Human resources jobs could be under threat at Ikea, after the Swedish home retailer revealed plans to cut 300 managerial posts in the UK.
The company said a “reorganisation” of the way it worked would result in fewer layers of management and open the way for co-workers to take on greater responsibility.
Ikea currently has a 9,000-strong workforce operating in 15 stores in the UK.
The company said in a statement that its UK operations needed to become “more productive, efficient, and flexible”.
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“Today we recognise that the way in which we operate our units is not meeting the needs of our customers, nor is it always a lean, simple and quick way of working,” Ikea said.
A spokesman for shopworkers’ union Usdaw said: “We are seeking an urgent meeting with Ikea to examine in detail the business plans behind what is clearly a significant restructuring of their management and supervisory grades.”