Anna-Carin Månsson is the Country People & Culture manager for IKEA India. She has 23 years of experience within IKEA in different HR manager positions of IKEA business in China, Sweden, UK, Russia and Poland. BusinessLine spoke with her on the sidelines of the recent announcement by it that it would enable 10,000 jobs as it opens a store in Mumbai in 2019. Excerpts.

Is IKEA finding the right kind of talent and skill set in India as compared to other countries it operates in?

Yes, we did find the talent we were looking for. We plan to train and retain Indian people. Since our core values like, togetherness and cost-consciousness resonate with the Indian culture, we found like-minded people.

Is there any HR practice unique to India which the company has implemented?

Firstly, we offer equal parental leave of 26 weeks for either of the parents. Secondly, among all the IKEA markets, India is among the four countries where we will have a daycare centre in the showroom. Thirdly, we offer to-and-fro transport. Fourthly, we arrange sexual harassment awareness programmes and have complaint committees. Fifth, IKEA is planning to secure equal pay for jobs of equal value by 2020.

What do you ask a potential employee to know that they would fit in?

“What made you become the person you are today?” Answering this question allows the candidate to share their experience, values, etc which helps me to get a deeper understanding of the values, and leadership qualities of the candidate beyond the CV.

There are concerns around new tech platforms like AI taking over jobs from humans. What’s your view on this?

I find AI very exciting and several companies, along with ours, are embracing the AI support. Technology helps in recruitment, development and support in the industry. While it may take away a few transactional jobs, human-to-human connect will always be important for us.

How do you train workforce to work with machines? Many companies already deploy bots and robotics at various levels.

We use robotics in our IT, logistics and point of sale system, and train our employees for the same. In the future, I can see more interaction with AI. At the Navi Mumbai store, a consumer may possibly interact with our digital system and robots along with our employees.

An excellent manager but poor attitude vs an average manager with great attitude. What would you pick?

I will pick neither of the two, because it starts with the values. Also, you need to do a fantastic job and contribute to the company.

What kind of training programmes do you run in Ikea and how often?

We implement all our global training programmes in India too. The top level employees are formally trained for 18 months.

We finished our first phase of hiring at Navi Mumbai, and now they will recruit people in their teams which will be formally trained for 3-5 months.

There is a debate about work from home, whether it’s good or bad. What’s your take on this?

It is different from industry to industry. A customer coming to the store would be excited to see the products and understand the details of it. Hence, customers facing employees cannot work from home because the customer would be disappointed.

What are the current trends in the HR industry in India?

In India, there are several companies that are focusing on diversity. We too have a 50:50 ratio, and we create equal opportunity for both men, women and others. Making it a better workplace for the millennials is another trend.

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