The role of in-house teams has become more strategic over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. The best ones are those that have demonstrated not just leadership and innovation, but also the ability to reshape themselves to better support their business in a changing world.

ALB: We’re seeing much discussion around the transformation of ways of working as a result of the pandemic, what is the biggest shift you have observed in your organisation and from your team?

Emi Takeda, managing director and Japan legal director, Accenture: We had been doing remote work even before the pandemic, thus shifting to full remote work in March 2020 was without major problems. However, we started to observe another issue caused by full remote work, which was the team’s sense of belonging. For example, since the pandemic, even job interviews are being done via Teams, and after joining us, team orientation and new joiner training are also conducted virtually. As a result, the percentage of people who have never come into the office is gradually increasing. Therefore, in order to build a sense of belonging, we are now trying to shift to a hybrid working style. We are still experimenting, but we may set an office working day on a regular basis, and create more opportunities for team members to come into the office and meet colleagues.

Shogo Osaka, managing director, legal, North Pacific Region, FedEx Express: One of the biggest changes in our industry is the e-commerce boom. E-commerce has brought business growth and growing digitization for the customer. Our lawyers have to learn about the dynamic e-commerce business model and ecosystem so as to be able to identify potential issues, advise and propose solutions. One example is the FedEx Compatible and Alliance program which enables e-merchants to plug seamlessly into FedEx shipping solutions.

Damini Bhalla, general counsel, Zomato: It has undoubtedly been the shift to a hybrid workplace. Going completely virtual was a test for everyone, all the more for us since we take great pride in being a technology-first company. This was also a diligent time for everyone at Zomato since we were preparing to go public. All planning, collaborations and launch happened while working from home. This was also the first time that survival was core – not just for the business but for all our employees as well as the community. This was one war we didn’t want to lose, and neither did we want to compromise on even one employee’s wellbeing. This was possible with an employee taskforce built to help align resources for everyone at Zomato and their families. And we took this live to the community with our not-for-profit friends at Feeding India. In April 2020, Feeding India – our collaboration with Hunger Heroes - distributed 78 million meals to daily-wage earners across the length and breadth of the country. During the second wave of COVID-19, Feeding India was again the first to act. We were able to source over 9,000 oxygen concentrators and distributed them for free to government hospitals across the country. This helped save several lives during one of the worst humanitarian crises faced by India in recent times.

Julie Prickett, legal and compliance development officer and Cindy Tong, general counsel and head of compliance, AXA Asia & Africa: The pandemic has accelerated thinking around ways of working – something that we, at AXA were already doing. In our case, we have fully implemented what we call Smart Working, which is aimed at creating a working culture that maximizes our potential, while also improving our wellbeing. In business-as-usual mode, employees can work two days a week remotely and for the other three come together in the office to ensure we all still have those important spontaneous exchanges and can build on relationships and team cohesion. We are very proud of how well we have adapted, and employees really appreciate the flexibility as this style of working maximizes our energy, productivity, collaboration, creativity, technology and individual wellbeing.

For the legal and compliance teams we have seen an increase in leveraging the use of technology coupled with even more agility. We have integrated into our way of working, changes made within the industry which are particularly focused on process digitalisation such as electronic filings, virtual conferences, and new working platforms. We have also moved further toward being paperless which is an important contribution toward going green.

Rose Kong, chief legal officer, RGE: Our experiences during the pandemic reaffirmed our decade-long digital transformation strategy and commitment to continuous improvement, which has allowed RGE to operate, adapt, remain competitive and grow in the resource industries we operate in.

ALB: In-house teams are increasingly tasked with doing more with less and maintaining efficiency. How do you mitigate burnout?

Prickett and Tong: First is to create a workplace environment that supports employee well-being. AXA has a strong focus on mental health and recently published the second edition of its study on Mind Health and Well-Being. In Asia, the study was campaigned as Fit to Flourish to offer in-depth research on the building blocks of mental well-being and identified ten skills that can help people thrive in their daily lives. The campaign was modified for employees as a mental health assessment linked to provide individual personalized reports to each employee with guidance on how to improve. We have introduced a raft of initiatives that included ramping up staff health benefits during the pandemic, ensuring all markets in Asia have employee assistance programmes in place, and developing a guide for employers to support the mental health of their people. Having all of this in place really provides the teams with a great deal of comfort and as leaders, we encourage empathy and compassion.

