Working at IKEA — Reviews by Employees

It's been a week or so since the BIG announcement with the DC. I have had some time to digest the info and feel I am ready to comment. Going back to 4 Shift Managers is a great idea!! I think we had that same structure at one time, hmmm. Giving Sups an assistant is another great idea!! I think we had that structure at one time as well, hmmm. Its funny how things keep coming back full circle. I guess that's what happens when someone walks into the building and starts making changes before understanding the business or listening to others around him. We all know the 15 million dollar man is the one responsible for that. Yes 15 million dollar man, I will explain what I mean by that. Knowing what our annual budget typically is and the fact that we have lost 25-30% in effciencies means we added that 25-30% loss in efficiencies to our cost (15 million+). That is a loooooot of money!!! I think we all know that one last step has to be taken in order to get the DC headed in the right direction. A demotion was a good first step, now just finish the job before we spend another 15 million as a result of one mans ego.

To the person that made the comment on 8/6, you are right on. There are so many side deals and shady stuff that happens behind the scenes. How does the Safety Manager get away with authorizing an hourly co-worker to drive her son in the company truck to the MVA so he can get his license? What if something had happend to them, IKEA would have been liable for everything. Yet you punch in late a few times and you lose your job. Which one of these seems like a bigger issue? We know the answer but becuase you are not the Site Managers pal from Savannah you dont get the special treatment. As for your comments about Ron Richmond, you are correct. He had the building heading in the right direction and we were so much happier. IKEA is a company that likes to project the small town and family feeling. That was the case until April of 2009. Ron walked the floor, talked to us and did everything he could to show appreciation to us. Don't forget Tom Rowe, he was the hardest working member of leadership the building has ever seen. Royal Ford was another big loss, he may have been tough at times but he was fair. I have personally cried with him and I know he has was always there to help co-workers in times of need. The three of them cared about us and did all they could to show it. I just wish we could turn the clock back.

All I can say is it makes me laugh when I read comments about how management portrays the values of IKEA. That is the biggest joke in the book. If you are not a yes man or you don't have your nose up someone's ass then you have no future at IKEA. They want to talk about honesty and integrity but I haven't seen that in a long time. I was taught a new meaning to those both words. Which is hide everything that management does wrong and fix osha documents so that they look. Since when do we allow co-workers to get their license in the company truck. What the management of Safety didn't want to use her car for her son to get his license. Oh but why would they care when she was fired for doctoring osha documents and her son's accidents and now she is back. Wow that is what I call honesty and integrity right there. For you in management that are stupid. That is called sarcasm. When management talks all you hear is blah blah blah. It is all lies and they need to get someone in that really knows how to run the place. Hell, Ron Richmond was way better than this shit. The values of management have become lie, cheat and hide the facts that they do not know what they are doing. Hell the co-workers get treated like shit. When was the last time they gave us a real christmas party instead of the generic stuff in the warehouse. that really shows us what we are worth. You work your ass off for them for what? Absolutely nothing but a stab in the back. The co-workers are great, but management sucks.

To the person that made the comment on 8/1/10, you are sooo correct. People can't quit but some Union representation is very much needed. Whats going to happen when the company realizes that the current "Site Manager" is failing and they need to have a third party come in and run the facility again (Genco). Benefits, pay and a lot of other things change. As far as your safety comment, we are going to continue to have accidents as long as we onboard large numbers at one time. Remember when the thought process was that we would drug test ALL accidents? Well that has gone away, volume is now more important than people's safety. That is and was especially true when recert dates where changed on the master spreadsheet so we could pass the SEC check. I think we scored a 95 or 96 on the SEC check, the sad thing is that the Manager of that department was more than happy to accept the bogus score. Honesty and integrity are two values that are often preached but rarely practiced by those that should be setting the example. Its hard being a memebr of leadership when you know all of this and you have nobody to talk to because even those outside the facility would rather ignore the problems.

