A special interest group established by the British Furniture Association (BFA), is providing a platform for professionals to put forward ideas, consider solutions and share best practice.

The BFA’s HR Forum was formed in September in collaboration with Sarah Jane Hutchinson, Head of Group HR at Whitemeadow Upholstery.

Having identified the potential value to be gained from establishing networking opportunities and sharing best practice among furniture HR professionals, Sarah-Jane hosted the first BFA HR Forum at Whitemeadow HQ in September.

Sarah-Jane said: “HR professionals throughout the BFA membership are at the forefront of dealing with ever-changing landscapes of day-to-day operational business requirements and needs within furniture manufacturing.

“Thanks to the success of the inaugural forum, we now have a network of like-minded individuals who can provide support outside of their own organisations. Attendees forge new connections, share insights and learn from each other.”

The second forum was held on March 6 at DFS in Doncaster, with members discussing minimum wage increases, the BFA Wages Survey and employee retention.

Representatives from G-Plan, Parker Knoll, DFS, Lebus Upholstery, Dreams and Silentnight were all in attendance.

BFA MD Phil Spademan said: “HR teams within the sector of manufacturing, supply and retail have to develop as new working practices emerge, being driven by technological advancements, changing employee expectations, and nationwide events.

“The BFA HR forum is dedicated to bringing HR professionals together to learn, network and share best practice – providing non-competitive opportunities to get the whole furniture sector involved to discuss common issues and challenges.

“The feedback we’ve had so far is that the forum has been both useful and highly beneficial to those who have attended.”

The next HR Forum will be hosted by Lebus Upholstery at Scunthorpe on 18 September.

BFA members working within HR can join the forum by emailing joanna.privett@bfa.org.uk