Using people-first processes to drive technology adoption with IKEA's Nadja Soto Huurre
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Technology adoption is all about change management and how companies incorporate employees through the integration process. Nadja Soto Huurre shares how she harnessed technology and led the integration of IKEA's new scheduling tool – the Shifts app in Microsoft Teams – helping connect and empower IKEA's workforce. Nadja’s drive to find ways to be more efficient and see more productivity, along with supportive leadership, was crucial to a smooth transition to the new software. This change helped IKEA's frontline workers feel valued while showing leadership in how the app would create efficiency and cost savings.
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Produced by Larj Media.
Hayete Gallot
Welcome to Pivotal. Hayete Gallot, corporate vice president for commercial solution areas at Microsoft. I work with customers around the globe to transform their business through technology. At the center of every transformation are people who give technology its purpose. They are the ones who spark visionary ideas for leveraging technology, and they have the drive to push them forward for their business while empowering others. Hayete Gallot
We like to talk about technology. Hayete Gallot
I love to talk about it, Hayete Gallot
and we often forget the heroes behind technology and transformations. You, we forget you. And that's what I wanna talk about through pivotal. Many of us instantly recognize an IKEA store, with its big blue and yellow logos, and its well priced furniture, customers assemble themselves. At stores this big, with a workforce always on the move, delivering an efficient streamlined customer experiences parliament. So it's reasonable to imagine Ikea employees enjoyed a similar experience for things like scheduling and collaboration. You might be surprised to learn that until recently, IKEA had taken a traditional approach to solving that problem. Co workers could only gain access to IKEA's network on corporate desktops and laptops in stores, managers, had to rely on paper based processes to deliver information to store coworkers or to handle processes like shift changes. That changed when one employee envisioned a better way. Nadja Soto Huurre
My name is Nadja Soto Huurre, and I work at IKEA Kunescura in Stockholm. For the food department at IKEA. Hayete Gallot
Well, Nadja, so an opportunity to harness technology. In this case, using the shifts app in Microsoft Teams, to connect and empower IKEA's workforce, streamlined communication, and further IKEA's sustainability goals. When we think about the Teams app, we typically envision workers seating a desk. But in this case, Teams was a solution for frontline workers. On the move all day. Nadja Soto Huurre
Oh, it's a long story. Hayete Gallot
Nadia has worked at Ikea for over ten years, but initially she wanted to work in education. Nadja Soto Huurre
I wanted to have a a working place while I was studying to become a preschool teacher. And then after a year, I felt like IKA is something that I would like to focus more on. I want to be a hundred percent dedicated to Ikea and and what they stand for is especially the values that they have. So I stayed and I worked there full time. I started out at the market hall where you, sell all the small things like lamps and cushions and stuff. I worked there for three years and started to, develop more into becoming a leader So I went the the leadership, the training at Ikea. And then I started out as a team leader for the food department. And that developed into the role, where I was going to discover teams, and it was the people planning coordinator. Hayete Gallot
A big part of Nadia's job was to oversee shifts changes. Checking in a month ahead of time with workers, to make sure those shifts were still covered and accurate. Co workers had to fill out paper forms to request shift changes. And call or text when they were sick, and they had to use three different programs depending on what they wanted to change. But IKEA is not the only example. We see this with every frontline worker. Technology has always been an afterthought. And as a result, We don't think about their experience. That's how you end up with three apps or paper, and that's how it's not really effective for them. They need first to find Nadja Soto Huurre
a coworker to change the chip this fifth width, and they actually have to be there at work to look for someone and we are two hundred coworkers at that food department. So there's a lot of people you could ask, but you don't know who to ask because you don't know their schedule. So you have to know someone that you feel comfortable to ask and know that they may be might take that shift. Which is very uncertain. When you have a person, you have to go to your closest manager and fill out a form. And then the manager have two weeks to look into the schedule and see if it's possible not. Hayete Gallot
And once the worker finally goes through the trouble of getting their shift changes, they also have to contend with IKEA's policy, which requires eleven hours in between shifts. Nadja Soto Huurre
Sometimes when coworkers come and say that we they want to change shift, it's not possible because the poly they it goes against the policy. That's why the manager needs the time to look into the schedule. But I didn't find it efficient and practical And I found it very disrespectful for the coworker's private life to go around to it takes so much time that something something so easy. Why does it have to be so difficult for the coworkers, but also for the managers? Hayete Gallot
