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IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

fortune.com

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Re: IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

#221

OP's link should really include the full title: Ikea’s boss solved the Swedish retailer’s global ‘unhappy worker’ crisis by raising salaries, introducing flexible working and subsidizing childcare Cutting it off there just makes it seem like ikea thinks "more money = happy workers" when in reality it is more nuanced than that.

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Re: IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

#223
post #9
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Subsidizing childcare is also "more money", but only for some workers. If the others don't notice or don't care that they're getting paid less for the same work that's great for the company. I am in favor of flexible work arrangements, and I have no idea if those have costs to the company, or how much more you'd need to pay the workers to accept the less flexible arrangements.

For the people that want the childcare, it’s better than more money, because it’s tax free

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Re: IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

#224

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The message of subsidized childcare is not generically "we value you", but "we want you to have children while you work for us", which for most employees is more important than money. Compare to companies that avoid hiring women to avoid dealing with maternity leave.

I live in a country with generous maternity leave. I have a family, and we're grateful we could access it. But maternity leave is tricky for businesses. My anecdote: I worked for a company whose long-time CEO retired. After an involved search, the company found a replacement. She was onboarded and started getting in a groove, then 6 months in it was announced she would be leaving for a year of maternity leave. So we…

If the company doesn't have someone ready for a promotion to CEO, and needs an "involved" search for a replacement, and doesn't get work done without one, it is an understaffed, unprepared and unattractive company.

Re: IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

#225
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not that we as a society devalue childcare. We just don't live in an economy where it is safe for families to put all their eggs in one basket like that. In post-WWII US, it was generally easy for fathers to find stable, lifelong careers with a low risk of layoffs and a low risk of an untimely death, which allowed families to thrive on single incomes. But that was an outlier, not the norm. In most places and in…

In the past extended family would usually live close by, so they could assist the mother inside the home. Today, both parents need to work outside the home, and family is usually too far away to assist.

That is very true. And even in cases where it was not true, families tended to have more children, so older siblings could help look after younger siblings while the family worked.

Re: IKEA's retailer's solved global 'unhappy worker' crisis by raising salaries

#226

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is a primordial forest, and why is its wood so easy to break when in the form of a cabinet?

> What is a primordial forest [...] That's a "forrest". At least in Europe, almost all land has been influenced by humans, and "forrest" is misused for farms that grow trees. To refer to an actual forrest, an additional qualifier is needed.

Is the spelling intentional or what
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