To anyone still at 460 perryville, QUIT NOW, or when you get the first chance consult the local teamsters union, you wont need a voice then becuase you will have an attorney , yeah you have to pay dues but you will make more in hourly pay to not even notice the small amout even taken out , To all the good teamleads you know who you are , you know the ones that dont backstabb or sexual harrass and get away with it , and god knows whatever else those fuckers do .(yeah i cursed , im an adult its my god given right to say what ever i want ).good job and it was a pleasure working fer you . wonder if osha is gonna close the dc down yet hmmm, how many more people have to go out in a stretcher because they wont turn on the exhaust fans, they say it makes the floor sweat, then they have people on floor cleaners that make the floor wet , kinda defeats the purpose specially while they are in aisles you drive lifts in , but oh well , at least i dont have to worry about getting my leg crushed or anything.lmao paddle your own canoe , yet togetherness and enthusiasim is there number one motto .

Paddle your own canoe... The sky is the limit but no one will do it for you.

I no longer work at this facility. Since my departure I have become even more aware of how poorly it is run and how much more difficult it is there than it really should be. The results are the main driver for the poor environment. It seems as though the expectations were based on the results of other facilities that had very different business parameters than that DC. By this I mean the range of the articles, the distance to the stores, the quantity of stores, the amount of order lines processed, etc, etc, etc. Basically the low flow model was never bench marked properly. Sure there are others, but none that operate in the same way. So the solution was to bring in a new management team to get the results. In many cases this is the correct solution, however based on what I saw and have heard the facility is performing worse than it ever has (even as a third party). Just before the change, voice scores had improved from the previous year, the efficiency goal was being exceeded, the cost goal was being exceeded, accuracy was up, damages were down, and most everything was trending in the right direction (if you doubt this look at the MIP for March 2009). Then the solution was introduced. Since then that trend has done a 180 in all areas. I believe this happened because the facility actually moved away from the real essence of the Ikea values! On the outside it may appear that they were introduced and the leadership was/is instilling them. But from the inside there is nothing but hypocrisy, dishonesty, and fear. It's hard to preach what you don't practice. That's what has the coworkers and much of the leadership so upset and that’s why the results will never come. I truly believe that the values and nine points are a great guide in life, both at work and at home. But when they are used as a tool and twisted, the substance is lost. I could spend allot of time giving examples but those that are there and have left understand what I'm saying. Fear is the main leadership skill practiced. My heart goes out to the people that are still there. You will be demanded, not asked, to sacrifice more in a futile effort to achieve results beyond your means. For those outside of the facility that read this, you should look in the mirror and honestly ask yourself if you have done what you should have to support the DC. The DC, not the egomaniac that you put in charge. Here is a funny twist. The egomaniac was given a DC to start out with that had never been bench marked properly either, however it seems that the situation was just the opposite. Do to the parameters of the business he was able to achieve great results that maybe really were not that great, based on what he had to work with. Kind of funny how you can go from hero to zero by just changing zip codes! Maybe that’s karma. I wish the hourly folks and the majority of the leadership the best of luck, the thickest of skin (you'll need it), and the most patient friends and family.

place stinks to high heaven! backstabbing, inconsistencies, and jacked up rules. OT scheduled during Aug.......coworkers are NOT allowed to take family vacations during that month! In the handbook, it states 30 day advance notice, so realisticallly I should be able to schedule vacation a month from today's date with no issue. But because of the IKEA's hypocrisy and socialistic attitude they are crushing some child's vacation due to there incompetence and lack of caring for their coworker.

IKEA is a decent company. Are you going to become George Steinbrenner working here........probably no. But then again are you launching rockets to the moon? We are moving flat pack boxes to a store for our customers to buy. Perspective. To the Perryville MD blogger..........Perspective is everything!!!! What you have failed to mention is that 460 has consistently been the worst performing DC in North America since it opened under Genco and even now under IKEA. IKEA Value......Accept responsibility. Accept responsibility for your part in the building not being successful for all these years. IKEA Value......Leadership by Example.

IKEA is a business just like any other business and sometimes has to make touch business decisions however they aren't vindictive and they aren't out to hurt their coworkers. Sounds like the Perryville blogger needs to get on board and be part of the solution or find another company to hate on. Remember perspective is EVERYTHING!

Ikea is getting worse under new management. They care little about the average co-worker, it seems they are just a badge number to them. They act like they are the only job within a thousand miles and want us to praise their cult like values and points that they bend to their will to fit their needs.