Workday, Inc., a leading provider of enterprise cloud applications for finance and human resources, and Inter IKEA Group have been working together for over five years to transform its employee experience with Workday Human Capital Management (HCM). With the use of modern technology, Inter IKEA Group is keeping customers and employees even more centrally in the organisation’s strategy to improve business agility.
Inter IKEA Group is the franchiser of 460 IKEA stores in 62 global markets. The company is committed to becoming an even more affordable and sustainable home furnishing retailer, with a focus on providing accessibility through an omnichannel experience. To achieve this, Inter IKEA has developed and tested, among other things, new product designs, new store formats and more flexible distribution methods, all made possible by digital technology.
Critical role for customer and employee experience
Improving the customer experience is at the heart of the company. Inter IKEA relies on hiring and retaining the right people with the right skills, which is a very difficult task in the current climate.
The company is keen on offering clear career paths and personal growth opportunities to provide employee learning experiences for in-demand skills, thereby fostering a lifelong learning mindset. Through this perspective, Inter IKEA can train employees to have the capacities and competences that will be needed in the future, giving employees the confidence that the company wants to invest in them.
“Employee experience is key to our success. Many employees want meaningful work that supports their overall well-being. By bringing together effective HR approaches and technology, we are able to move flexibly, respond quickly to employees’ needs and aspirations and prepare for the future,” says Amela Delic, digital transformation manager, Inter IKEA. “The real-time insights that Workday HCM provides us will enable us to optimise our employee experience and continue to build a future-proof company.”
A smarter, competency-based workforce strategy with ML
Inter IKEA is taking advantage of scalable and flexible tools to manage, empower and fully utilise its workforce to thrive in the future. The tools are also accessible via smartphones and tablets, so that everyone can have real-time insights that help improve the organisation. Using machine learning, talent can be automatically aligned with opportunities, allowing Inter IKEA to develop and embrace a smarter, competency-based workforce strategy, understanding people and talent gaps.
“According to Gallup research into workplace engagement, just 23% of employees worldwide are engaged at work – with this falling to only 10% within the UK,” says Richard Doherty, senior director product marketing EMEA at Workday. “This underscores the critical need for businesses to invest in improving employee experiences and it’s fantastic to see Inter IKEA and Workday partnering to achieve this. Implementing Workday’s HCM technology will empower Inter IKEA to bolster its employee engagement, nurture a culture of learning and better prepare its business – and its people – for the future.”
