IKEA Italy and LGBTQI+ rights: more than fifteen years of consistent commitment

Equality, diversity and inclusion are not peripheral issues, but central elements of IKEA’s corporate culture and values: they support business performance, growth and IKEA’s contribution to society.

At IKEA, there is a strong belief that diverse teams enhance creativity, decision-making and business results. For this reason, all leaders have a shared responsibility to promote and reinforce this message throughout the organisation. Through this approach, IKEA turns its internal commitment into a broader driver of cultural change: the company’s visibility is put at the service of the right to live free from discrimination, with the ambition of setting an example that inspires other organisations to embrace the benefits of a diverse and inclusive workplace.

It is within this framework of values that a concrete story has unfolded across Italy, shaped by clear and increasingly structured choices, and marked by more than fifteen years of strategic consistency. IKEA has been present in Italy since 1989. Over 37 years of operations, it has built an extensive network of 50 stores in different formats and today employs almost 8,000 co-workers. But the numbers tell only part of the story: what makes IKEA distinctive is the consistency with which, for more than fifteen years, the company has openly and concretely supported the rights of LGBTQI+ people. Not through occasional statements, but through continuous and increasingly structured actions.

The first concrete step dates back to 2010, when IKEA Italy became a founding member of Parks – Liberi e Uguali, an association of Italian companies committed to LGBTQI+ issues in the workplace. This was not a symbolic affiliation, but the decision to formally join a network of companies taking concrete responsibility for protecting the rights of gay people.

Two years later, this was followed by the extension of company benefits to same-sex couples: a move that was unusual in Italy at the time, anticipating the national legal framework and, through an internal policy, addressing a gap in protection that the law did not yet cover. The structural turning point came in 2019, with the launch of the Equality, Diversity & Inclusion strategy, supported by a dedicated national role and a network of around 80 ambassadors across all IKEA Italy units. Inclusion was no longer entrusted to isolated initiatives, but became an organisational function with clear and dedicated responsibilities.

In recent years, this approach has led to further acceleration, with the introduction of training sessions dedicated to the different dimensions of DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion), aimed at shaping corporate culture and raising awareness of unconscious bias. Since then, the company has launched at least one new concrete initiative every year. These include IKEA Includes, a biennial anonymous survey on the quality of inclusion within the company: the latest data show that 26% of the company’s workforce identifies as part of the LGBTQI+ community and perceives IKEA as a safe and supportive workplace for all minorities. During the same period, IKEA introduced an HR policy specifically for transgender co-workers, providing six additional weeks of paid leave for those undertaking a gender transition, together with best-practice guidelines to promote inclusive and welcoming language.

Every 17 May, IKEA marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT). Alongside this observance, everyone at IKEA can learn, through an internally published guide, about the everyday actions they can take to be an ally: suggestions range from using inclusive language to active listening, without making assumptions based on appearances.

For this reason, this year’s awareness campaign for IDAHOBIT and Pride Month was centred on the theme “Make room for love”: an invitation to build alliances rather than divisions, openness rather than exclusion, because only together can we truly create a place where everyone can be valued and be themselves. IKEA co-workers carried the same message in Pride parades across the various cities where Pride events took place and where an IKEA store is present.

It is important to emphasise that all dimensions of DEI are actively addressed: the company’s internal manifesto clearly states that everyone has the right to be treated fairly and to have equal opportunities, regardless of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical ability, nationality, religion or any other dimension of their identity. At a time when people’s rights are often under pressure, IKEA’s direction is clear—from listening internally and measuring progress to providing concrete protection—and the goal is to continue broadening the scope of this commitment.

IKEA Italy’s consistency is an active and measurable commitment, both today and as it was more than a decade ago.