Hewlett Packard Enterprise Director & Associate General Counsel Yota Kremmida shares her strategies for effectively managing a diverse, geographically dispersed team through remote work.
CEELM: What is your team’s current approach to working remotely?
Kremmida: Three years ago, I started working in a global role that spans from India to the UK, the US, and Latin America. As the Director of Legal for Worldwide Channel Business at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, my role involves overseeing a diverse and geographically dispersed legal team that supports clients globally. Drawing on my extensive experience managing legal teams in diverse regions, including South Africa, Turkiye, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tunisia, while residing in Greece, I have developed and implemented effective strategies for leading remote teams.
It’s incredible how effectively we collaborate across these regions. One key factor contributing to our success is the dispersed nature of our internal clients. Since our customers are everywhere, it makes perfect sense for our team to be spread out as well. Additionally, we excel in areas of the technology industry, from data centers to the cloud, and we deal with different legal aspects, including software, hardware, and services. As a result, we leverage the robust tools and technologies that our company had already established well before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hewlett Packard Enterprise was always offering “work from home” options to its people. The tools we use to work facilitate seamless collaboration and communication across different time zones and regions. Remote work has enabled us to harness talent from various locations, allowing individuals based all over the world to undertake positions that would otherwise be limited to those residing where the teams are.
CEELM: What is your team’s approach to remote work?
Kremmida: I believe the team is happy about the flexibility in their working arrangements. As I said, they are not confined to teleworking, as they have office space available if they choose to use it, but they also have the flexibility to work from anywhere. Given that our clients are globally dispersed and our support is needed beyond the traditional “9 to 5 hours,” team members can manage their time without being tied to the office. Some team members go to the office for a few hours each week to socialize and meet with colleagues, rather than to work for a full eight hours. We notice this trend increasingly, especially when hiring, as the younger generation consistently asks about flexibility.
CEELM: How, if at all, do you track remote team members’ work?
Kremmida: Actually, we don’t track remote team members’ work anymore. We used to use tracking tools, but we stopped in the first month of the pandemic when everyone transitioned to working from home. Initially, the purpose of these tracking tools wasn’t to monitor, but to understand how people were spending their time to improve efficiency. When we noticed employees engaging in low-value activities, we considered ways to automate those tasks to free up their time for higher-value work.
We developed tools like automated NDAs and standardized templates to address these inefficiencies. We hired skilled counsels to establish specialized task forces, that focus on repetitive, high-volume tasks such as reviewing tender documents or approving business amenities requests. The tracking tools helped us identify these high-volume activities and create efficiencies by engaging with specialized task forces. This allowed our main team to focus on higher-value work and actual support.
After 5-6 years of using these tracking tools, we realized they were no longer providing any new insights or value. Therefore, we decided to discontinue their use.
CEELM: How do you instill a common corporate culture in team members working remotely?
Kremmida: People often find it challenging to synchronize work across cultures and time zones. Our team operates globally, with legal teams in various locations rather than centralized. We frequently have called for organizational updates, training, new legislation, or celebrating achievements. We use a variety of communication channels to coordinate with our team members, including Microsoft Teams and Slack for instant messaging and video conferencing. I also ensure weekly alignment calls with my team and maintain constant communication via video calls. We also have monthly “coffee chats” to discuss both work and personal matters.
Many view remote work skeptically, but I prioritize trust and flexibility. For example, one of our team members in India joined an important call at midnight his time because he wanted to support the team. Our surveys show that our colleagues appreciate the company’s trust and flexibility as much as the compensation and benefits. This mutual trust means that employees have an incentive to give back.
CEELM: How have your training approaches evolved to incorporate team members’ remote work?
Kremmida: Everything is offered globally without regard to location. We view this as a diversity factor, allowing us to find the best talent regardless of where it is based. Most training is conducted online, with three morning sessions dedicated to training. In the legal department, we have a comprehensive team across various legal functions, and I develop training programs for areas like reselling, competition law, and standard templates. I personally record our live training sessions, which are then uploaded to our website for anyone, including new hires, to access. We also hold live Q&A sessions for interactive discussions, but anyone can also email their questions if needed.
CEELM: How do you recognize when one of your team members is burnout from work?
Kremmida: I’m very concerned about my team working too hard, so I actively encourage them to take holidays and breaks during the day. I understand they might start early, and I get the same encouragement to rest. It’s okay for them to message, “I’m under the weather today,” if they’re not feeling well. We manage work to avoid exhaustion, train everyone to prioritize tasks, distinguish between urgent and non-urgent matters, and be proactive in organizing their schedules.
Our business is accommodating of some delays as long as they know the delivery timeline. We’ve never really encountered any problems in terms of results delivery. It could be a result of our hiring process and preferences, as I want to hire good people – not necessarily top experts, because we can educate them. Finding good people is the challenge. This company can teach the culture, provide training, and impart legal knowledge – skills that can be learned. We value the willingness to learn above all.
CEELM: Finally, what would be one piece of advice you’d give on remote work?
Kremmida: Some see remote work as problematic, questioning how to ensure productivity during work hours. I remember paying someone to pick up my kids from school when I was younger. Now, I want my team to have the flexibility to manage such tasks without worry. It is alright if they don’t work strictly during work hours, as long as they deliver results.
Ultimately, I’d suggest managers focus on managing through teamwork, understanding, support, and trust rather than relying on authority or hierarchy. For all managers, creating successors is a key responsibility. I view this as a valuable opportunity – to help people grow by coaching, inspiring, and pushing them to achieve more.
