Oh good, you’re still here. You survived the quarantine and figured out how to keep the business going and serve customers. If what they say about the things that don’t kill us makes us stronger, then I gotta believe we all have a little bit of Tom Cruise in us.
New HFA Healthcare offers savings to members and a powerful recruiting tool Home Furnishings Association member Ken Mangum remembers offering his employees at Designer Furniture Gallery affordable healthcare that didn’t skimp on benefits. That was years ago. To keep his doors open during the recession of 2008-09, Mangum was forced to eliminate that benefit. “It’s still one of the hardest
The coronavirus spreads quickly, and so do government regulations. That was true recently in Virginia, where the state implemented new workplace safety requirements. “It’s been a very fast-moving train,” Courtney Malveaux said during a webinar for the Virginia Retail Federation last week. “It moved so fast that, frankly, a lot
Furniture retailers should strive to follow public health guidelines as they try to make their businesses safe for employees and customers. Those guidelines are extensive. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 in workplaces. Here is a summary. What should I
Noted economist David Wessel, speaking on a Home Furnishings Association Covid-19 Webinar July 2, forecast a slow recovery – but fellow panelists appeared to surprise him with reports of strong furniture sales now. “I think the industry as a whole, not just furnishings but the whole home category, has come
After three months of forced closings, furniture stores are up and running again — and doing a brisk business, too. But there’s no guarantee how long that boost will last as health experts warn a second wave of novel coronavirus is inevitable in the coming months. If stores are forced
When an employee at a Schewels Home store tested positive for COVID-19 several weeks ago, Director of Store Operations Matt Schewel knew a strong response was required. But what? “There hadn’t been much of a roadmap for what we’re supposed to do if there is a case,” Schewel said. “So
Furniture retailers might be eager to return to work, but their employees might not share that enthusiasm. In Thursday’s Home Furnishings Association live COVID-19 Webinar, “Getting Your Employees Back to Work,” a pair of human resources experts said store owners need to be open-minded and flexible when inviting employees back
Many furniture retailers and other businesses must provide their employees with paid sick leave and family leave under some circumstances, according to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The new law, which takes effect April 1, covers businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Businesses with fewer than 50 employees can
HFA executive vice president Mark Schumacher spoke with HR experts Erick Becker of Cummins & White, LLP, and Eric Martin of ACG Consulting Services, Inc. on March 27 about pressing HR-related concerns HFA members are facing during the coronavirus pandemic. Retailers were invited to ask questions related to their businesses.
I’ve noticed an interesting shift in meetings we’ve had with key staff in Cabinet departments like Commerce and Transportation or
At the end of January 2021, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released its annual ‘Product Instability or Tip-Over Injuries
Accomplishing the goal of adequate U.S. infrastructure funding has been a critical talking point in recent months on Capitol Hill.
I am craving contact! I think in home furnishings, we all are craving contact right now. Our industry has many
In this Quick Click Solutions video from Synchrony, find out how to incentivize your sales team with the easy to
Congress and the Trump administration are preparing another Covid-19 relief package. The Home Furnishings Association’s Washington representative, Chris Andresen, and government relations liaison Doug Clark
Everyone is trying to figure out what the “new normal” will look like when your stores reopen. What will recovery look like to you and
