Torie Ford, People Partner at FocalPoint, on building a great work culture, keeping people connected, and always placing employee wellbeing first. 

1. What excites you about working at FocalPoint?

The fact that our product could quite literally help to change the world. We use GPS in our daily lives without giving it much thought. But the fact is that it powers nearly every major industry, from logistics to automotive.

We’re making it easier for people to navigate themselves, or be navigated to.

On a personal level: to reduce the frustration of the blue dot drifting or stalling on Google Maps, or the route being inaccurate on Strava. But also on a much larger scale by powering automotive vehicles and improving the accuracy for cars on the road, but also ensuring accurate positioning to help emergency services reach the right location. We can not only improve people’s lives, but save them.

I enjoy the thought of being able to say, in the not too distant future, that the company I work for did “THAT”.

2. You’ve previously worked in a variety of roles: sales, administration and operations. What inspired you to pursue a career in HR? Tell us a little bit about your career journey. 

I’ve always been a people person and I’ve always been the person who gets stuff done. At a previous workplace, I joked that while my official job title was Office Administrator, my unofficial job title was, “It’s okay, Torie will do it.” I was always the person who arranged the staff events and wellbeing days and knew what was happening. And I often did all the administration around hiring and interviews and 1:1’s and just organising everything “people” related. I was previously Head Culture Champion for the division I worked in in a larger organisation, and was really keen to explore that more in the wider business but there was no role.

When the pandemic hit I was furloughed and spent a lot of time (like many people did, I guess) thinking about life, and what I wanted to do and be. And when I took stock of everything that I enjoyed about the roles I was in, it all came down to two areas: People and Culture.

I started searching for those kinds of roles and they were all sitting in HR. (Having worked in fairly small organisations where there was no official HR department, I was always “in HR” without actually being in HR.) So I started my CIPD level 3, thinking that even if I went back to my old role of Administration Manager, then I could at least utilise the HR areas that I’d learnt and maybe grow that role more.

But I ended up securing a role in HR for a local company. I then completed my CIPD Level 5… and here I am.

3. Which of our company values resonates most with you, and how do you apply it in your work? 

High Integrity. In HR, trust is everything—people come to us with sensitive issues, questions, and concerns, and it’s so important they know we’ll handle things fairly, confidentially, and without bias.

Whether that’s advising senior leadership on a legal issue, coaching a line manager on an employee relations case or implementing an employee engagement initiative. I always try to lead with honesty and empathy. It’s about building trust and doing right by people, every time.

4. How would you describe our culture to someone considering working here? 

Friendly, open, collaborative, flexible.

We obviously work hard to make FocalPoint a place where people want to work; we have great benefits and perks, our office environments are the nicest I’ve experienced and our Ways of Working Policies mean we can all work in the way that produces the best results. Plus, free lunch, snacks and drinks!

But for me, a company’s culture really stands out when policies become more than just words on a page. And actions are taken when circumstances arise. Employees are treated like adults, and are offered the support that they need, when they need it.

And for me, it’s those moments that make FocalPoint special.

Something I’m very proud of is our commitment to employee wellbeing. I launched our workplace wellbeing strategy at the beginning of last year, and incorporated six pillars of wellbeing—mental, physical, professional, financial, social and work/life balance. We want to create a culture which supports a holistic approach to wellbeing throughout the employee lifecycle, where employees feel valued and supported in every aspect of their working environment. As part of this, I launched the Employee Wellbeing Hub as a place for employees to access help, support and resources on all aspects of the workplace wellbeing.

5. How does the company support your growth and development – personally and professionally?

I’ve definitely felt supported in both my personal and professional growth here. From a development side, I’ve had access to training and chances to take on new challenges. I try to attend HR conferences each year, including the Health and Wellbeing Show and the CIPD Festival of Work. These events allow me to network with fellow HR professionals, hear about the latest offerings in the world of HR and also listen to thought leaders discuss the important topics relating to HR and workplace wellbeing.

I’ve also been able to expand my knowledge and attend a mediation and conflict management course. While we don’t see a lot of this in FocalPoint, the course really helped me understand how to draw information and thoughts out of people, allowing me to hold better and more effective conversations.

