How do you attract a new generation of employees to Ikea?

You offer paid co-worker positions on Roblox.

This is the innovative creative solution served up by creative Agency Mother as part of its ‘Careers done differently’ initiative for the Swedish retail giant.

The work is designed to bring the same level of brand love to Ikea’s  employee brand, as its consumer facing advertising has long enjoyed. 

Ikea is seeking to promote the fact that it offers great career opportunities, with co-workers across the business benefiting from non-linear career journeys. According to Ikea, lateral moves across departments or from store to head office are completely normal. 

In this first phase of activity, Ikea is inviting applications to be a paid co-worker at Ikea on Roblox, which is designed to give a diverse range of consumers a flavour of an Ikea career. Ikea is encouraging  applications through a fully integrated campaign that includes social and in-store activity. 

Kemi Anthony, Marketing Communications Manager at Ikea UK, explained: “When we say careers done differently, we do mean it. To bring career progression at Ikea to life, it made sense to demonstrate the co-worker journey in a less traditional way, by ‘recruiting’ people to try it out for themselves at Ikea on Roblox.”

Social media activity will run across platforms, including Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Posts inviting users to apply to be paid co-workers. In store, the campaign comes to life with striking ‘pixelated furniture’ installations and messaging. The paid player positions will be open to consumers aged over 18 in the UK or the Republic of Ireland. 

The virtual store  will open on 24th June and is designed to introduce users to the breadth of roles and career progression routes available at Ikea through a series of games inspired by real-life jobs at the Swedish retailer. The immersive experience allows people to switch between departments while their avatars keep gaining experience, reflecting Ikea’s flexible career progression. It is not known if virtual employees will get to sample virtual versions of Ikea’s iconic meatballs at lunchtime. 

Kelly O'Callaghan, Recruitment & Sourcing Manager at Ikea, added: "At Ikea, co-workers can grow their careers in any direction they want - by reskilling and moving into a new department or by taking on more responsibilities and growing in leadership roles. 'The Co-Worker' game aims to help more people experience what a career at Ikea could be like."

In an ecosystem in which far to many brands still look to the past as a roadmap for what the future of work will look like, Ikea’s innovative approach underlines the power of doing things differently