The State of Engagement:
Claire Ross, PXC
Claire Ross is the Head of Employee Experience at PXC. She looks after how people experience work day to day and over the long term. With a role spanning engagement, reward, wellbeing, leadership and culture, Claire has a strong focus on creating environments where people can do their best work and feel genuinely connected to the organisations purpose – so an ideal guest for TSOE.
PXC is a wholesale platform business that shares over 20 years of experience across the UK telecommunications channel, thanks to their roots in TalkTalk Wholesale Services and Virtual1. Now, they’re leading the way in innovative solutions, network reliability and determined to challenge the status quo – for their ~1000 partners, and as importantly, their people.
What engages employees?
For Claire, engagement starts with clarity and trust. She says, “People do their best work when they understand what really matters, how their role connects to the bigger picture and when they feel trusted to deliver without unnecessary noise or micromanagement.
I’ve seen consistently that engagement improves when leaders focus on good conversations, meaningful feedback and removing blockers rather than adding initiatives. When people feel listened to, supported and given space to grow, they tend to bring far more discretionary effort than any engagement programme alone could generate. This is especially vital when navigating change and transformation.”
From PXC’s Website:
What gives your business the edge in attracting and retaining talent?
Authenticity is a huge differentiator to Claire. She explains that people are very quick to see when an organisation’s story doesn’t match reality (and they will call you out on this!). Being honest about who you are as a business, what you value and what working life actually looks like builds trust early and attracts people who are genuinely aligned.
“I believe you can be honest about the reality and the work to be done and people will respect your candour”, says Claire.
“An edge also comes from how leaders show up. Candidates pay close attention to how leaders communicate, how decisions are made and whether people seem empowered. Culture is felt long before it’s fully understood and that impression really matters.”
In your experience, what are employees looking for now?
“We’ve moved beyond just conversations of fair pay and benefits, although the macro situation with the economy keeps that REAL”
Claire recognises what people are increasingly looking for is balance, flexibility and a sense of progression that goes beyond job titles. They want to feel that their time and energy are respected and that the organisation understands real life, not just work life.
Purpose, belonging and development opportunities come through strongly too, according to Claire. “People want to know they are contributing to something worthwhile and that staying with an organisation will help them grow, not leave them standing still.
At PXC we buy into what our employer stands for as much as the total reward they offer” – the give and the get at the heart of their EVP!
Which part of EVP matters most to you personally?
EVP, or Employee Value Proposition, is the balance of what people give and what they get back. I like to break it down into seven pillars:
Brand & Purpose, Culture, Environment, Monetary, Prospects, Relationships, and Wellbeing.
“There’s an argument for them all and with my current and prior role I’m sure I’d be expected to pick Culture”, said Claire. But in fact, she went for Relationships!
“Strong relationships underpin everything else. When people trust their leaders, they feel supported by them and connected to their colleagues. Most other challenges then become easier to navigate.
I often refer to people leaders being the jam in the victoria sponge analogy of the beautiful cake of working life – those relationships bring together (stick together if you will) the strategy from leadership with the sentiment from colleagues and any victoria sponge is only as good as the jam!!!”
Probably my favourite analogy of this series!
Claire continued, “Good relationships create psychological safety, which enables honesty, learning and collaboration. Without that foundation, even strong reward or benefits packages struggle to compensate.”
What do you see are the biggest people challenges businesses are facing right now?
“One of the biggest challenges I see is maintaining meaningful connection and consistency as organisations grow or change. It’s easy for intent to dilute as layers shift or priorities compete.
You can only form an informed opinion on your connection to your employer if you have clarity on the moments that matter. This counts at attraction, engagement or retention phases of the lifecycle.”
Claire would like to see more organisations invest time in developing confident, capable people leaders. To Claire, when leaders are equipped to lead well, engagement improves, performance follows and many downstream issues reduce naturally. It’s often the most impactful lever they have and one that doesn’t always get enough attention.
Hopefully, more organisations take note here!
Follow Claire on Linkedin
Find out more about opportunities at PXC
Contact CHEER!
Click here for past editions of The State of Engagement
