Sophie Forrest is an experienced HR generalist. She has her own HR consultancy called Forrest HR Limited. Thomas Mansfield Solicitors Limited refer work to Sophie when their clients want more of a HR service than specialist legal assistance.
Sophie is able to help out our clients in a number of ways for example in assisting project work such as consultations, recruitment, on-boarding new employees, undertaking investigations or sitting on a grievance and disciplinary panel. Sophie manages a comprehensive online HR system (Breathe HR) for her SME clients who want the functionality of a HR department without the cost of employing an administrator. See below for further details.
Background
Sophie has over 20 years’ experience of working in the HR industry some of which was in the public sector. After becoming CIPD qualified, Sophie rapidly progressed within her career and worked for some well known employers.
Experience
Sophie has worked in senior HR generalist and strategic roles within a variety of industries, including law, media, construction, business sports, health & beauty, retail, recruitment and interior design.
The majority of her experience, however, has been within the financial sector supporting businesses within investment management, wealth management and asset management.
Other experience includes HR consultancy, providing outsourced management and support to clients dealing with a variety of complex and day-to-day HR needs.
Sophie is committed to providing a first-class service in all areas of her practice, which has included dealing with high-profile employment relations cases, company restructure projects, and a global merger of two high profile investment companies.
Sophie established ForrestHR in April 2018, a consultancy providing practical, commercial and bespoke HR support and management. Sophie already has a vast number of credible clients that use her services and has a number of strategic partnerships.
Key skills/experience
- Extensive experience of immigration matters, including company sponsorship licenses, working visas and permanent residency for overseas nationals.
- Successfully managed many complex and high-profile employment relations matters, which occasionally involved legal input.
- Significant experience of leading recruitment projects including the delivery of occupational psychometric and aptitude testing.
- Successfully led a company through a global merger, utilising previous experience gained from redundancy, restructure and TUPE scenarios.
Memberships
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- Institute of Directors (IOD)
- BNI
- 4Networking
Testimonials
“We now have a professional staff handbook in place which has a variety of policies and procedures to protect the business and give our staff the clarity they need. Furthermore, the advice Sophie has offered on staffing queries and contracts has given us great peace of mind”.
“We engaged Sophie to assist with updating employee contracts, GDPR privacy notices and implementation of our HR software. The set-up process was uncomplicated, and the level of support provided by Sophie was second to none. In addition, we have the support and assistance from Sophie on a monthly retainer, which allows any HR issues to be immediately and efficiently dealt with.”
“I contacted Sophie to assist with the provision of an employment contract for my new member of staff. The start date for them was very close so I wasn’t sure if Sophie would be able to deliver on time. She was amazing, very quick to respond to emails and provided suggestions to ensure everything was covered”.
“Sophie is adaptable to any management style. She is authentic, she speaks eloquently and can read the audience in front of her”.
“Sophie exhibits excellent judgement. She is a good listener and she knows when to assert an option or provide advice or counsel”.
“Sophie’s knowledge and professionalism offer complete peace of mind. Whether providing information on staff handbooks or advice on disciplinary matters, Sophie builds a clear picture of the situation and is able to provide superb support”.
Breathe HRSoftware
ForrestHR work in partnership with an HR software provider, breatheHR. This cloud-based system acts as a central hub for all your HR information and functions, automating those time-consuming admin tasks.
The system has proven results in meeting every company’s HR needs, whether it has less than 10 or over 100 employees. It allows managers to access their employee’s data and keep up to date with day to day team movements.
All staff have their own individual profile and are able to request holiday and self-certify their own sickness absence. The module for recording expenses is also super helpful, particularly if you or your staff are out on the road frequently. Staff can keep their expenses up to date, including uploading receipts from their smart phone or other portable device wherever they are.
The user-friendly visibility dashboards, comprehensive analytics and extensive reporting facilities also make sure your business is operationally efficient.
The system is also extremely cost-effective, easy to install and cheap to run, making it a no-brainer with many of our clients.
ForrestHR can create the Company account, upload all staff data, create all of the relevant working patterns and holiday schemes and connect everything together, ensuring its ready to use from day 1 of the account going live.