I was fascinated to hear that IKEA sets their workers' schedule a year ahead of time. I have no idea what I'll be doing in a year's time. Nadja Soto Huurre
If you can't tell a twenty year old first work workspace, you have to work, nine to ten PM, twenty fourth on May next year. It's like, what? I mean, I don't even know where I am. I don't even know if I'm still alive then as a twenty year old, you want to maybe travel within a month. You're just doing this work for saving money or something like that. So giving the opportunity to be a part of the schedule and the day to day life. Being able to together with your employer, create a schedule, the sense of we are doing this together, I can scratch your back if you scratch mine, like, that kind of sense. Hayete Gallot
What element that is crucial to smooth transition to a new self were is an enthusiastic leader within the workforce who believes in and advocates for the change. Nadja Soto Huurre
The idea came from maybe a core in my self where I always been this kind of person where I want to find better ways to be more efficient, see more productivity, and I saw that, we had so many different systems that didn't work together. The three main systems that we had was a program where we create the schedules. Then we had a separate program where we put up open shifts for coworkers to take extra shift if there was some sickness or parental leave or something like that. And then the third system where you clock in, clock out The main thing that made me wanted to look for something else was this, open shift program. Hayete Gallot
The process of navigating three system was not only time consuming and inefficient, but frankly expensive too. Nadja Soto Huurre
All of the systems that we have including different kind of communication programs that cost money. And some of them, it's not so much that I can decide or have so much, to say if there's something that we're gonna use or not. But that one was particularly hard for me to say, okay, this is this is okay. It it wasn't acceptable for me because we already pay for all the programs, and this is one that we could save money from. That program only for putting out Openhips cost three hundred thousand Swedish crowns. That's thirty thousand dollars roughly. Hayete Gallot
Nadia knew that making a big change to IT infrastructure requires buying from all levels of the company. Nadja Soto Huurre
I needed to sell this change to the management, of course, to start with. And, the first and the mainly thing that I brought to to this meeting where we're going to talk about this big change was the money actually that we were going to save. And how efficient my job was going to be. I would save maybe fifty percent of what I do to be able to be on the floor together with them and the coworkers, and how much productivity we would, create, both for coworkers, not maybe taking so much time from the work to look for someone else taking their shift, but but also to save time for the management to not have, like, ten different paper forms to give away to only have one system to work with. So money, efficiency, and productivity was the three main things we talked about. And, I sold it. And they were so interested, and they wanted me to start right away. And that was a huge help to have the whole management behind you. Hayete Gallot
It's very interesting. Danielle was very smart. She didn't only focus on the experience because nobody makes changes because of experience, but she started with the cost savings and then went on to the benefits for the employees. And once management was on board, Nadia had to convince her colleagues. She recruited coworkers who like her were interested in growing as leaders. These coworkers became power users. They made themselves available for questions and to provide assistance to the rest of the workforce. There always has to be a spark, and Nadia was the spark here. She was the worker who identified a problem and found a solution in technology. And she believed in it. She saw the great potential that the team's shift application had to help her and her team. Nadja Soto Huurre
The next step was to include the coworkers that have extra responsibility. So we have one coworker that wanted to become a leader or manager one day. So their responsibility is to take care of crisis on the floor and having schedule to see who is where on the schedule and, on the working place. Cause I needed that extra hand an extra view and spread the news to all of the coworkers because I couldn't be there on the floor every day, every minute. To catch, questions or coworkers that needed help or something like that. So that was the next step. And when I informed them about the change, that was just going live with it. And, the thing that I spoke with the coworkers about this thing is mainly about open shifts, how this tool will create a better life for you or a better a better balance. That was actually our, motto balance between your work life and your private life. Hayete Gallot
So, of course, Nadia could not make it happen on our own. She had to get the buy in from her coworkers as well. And work life balance just mattered so much. Did it all embrace the change? While transitioning to the Shift app sounds like a no brainer, of course, there were hurdles that came up. Nadja Soto Huurre
