For Erna de Ruijter-Quist, Chief People Offer at Westcon-Comstor, being a Certified™ 'great' organisation in 27 countries "means a massive deal". Below, she shares more about the company's culture and why leaders shouldn't hesitate to survey their people – even in times of change.
Your career spans some of the world’s most influential companies, and now you’re leading transformation at Westcon-Comstor. What personal philosophy or experience most shapes your approach to leading change in complex, global environments?
Erna: It partially depends on what the change is about, but I’ve learned along the way you need to look at change within the wider system it sits. It’s more often than not multiple levers that drive change, the biggest one often being the mindset of individuals, their readiness and willingness for change.
You can push the task, but it only goes so far if the underlying understanding, buy-in, and commitment to the change isn’t there. Leading change from a perspective of building something (looking forward) rather than fixing something (looking backward) I find really helps, as well as being very transparent that it’s not a flick of a switch. I also aim to be intentional on what I chose to focus on and what not. And making that explicit helps.
And lastly, creating alignment and commitment in leadership teams – speaking with one voice - both in the People/HR team and the Executive team, is key.
What initially brought you to Great Place To Work? Can you describe the problem you were trying to solve, and how the Trust Index survey aligns with your global people strategy or business goals?
Erna: My first impressions of the culture at Westcon-Comstor, based on my own onboarding and having spoken to a large number of leaders and colleagues, was very positive. It’s a very welcoming, friendly and supportive environment; high commitment, people wanting to make a difference. People really care for other people’s wellbeing.
I also know that no culture is perfect and wanted to look deeper. Partnering with Great Place To Work was a result of a review of our Company Strategy, which included a review of our People priorities and overarching People goal should be. We wanted it to be ambitious, measurable and externally validated. Great Place To Work is globally recognised, Westcon-Comstor is equally globally focused – hence the partnership.
What key insights or learnings did you gain from your employees’ feedback in the Trust Index survey regarding your culture?
Erna: It validated that our employees do have a very positive experience at Westcon-Comstor – whilst it also provided us with the insight that the positive employee experience is not consistently high everywhere, which is not necessarily unusual.
What I found positively surprising is the consistency in the topics employees put high or lower trust in – considering we employ people in 55 different countries, I would have expected more variances. I guess it tells us something about the strength of leadership which Westcon-Comstor has enjoyed.
Congratulations again on earning Certification™ in 27 countries earlier this year! What does Certification mean to your leadership team – globally, and locally here in the UK?
Erna: It means a massive deal – it has given us, for the first time, an externally validated baseline to operate from. It has certainly created a sense of pride. It also means that we can’t sit on our laurels. Ambition is one of our company values, and so we will need to make sure that we both maintain and elevate the levels of trust our employees experience.
How did you celebrate this phenomenal achievement with your employees around the world?
Erna: We communicated the survey results and Certifications globally internally, and with the support of Great Place To Work and our Communications Team created a campaign to share our news with the world. We rallied the support from our local Go To Market leaders, the Marketing Team and the People Team to find the most appropriate way to celebrate locally. Whilst we are a global company with employees in 55 countries, we have a strong focus on appreciating local nuance.
Have you seen any early indicators of business impact since becoming Certified™ in so many regions?
Erna: This is the first time we have undertaken an external survey, so [it was] a new experience for our leaders and People Team. We are still in the process of sharing and reviewing the results. Our retention rates are already pretty strong, globally our average tenure is nearly 6 years, with 15% of the company having a tenure of 10 years or more. We are definitely more in the public eye, which is fantastic as outside our industry Westcon-Comstor is not very well known, and so we’re hoping to be able to attract talent from a wider talent pool as we continue to grow.
You’ve described your leadership style as a balance of compassion, empathy, high energy and directness. Is there a moment where that balance made a real difference?
Erna: I’d like to answer this in a few ways that I hope others find useful. When you join a new company, you naturally want to make a positive impact. I’ve been intentional about tuning into what truly matters here: what “lives” in the company. I make it a priority to connect directly with colleagues and leaders to hear their experiences and expectations first-hand. People only open up if they feel a genuine connection.
In my role, representing the voice of our people is just as important as driving business outcomes. That’s why I’ve spent time speaking with employees across all levels, roles and locations. This approach helped me deliver meaningful initiatives early in my tenure, benefiting both our people and the business.
Joining an established Executive Leadership Team that’s worked together closely for years wasn’t easy. I came in as an outsider, tasked with bringing fresh perspective. What helped me land well were a few key behaviours:
- Contributing confidently from the start, bringing different perspectives and ideas
- Showing up with curiosity, drive, and vulnerability
- Reading the room – listening, observing, and adapting my style
It’s a two-way street, and I’m grateful my peers made the effort to include me.
Ultimately, it starts with the small things: a smile, a warm hello, genuine interest in others, and being excited about their ideas. These moments build trust and connection. I suspect it’s the sense of approachability and energy that others experience which make a difference, but you’d have to ask those who I work with! 😊
I know my high energy creates momentum, especially as we drive a very ambitious People plan. I’m also learning to provide balance. Too much energy can be overwhelming. I adapt as we go. I’m super proud to be both a colleague of Westcon-Comstor and of my team who are creating positive change for all our colleagues and the business.
What advice would you give to HR leaders in other multinational organisations who are hesitant to survey their workforce, and even strive for accreditation, during times of change?
Erna: I would say, not just HR leaders but leaders in general: Be fearful and do it anyway. It’s a fantastic way to take a temperature check, and to use that data to create accountability in leaders to address the areas where employees are less happy.
I would advise companies to not only rely on survey data – ‘listening’ to your people comes in many ways, such as skip-level conversations, exec level floor-walks, roundtable discussions with smaller groups of employees and managers, interim small pulse surveys;, partner with your marketing/communications department who often have tools in place to measure comms engagement. Surveys serve an important purpose, but are never the sole magic bullet.
Expect results to be less positive in times of change. Having said that, I have worked for a company where results went up. Always be transparent in sharing results with employees, and involve them in the action planning. Yes it’s a lot of work, and driving trust and engagement is not a one-year ‘thing you do’. It is an integral part of the role of a people manager and the People/HR Teams are well placed to facilitate surveys. And remember, a survey is a moment in time, when an employee has a bad day or a good day, it influences how they answer questions, that’s to be expected.
Looking ahead, what do you think will be the biggest workplace or HR challenge facing leaders in the tech sector in 2026?
Erna: I guess you won’t be surprised if I say things like AI, the economic, political and the environmental landscape. The impact this has on companies and people’s lives is enormous. Leaders in companies carry a heavy responsibility operating and leading within this context. Operating in a world where we need to expect the unexpected is not easy. At a more grounded level, ultimately people want to feel safe and be secure, two aspects which are being tested on various fronts in the current climate. There will be many questions employees would have that leaders may not have answers for – if only we had a crystal ball....
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