicitly considers equal representation. Managers undergo specific training to recognise their own biases and are encouraged to regularly reflect on their team composition and evaluation methods.

Pay equity—often the final frontier in workplace equality—receives rigorous attention at IKEA India. The company conducts regular pay audits and maintains transparent salary structures. To address entrenched perceptions about gendered work value, IKEA conducts awareness sessions on “Equal work, equal pay” and ensures employees understand their rights. This approach creates a virtuous cycle: workers feel valued, which enhances retention and attracts diverse talent.

Perhaps IKEA’s most subtly revolutionary practice is its predictable five-day workweek, with schedules published a month in advance. This seemingly simple policy carries outsized impact in a society where caregiving responsibilities disproportionately fall on women. The predictability enables better planning and reduces the mental load that often drives women from the workforce.

This foresight allows employees to balance professional and personal responsibilities without constant compromise. Interestingly, the policy has also improved male participation in domestic responsibilities, as men can better plan to support their families. The company’s flexible shift-swapping policy further enhances this balance, creating a culture of mutual accommodation rather than rigid adherence to schedules.

Beyond scheduling, IKEA reshapes domestic dynamics through gender-neutral parental leave and on-site childcare facilities. These policies serve as powerful signals that caregiving is a shared responsibility, not exclusively women’s work. The impact extends beyond employee satisfaction and retention—it creates structural support for women’s career advancement.

What makes IKEA’s approach particularly effective is its comprehensive integration of these principles throughout the employee lifecycle. From recruitment and onboarding through development, compensation and career advancement, gender equality isn’t treated as a separate initiative but as an inherent aspect of operations.

Training plays a crucial role in this integration. IKEA conducts regular unconscious bias training for all managers, ensuring that biases don’t creep into performance evaluations or promotion decisions. This education prevents the subtle discrimination that often creates “glass ceilings” for women in retail environments.

The company’s succession planning process explicitly considers gender representation at all levels. High-potential female employees are identified early and provided with development opportunities. The result is a robust leadership pipeline that naturally yields the impressive 60 per cent female representation in senior positions.

IKEA tracks metrics and evaluates results, but numbers alone aren’t the goal. Rather, data serves as a checkpoint for reflection and refinement—a way to ensure the principles are being effectively translated into practice. The company constantly asks not just “What are we achieving?” but “How are we achieving it?”

This systemic approach demonstrates that inclusion need not be complicated—it simply needs to be consistent. By treating gender balance not as a corporate social responsibility project but as a fundamental operating principle, IKEA India has created a model that delivers measurable results.

In an Indian business environment where diversity initiatives often function more as public relations exercises than structural reforms, IKEA’s comprehensive approach offers a compelling alternative. The retailer has proven that equal opportunity, like well-designed furniture, works best when it’s thoughtfully constructed from the ground up.