The thing that I wanted to sell the coworkers was actually the the app so they could download Teams app into their private phones. And there was a huge discussion if that was something that the union was going to approve because they didn't want the coworkers to use their private phone. But the argument that we used was they're using it anyway. When they have everyone has their has their phone in their pocket no matter what. So and it it wasn't, like, we weren't we weren't going to force them to use your working hours because the the main reason for the app was to change shifts with coworkers, and you're not supposed to do that on working time anyway so they can do it on their break or their lunch break or something like that. But the beneficial side of it is that you will always have it with you and the opportunity to do it whenever you need it or you want it. Was actually the selling point. And, they thought it was fantastic just to get the opportunity to be a part of the schedule creating or I have a choice where I can find someone that I trust or I don't have to be dependent on my manager or did I gave them the paper and not have been getting an answer within two weeks that that would was very frustrating and very stressful. But now they could actually ask a coworker get an answer the same day And then they could send the change suggestion in the app where the manager could see the request and could see in the schedule at the same moment. Hayete Gallot
And it's interesting because with frontline workers, they own their own phones. So it's always a fine balance to decide what's gonna be running on that phone because it's the employee's phone. But in this case, they wanted the autonomy. That's why they accepted the applications running on their phone, and they got the benefit for it. There are often tensions around personal phones because the company doesn't own the phones often, There is an initial resistance to integrated a business app on a personal device, but it's about finding the It's about asking how do you use the tech for the benefits of the people without being intrusive. Technology without governance is dangerous, and having the human at the center is critical so that companies don't cross any privacy lines. We are actually often asked those questions. Especially as AI tools become more prevalent. And IKEA is a great example of company thoughtfully achieving that balance. The burden on management is lessened, and everyone is happier and more efficient, a rare situation where it truly feels like everyone is winning. Technology allows you to do this to create better people first processes that meet them where they are. Nadja Soto Huurre
According to our policy, it's okay. I approve. And the the coworkers will get an answer the same day. So it was really more efficient and, helpful for everyone. There was some question from the union, but when we had this discussion, it all fell to the side of actually going through with it because there were so many things that just fall into place. It makes so much sense. It wasn't really a question about it. I had an argument for everything that they came with. So it was just so perfect for our department. Hayete Gallot
So management was onboard. The union was on board, and colleagues in leadership roles were on board. But what about the average IKEA worker on the floor? Nadja Soto Huurre
There were some coworkers that had difficulties, but it wasn't actually about the benefits of this change. It was actually about the technology, because, it was hard to download app and and working with the app they weren't used to that. And some people didn't have a smartphone. They still had, like, the old cell phone. But when I said that you don't need to have the app, you can use teams at work on a computer. If you really want to change shift, with someone, we can we can work around the app. You don't have to use the app. So it wasn't the app itself. It was teams and how to work together in that. It it was hard because the it's a lot of Shane, and we know how hard it is to change some habits. But when they started to use teams more and more. They saw how much work they could put into more important stuff. Hayete Gallot
And you know what they're facing at Ikea is what we see at every cost summer. There is always this adoption curve. This is why you need to make sure that you accompany the change with help. Otherwise, people will just reject the change. Thanks to the intentional trial period, led by Nadia, our colleagues quickly appreciate that the shift apps on Microsoft team combined three system into one. Nadja Soto Huurre
To find teams' shift that had all of this system, plus the communication channels that we needed so strongly. It was a lifesaver because it only didn't save money, but also created grounds where I could meet the coworkers digitally, but still have be able to be personal but professional and not, use maybe WhatsApp or Messenger or Email, which is very outdated when you want to have fast communications with people. You could use teams instead. And teams was something that we already paid for. So everything that was included, that was free, almost. Hayete Gallot
Streamlining the tools for communication. That's one of the secret that can lead to greater collaboration and harmony within any workforce. Workers at Ikea now have more flexibility schedule themselves and get their shifts covered in real time. Another important element this highlights is accessibility. Most frontline workers don't have a personal computer. When we think about implementation, we have to acknowledge different levels of maturity in personal devices. If the company can serve everyone with the technology, then the initiative is just doomed So we must always be mindful of the needs and the reality of the people actually using the tech, in this case, the front line workers. Nadja Soto Huurre