Becky is a great manager and she genuinely encourages my learning and progression — always asking my thoughts on something and pushing me to think more strategically.

And personally, I always knew I was curious and inquisitive (read: nosy!) and I always ask a lot of questions, and I’m grateful that I’m not made to feel silly for asking them. I’ve definitely learned a lot from asking questions!

6. As a small but quickly growing company, what do you think the challenges are? 

From an HR point of view, it’s about building processes that support growth without losing the flexibility and culture that made FocalPoint great in the first place. It’s a balancing act.

It’s also hard keeping that close-knit feel while scaling up. When you’re small, it’s easy for everyone to know what’s going on and feel connected — but as we grow, we have to be more intentional about communication, consistency, and making sure everyone still feels like they belong.

7. How do you measure success in the People team? 

We have our HR metrics: retention, growth, staff absence, etc. But success in the People team isn’t just about ticking boxes: it’s about how people feel and how supported they are.

We look at things like engagement survey results and feedback from line managers and employees, but it’s also in the everyday stuff: Are people comfortable coming to us? Are we helping teams work better together? Are we making things clearer or easier?

If we’re creating an environment where people can do their best work and feel like they belong, then I’d say that’s success.

8. FocalPoint brings together people from so many cultures and countries. How does that influence your approach to HR and team-building?

Although we’re still a small company, we have a fair few different cultures and backgrounds in our business (we have people from 15 different nationalities!!!) People have different needs, ways of working, and communication styles, so I try to make sure what we do is flexible and inclusive. Whether it’s celebrating cultural events, making space for different perspectives, or just encouraging teams to learn from each other, it’s a big part of helping people feel like they belong.

9. What’s something you’ve learned from a colleague in another country or culture that’s shaped your perspective? 

I think it’s important to be mindful and understand the differences in communication styles between different countries and cultures. While this hasn’t happened directly to me, it would be easy to see how a well-meaning message can be interpreted very differently depending on someone’s background. It’s made me more aware of the need to check in, ask questions, and not assume that my way of communicating will always land the same way with everyone.

10. How do you support connection and belonging when team members are spread across the world? 

This is something that we actively work on and we have a Culture Champions team who work hard to “connect the unconnected”. Ensuring that no matter if you’re a remote worker in the US, or you attend an office 5 days a week, you still feel the same level of connections to your colleagues.

We have been piloting a Coffee Roulette scheme this year, whereby you’re matched randomly with another colleague and it’s up to you both to pick a time to have a 30 minute chat. Not about work, just to get to know each other as it’s very easy to get caught up only discussing work or sticking to a set agenda when dialling into a Google Meet.

We’ve also recently launched “Team Spotlight Sessions” where each month, a member (or more) of each team gets the chance to showcase what their team is working on, why they’re doing it and how it fits into the bigger picture of FocalPoint. The sessions have had some great attendance and feedback that they’re helping people to understand what other people do, which is really positive.

11. What’s one initiative or practice you’ve helped shape that you think really reflects our progressive values? 

One initiative I’m really proud to have introduced is the Culture Champions. It’s about putting people first, listening to feedback, and making sure we’re not just doing things the way they’ve always been done.

For example, with the Culture Champs, we look at what people actually want and need, there are different voices involved in shaping it, and we’re focusing on areas that are inclusive and forward-thinking.

There’s no one more perfect to champion our culture, than the people living it.

12. Outside of work, what are some things you’re passionate about or enjoy doing? 

Exercise and keeping fit is a huge part of my life. I’ve been doing CrossFit/ CrossFit style training for the past 12 years. Taking part in a few local and national competitions—nothing too serious though, all just for fun. But it feels good to push myself out of my comfort zone on the competition floor.

A year ago I signed up to run the Brighton Marathon. I’m not a natural runner, it’s never been something that I’ve particularly enjoyed doing, but a marathon felt like something I could do. So after 6 months of training, I completed the marathon in 4hr 23m- under my goal time of 4hr 30m!

The main takeaway I learned from training for the marathon is that if I put my mind to something, I can actually do it!

I also read every night. Usually fiction, nothing too deep. But it’s become a part of my routine, and according to my Kindle stats, I have read 236 days in a row (at time of interview). That’s pretty cool!

Find out more about FocalPoint’s work culture here.