Second, is to look at the way we work by finding avenues to be efficient as well as strategic. We really want the teams to focus on the high-value topics that are important for the business and create more impact. These are also more interesting for the teams and give a higher sense of employee satisfaction. This prioritization approach accompanied by automating lower-value tasks and our Smart Working approach, all help at promoting individual well-being. Osaka: It is important to build and maintain a safe place for the team where they can seek help across the regions and functions. In order to deepen the personal connections among the members located in different countries, my team is holding monthly check-in video meetings to just chat about non-work topics such as food, books, movies and hobbies.

We also continue to reduce the workload itself by adopting a more streamlined process, automating repetitive tasks and promoting internal customer self-help with standardized documents and procedures.

Takeda: We sense it is harder than before to capture signs of stress, or the troubles team members may be facing, in this fully remote working environment. There is no one size fit all solution, but we take multiple measures to catch signs in advance, such as (i) having a regular one-on-one call between career counsellor and counselee to check on work-load and any other issues; (ii) sharing status of each project and its work-load with team members, (iii) shifting work among team members so that work volume of each members is more equal; (iv) proactively sharing knowledge in special areas (such as IP, AI, Security, M&A), in order to prevent a situation where certain members could monopolise this area of work; (v) for large deals which require intensive workload, assigning two members so that they can share workload and provide backup when another member takes time off. We also encourage members to take long holidays (ideally more than a week), and make sure they are not checking emails or responding to these during time off. Bhalla: This statement holds absolutely true for Zomato. Specifically, the dynamic business landscape that Zomato operates in requires the team to take calls on nuanced legal propositions within a limited time. This necessitates a team which has diverse experience. Accordingly, the team consists of lawyers who have experience in multiple fields, including investment, e-commerce, fintech, commercial, litigation and real estate which results in a lean but efficient team. Also, as a general counsel, I spend a lot of time in strategy meetings with the team which makes it easier for them to function and efficiently apply their interests and experience. In addition to the above, as an organisation, Zomato truly believes that a person performs better professionally if they have a conducive environment to professional as well as personal goals. The hybrid work culture actually makes it easier for the team to manage their personal life while having an active professional life. This has helped reduce burnout in the team substantially. Kong: There is no formulaic way to prevent burnout in the team. As department head, I have to understand the personalities and needs of each individual in my team whilst managing them in a consistent yet equitable manner. I have to remain open to and aware of the needs of each contributor. One approach I have adopted is to appropriately apply a hybrid work arrangement and also offer part-time work to staff based on their needs. Camaraderie goes a long way to alleviating burnout. We, therefore, encourage a lot of teamwork and working together. Members of RGE’s legal teamwork in a buddy system, which builds our communal spirit, sense of shared purpose and ownership.

ALB: How do you balance strategic big picture work with the day-to-day demands of the role?

Bhalla: All day-to-day demands contribute to the strategic big picture - otherwise the “always-on” would not have to always be on. Every task, no matter how small, contributes to getting a step closer to the larger goal. I spend time with teams and department heads across Zomato to ensure our line of sight towards the company’s larger goal is enabled through each corresponding task or challenge we take on. Takeda: It can be easy to be undermined by day-to-day demands, and many people may not be able to see the strategic big picture. However, I believe having a strategic big picture is very important to understand the meaning and importance of day-to-day work. I try to invest about 20 percent of my time in new and creative things, such as thinking about and understanding the big picture, and learning in new areas. I would like everyone, even junior members, to have a strategic big picture perspective. By doing so, we can build ownership of what we are doing and start thinking positively and proactively about what steps are necessary next and how we can contribute.

Prickett and Tong: We are incredibly lucky to have wonderful teams whom we can rely upon not only to do the day-to-day work, but also to exchange with on strategic topics. It is important to have diverse viewpoints which assist with working through the big picture. Additionally, setting aside time in your agenda to do the real thinking is key, as well as being quite strict in managing and prioritizing your time. Finally, keep a learning mindset and be curious as it is imperative to read and learn more broadly to spur innovative thinking. Osaka: Both the strategic work and the baseline work are equally important to support the business in a sustainable and impactful way. We need to maintain a good fit-for-purpose organization design to optimize the team’s functionality and capacity. For example, my team currently assigns each geographical responsibility to a lawyer and a paralegal. This allows the pair to divide their focuses between the strategic work and the baseline work, handle work efficiently, support each other and upscale appropriately.

Kong: Supporting the RGE Group, which operates in the heart of the global bioeconomy, I have to be very clear in our vision, mission, core values and goals. RGE operates in complex industries, across multiple jurisdictions, geographies, legal and regulatory environments, so I have to have clarity of mind to flex between strategic and tactical demands so as to deftly and effectively steer the enterprise, the business groups, the functions and day to day work.