I could connect with someone just like that and, get an answer within, like, one minute instead of waiting for two weeks in an email. I couldn't open to have that fast ground. That that was definitely a game changer. It became more respectful because even if it's fast respond, the coworker doesn't have to respond directly if they don't want to, but they have the opportunity to do so, which is kind of way very for me to see it as a respectful way and not just take it for granted that, this is something that you need to respond to or something. That they need to feel stressed about, but also the opportunity to be in the front row instead of always one step behind. Hayete Gallot
After a successful two week trial led by Nadia, her team adopted the Shift app permanently, and soon the new streamline scheduling app and centralized communication platform spread to every IKEA in Sweden, reaching over one hundred and sixty six thousand employees. It is quite inspiring to see how one employee empowered by management was able to spark a country wide shift saving the company money and capitalizing even greater productivity. As a tech company, this is how you know you succeeded. It's all about deploying technology in service of humans. And if you show it, then you can turn the initial hesitancy or push away from technology into a pool towards it. Nadja Soto Huurre
The main thing was just to cut the the big cost but also the cost that you don't really see at the beginning, but it shows up in the last row, and that's the productivity. The hours, the coworker hours are the the biggest costs. The efficiency that was created for, me, especially, I could cut down my hours as a people planning coordinator and be more on the floor. But for the managements, well, and not having all the extra time to do whatever with paper and stuff like that. Hayete Gallot
And the win win is that it also made employees happier. Nadja Soto Huurre
The real beneficial came with the happy faces, of course. My two hundred coworkers there was so much happier and that was something that management noticed and I heard a lot about. It's just that this change in two weeks. That says it all. Hayete Gallot
The fact that Nadia's departments switched to teams in just two weeks. Does say though. And it's not about migration. We can build all the tooling in the world. But if people don't want it, they won't adopt it. And in this case. They just saw the value. People often will reject change. So you have to think ahead. You have to think about change management. And having a strategy with trials so that adoption can scale. Nadja Soto Huurre
A lot of see people have asked about that. How how is that possible? People think that we are forced our coworkers because it happened so fast, but it really was a good example of leading change. Where do I start? Which people am I going to talk to first? And who am I going to It sounds maybe hard, but use. In this in this example, the management first, then the coworkers that had the extra responsibility and then launch the news to the coworkers and the extra close to those who had the difficulties, especially with the technology and always be close during the time of the change. And not say, oh, but they have it. They know. No. The direct the ingredient, the most important ingredient is to be there. To be present and be ready to answer question and be helpful. Hayete Gallot
This is just beautiful. She's like a change management agent. Beyond the greater autonomy over their schedule and improve communications and productivity, Nadia says the switch to team signals something even bigger. Nadja Soto Huurre
It also gave the sense of all the values that we talk about at Echea. We talk about to togetherness. And now we had the opportunity to actually show that we're doing this together instead of a key here as an employer telling you as an employee what to do Hayete Gallot
Aspreneja, she's moved on from people planning coordinator, and now is happily working as a leader and trader in the Kitchen Department, the Ikea. Nadja Soto Huurre
I became a kitchen school trainer to train, new coworkers into planning and, sell kitchens. And that's where I am now. I became a teacher in the end anyways. Hayete Gallot
You have to reckon its idea. They were willing to listen to their employee or brought them some ideas to change things. They've embraced it, and they were open to improvements. As a result, they're saving money. They have more efficiency, more productivity, and they actually have happy employees. Which amplifies their company's value of togetherness. Rather than gesturing at work life balance, they're actually investing new tools that empower their workforce. And for us at Microsoft, it's become a critical priority for us. We discovered through COVID, that frontline worker were completely disconnected from the rest of the company, but they deserve digital tools. They have a need and we can really help them. And the cool thing is Ikea didn't stop here. They've actually now extended phone on of teams. They've integrated walkie talkie features. They've created a convenient way for employees to communicate with each other while on the move across their massive stores. And they've also reinvented their process around selling kitchen. And in the process, have dramatically improved the customer service. With each step, IKEA is helping their frontline workers to be more successful with technology. Thank you for listening to pivotal. I'd love to hear your story in your pivotal moment. Don't hesitate to follow me and share on LinkedIn. Audence's information is also available in the show notes. Our show is pretty by large media. That's L ARJ Media. Special thanks to Lyn Yang and our partners at We Communications. 
