New insights from one-year pilots in IKEA U.S. and IKEA Switzerland suggest that making learning more accessible for IKEA store co-workers can support engagement, retention and business performance. Through dedicated learning time and easier access to development opportunities, the Protect Time to Learn pilots explored how learning could become a more natural part of everyday work. Early findings indicate that when learning is easier to access, it can help co-workers build skills and confidence, contribute to better customer experiences, and support positive business outcomes.
“We believe that when co-workers have opportunities to learn and grow, everyone benefits. These pilots showed that making learning easier to access and creating dedicated time for development can help more people build skills, confidence and competence in their everyday work, giving them more opportunities to grow, develop and potentially use their skills in other roles over time. In turn, that helps us meet our customers with greater knowledge, care and competence while supporting our business for the future,” says Alejandra Piñol, Global People & Culture Manager, Ingka Group.
The Protect Time to Learn pilots were introduced as part of Ingka Group’s broader Learning and Skills approach, which aims to help store co-workers build the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in their roles while creating better experiences for customers. The pilot reinforced the importance of ensuring development opportunities are accessible regardless of role, schedule or location.
Over the course of the pilots, co-workers were given dedicated time during working hours to access learning experiences aligned to both role and business needs. These included areas such as active selling in an omnichannel environment, digital literacy and automation capabilities, and leadership development through programmes such as Learn to Lead. The approach reinforced the importance of ensuring development opportunities are accessible regardless of role, schedule or location.
By combining dedicated learning time with prioritised content and easier access to development opportunities, the pilots explored how learning could become a more natural part of everyday work. Co-workers were encouraged to engage in regular learning throughout the year, helping build skills and confidence while supporting both personal growth and business priorities.
Neena Potenza, Country People & Culture Manager, IKEA US
“This pilot reinforced a foundational belief: that access to learning is just as critical as the quality of learning itself. When co-workers have dedicated time and space for development built into their workday, the impact is clear, greater confidence, stronger capability, and better outcomes for customers and the business. Protecting that time is not just a people investment; it is a business imperative.”
The outcomes provide further insight into how greater access to learning can support both co-worker development and broader business outcomes.
In the IKEA U.S., protected learning time was implemented across all units. Stores with the highest levels of protected learning time demonstrated stronger outcomes across a range of indicators related to co-worker engagement, retention, customer experience and commercial performance compared with stores with lower levels of learning participation. Between September 2024 and August 2025, the top 10 learning-engaged units improved their Happy Customer Score* by four points more than the bottom 10 units, showed an average 2% higher sales index and recorded 6% lower voluntary leave.
In Switzerland, the pilot focused on improving learning accessibility and learning equity, helping create a more balanced distribution of learning hours between managers and co-workers. This meant the gap in learning hours between managers and co-workers decreased from 16.7 hours to 9.8 hours, demonstrating progress towards creating more consistent access to development opportunities across different co-worker groups.
Alejandra Piñol, Global People & Culture Manager, Ingka Group
“While many factors contribute to business performance, these pilots reinforce the value of creating a workplace where co-workers have the time and support to learn and develop. The encouraging results we saw across customer experience, retention and sales performance show how investing in learning can support both our people and our business growth”
*Happy Customer Score (HCS) is an IKEA Retail customer experience measure that tracks how customers rate their experience with IKEA.
About Ingka Group
With IKEA retail operations in 32 markets, Ingka Group is the largest IKEA retailer and represents 87% 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 Ingka.com.
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