IKEA Switzerland has attained the highest level of gender equality practices in the world, becoming the first company globally to attain LEAD, the highest level of EDGE certification.

EDGE assessed IKEA Switzerland in five areas: equal pay for equivalent work, recruitment and promotion, leadership development training and mentoring, flexible working and company culture.

A total of 1,004 employees were interviewed, along with in-depth interviews with IKEA Switzerland’s HR professionals.

The analysis of salaries showed IKEA has a statistically insignificant unexplained gender pay gap.

The certification implies IKEA Switzerland’s policies, practices and numbers are gender-equal for its 3,000 employees.

“With the EDGE certification we have the opportunity to verify whether our ambition to treat men and women equally at IKEA is a living reality,” says Simona Scarpaleggia, CEO of IKEA Switzerland.

“By reaching the highest level of certification, we are tightening IKEA’s company structure and culture to prevent pay gaps, underrepresentation of women in management positions and different career paths for women,” she added.

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More than 100 companies from 31 countries have been certified or are in the process of becoming certified by EDGE for the first or second level so far.

“IKEA Switzerland is the success story of gender-enlightened, sustainable business,” says Aniela Unguresan, co-founder of EDGE Certified Foundation.

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