As a coworker at IKEA Bahrain, we came together with a shared aspiration for growth and were initially inspired by the company's vision. However, over time, it became evident to all of us that our HR team, the backbone of our organization, has adopted a different approach to managing affairs. They seem to prioritize factors such as your background, appearance, friendships, ethnicity, and other irrelevant considerations over the actual performance of employees when making career-related decisions.

For instance, a colleague and I approached the HR Manager with identical loan requests. To my surprise, my request was declined, while my colleague, who happened to be a friend of the HR Manager, had their request approved. Notably, my loan request was significantly smaller than the one approved for my colleague, leaving me with no recourse but to consider resigning and relying on my final settlement for financial assistance. This disparity in treatment extends beyond loan requests and affects promotions, team reshuffling, salary increases, and various other aspects of our work lives.

It is imperative that we take action to address this inequality. We must advocate for ourselves in the absence of any noticeable improvements in our working environment.

If we fail to act now, we must be prepared to shoulder the responsibility for any loss of motivation or future prospects within IKEA Bahrain.