The company has a reputation for being a great place to work and for taking care of its employees. So, it's not a huge surprise that it would give its co-workers (the company term) a gift for the holidays. What was surprising is that the unexpected gift IKEA gave its employees was a bicycle -- one for every each of its 12,400 employees in the U.S.
Mona Liss, a spokesperson for IKEA, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that 2010 has proven to be "a good year" and co-workers were being rewarded for "great results and great team work."
Added bonuses of giving the unnamed brand bikes (assembly required), Ms. Liss told the paper, was they would help support "a healthy lifestyle" while providing "everyday sustainable transport."
Luz Morales, a co-worker at IKEA, told the Inquirer, "It's such a cool gift, and ties in with our tagline of being 'the life-improvement store.'"
Discussion Questions: What do you think of IKEA's gift to its co-workers? What end-of-year gifts have you gotten from employers that stick out in your mind?