On World Mental Health Day, Ingka Group, the largest IKEA retailer, calls for more open conversations on mental health and highlights the importance of everyday support, from global programmes to small human gestures.
10 October marks World Mental Health Day, a reminder of the importance of caring for our minds as well as bodies. According to the World Health Organisation, over a billion people worldwide are living with mental-health conditions, with anxiety and depression among the most common, impacting all aspects of life*. The need for action is clear, and as a large global employer, Ingka Group has both the opportunity and the responsibility to help normalise conversations around mental health and to create environments where people feel safe to seek support.
Ulrika Biesèrt, Global People & Culture Manager, Ingka Group
“Mental health touches all of us but for some it can still feel harder to reach out for support. We want to help make it easier for everyone to reach out and ask for help. Supporting our co-workers’ wellbeing is not a ‘nice-to-have’, it is business-critical. When our people feel healthy, safe, and empowered, they deliver stronger results, create better customer experiences, and drive innovation. As a large global employer, we recognise our responsibility not only to provide support but also to keep building understanding and awareness, so that everyone feels safe to speak openly and be themselves. When we do that together, we create a workplace where people can thrive as we build a stronger business for the future.”
In 2020 Ingka Group launched its Health and Wellbeing Framework, which provides the foundation for this work. It brings together mental, physical, and financial wellbeing, ensuring co-workers have access to quality support and resources while fostering a culture of openness and care. It focuses on creating a psychologically safe environment for open dialogue on health, raising awareness, reducing stigma, and providing free, accessible support.
This focus on co-worker wellbeing extends beyond the workplace. The IKEA Life at Home Report 2024**, based on a survey of more than 38,000 people across 39 countries, showed that mental and physical wellbeing are also essential pillars of a balanced life at home. Together, these perspectives highlight the need to care for wellbeing in every part of life, at work and beyond.
With more than 160,000 co-workers across 31 countries, Ingka Group recognises that mental health support must meet diverse needs. Like many people globally, co-workers face the daily pressures of balancing work, family, and life’s challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic made these challenges even more visible, and since 2021 the company has increased investment in raising awareness, improving dialogue, and creating practical tools to support wellbeing.
These have included:
- Introduction of our EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) available in all countries to support co-workers. The EAP offers access to experts and resources through counselling to support within mental, physical and financial wellbeing with the aim to lead a healthy life. This includes, but not limited to, occupational stress, emotional stress, major life events, health care concerns, family issues (including domestic violence), work relation issues and grief and loss.
- IKEA Retail country initiatives have been introduced; from dog therapy in Canada, psychological support in Poland and ‘tea and talk’ sessions in the UK and Ireland, encouraging more open conversations on mental health.
- Virtual workshops for co-workers and leaders were held on topics such as self-care and managing stress.
- Mental health e-learning helping to build awareness of mental health issues.
“These actions are not solutions in themselves but are meaningful steps in creating a culture where co-workers feel supported and a reminder that no one is alone. Not every act of support comes from a programme or training. Sometimes, it is the simplest things, a thank you, having a coffee break with a chat or taking part in a shared activity like a run. These small acts can be an essential foundation for health and wellbeing. On this World Mental Health Day, we join others in calling for more awareness, openness, and shared responsibility, because creating a culture of wellbeing requires all of us, every day,” adds Ulrika Biesèrt.
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*World Health Organization (WHO) News Release, 2 September 2025) Over a billion people living with mental health conditions – services require urgent scale-up
**IKEA Life at Home Report 2024 was based on a survey of 38,630 people across 39 countries- The IKEA Life at Home Report 2024
Read more:
- Better lives | Ingka Group – People are at the heart of everything we do. From gender equal pay to inclusive workplaces. We want to take a leading role in creating a fairer and more equal society and to improve the lives of the millions of people that interact with, or are impacted by, our company.
- Ingka Group prioritizes co-worker everyday wellbeing | Ingka Group.
About Ingka Group
With IKEA retail operations on 31 markets, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents about 90% of IKEA retail sales. It is a strategic partner to develop and innovate the IKEA business and help define common IKEA strategies. Ingka Group owns and operates IKEA sales channels under franchise agreements with Inter IKEA Systems B.V. It has three business areas: IKEA Retail, Ingka Investments and Ingka Centres. Read more on www.Ingka.com.
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