Alexandra Erman
Chief People Officer
BforeAI
Episode 255
Why 'Trust by Default' HR Transforms Global, Distributed Workforces.
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleMarch 26, 2025 · 15:19
Thesis
“To succeed as a fully distributed, global company, HR must be intentional in building a 'trust by default' culture through robust asynchronous communication, equitable practices, and continuous, growth-focused performance management, leveraging technology to empower autonomy and connection.”
Show notes
Building a people function in a fully distributed, global startup isn't a scaled-down version of office HR. Alexandra Erman has learned it requires an entirely different operating model — starting with one foundational principle: trust by default.
As CPO at BforeAI, a predictive cybersecurity startup with a team spanning multiple continents and time zones, Alexandra has had to solve problems that most HR textbooks haven't addressed yet. The legal complexity alone — navigating contractors, employer-of-record arrangements, and entity structures across countries — demands rigorous documentation and a genuinely asynchronous communication culture. Her D.U.E.R. principle (Do Unless Explicitly Redirected) encapsulates the autonomy model: if you haven't heard back in four hours, run with it. The alternative is decision paralysis that kills startup velocity. She also implemented a dual management structure — separating functional leads from people managers — so every employee has someone specifically focused on their well-being, personal growth, and psychological safety, not just their deliverables.
On performance management, she's direct: annual reviews are a relic. Performance management is a daily job. She uses 30-60-90 plans, clear job descriptions, and integrated HR tech to maintain continuous feedback loops. Her parting advice reframes the whole conversation: start with a strategic vision for what you want the company to look like, then reverse-engineer the programs. Not the other way around.
What you'll learn:
- The D.U.E.R. principle — how BforeAI operationalizes autonomy and decision speed in a distributed team
- How to build asynchronous communication and documentation infrastructure for a fully remote organization
- The dual management model: separating functional management from people management for psychological safety
- How to ensure benefits equity across countries with vastly different regulatory baselines
- Why performance management is a daily discipline, not an annual event — and how to operationalize it
- The "strategy first, programs second" framework for building an HR function in a startup
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What you'll take away
- 1Prioritize intentionality in distributed company design, focusing on documentation and asynchronous communication rather than mirroring office structures, to navigate challenges like complex legal landscapes effectively.
- 2Cultivate a 'trust by default' culture where employees are encouraged to 'ask for forgiveness rather than permission' (D.U.E.R. principle) to empower autonomy and accelerate decision-making in fast-paced startup environments.
- 3Implement a 'dual management' system, separating functional leads from people managers, to provide continuous support for employee well-being, personal growth, and development, fostering psychological safety.
- 4Shift performance management from annual reviews to a daily, goal-oriented process, utilizing clear job descriptions, 30-60-90 plans, and integrated HR tech (like Flint) for automated journal entries and continuous feedback.
- 5Establish equitable global compensation and benefits by setting a high baseline (e.g., 25 days PTO for all) to ensure fairness across diverse country regulations and prevent feelings of competition or disparity.
What most organizations get wrong
- •If you're trying to mirror an office work-life in a distributed setting, you're probably looking at it from the wrong angle because it's not going to happen.
- •Ask for forgiveness rather than permission because time is of the essence. So we have this thing where we say, okay, Use a little acronym, D.U.E.R., unless otherwise directed, and say, okay, D.U.E.R., if I don't hear in 4 hours, I'll run with this.
- •For me, performance management is a daily job. It's not an annual review thing.
In Alexandra's words
“I realized numbers are numbers, but people are much more fun, and I want to focus on the people function.”
Highlights a passion-driven career shift towards HR, underscoring the human-centric nature of the role.
“The challenges is, do you have enough documentation to make sure that everything can happen asynchronously? Do you make sure that your communication style is asynchronous?”
Emphasizes crucial elements for successful asynchronous work in a distributed setting: robust documentation and communication design.
“The tone we give to our company is one of trust by default. It's one of ask anything. It's one of everybody collaborates.”
Defines the foundational cultural principles for a high-performing, globally distributed startup environment.
“Everybody has a manager who's not their functional manager and who really supports them in their everyday work, their work life, in their personal growth and their development.”
Describes a unique 'dual management' structure designed to provide continuous, holistic support for employees in a distributed context.
“Ask for forgiveness rather than permission because time is of the essence. So we have this thing where we say, okay, Use a little acronym, D.U.E.R., unless otherwise directed, and say, okay, D.U.E.R., if I don't hear in 4 hours, I'll run with this.”
Illustrates a practical application of a 'trust by default' philosophy, empowering autonomy and speed in a startup.
“For me, performance management is a daily job. It's not an annual review thing.”
Articulates a modern, continuous approach to performance management that moves beyond traditional, infrequent review cycles.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Navigating complex global legal and compliance landscapes (contractors, EORs, entities) for a fully distributed workforce.
- •Ensuring genuine inclusiveness and avoiding a 'mothership' mentality in HQ-centric companies with remote teams.
- •Establishing sufficient documentation and asynchronous communication styles to enable effective global operations without constant real-time interaction.
- •Achieving equity in global compensation and benefits when local country mandates for things like time off vary significantly.
- •Fostering psychological safety and preventing isolation in distributed teams, where traditional in-person cues are absent.
- •Ineffectiveness of traditional annual performance reviews in providing timely and relevant feedback, leading to a need for continuous approaches.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
Dave is the founder and CEO of Beforeai. Hi. Thanks for having me
How Did You Get To Where You Are Today?
Alexandra, as someone who has built the people function in a fully distributed company
Working in a Fully Distributed Company
How do you maintain culture, integrity, and equity across different time zones
How Can a Global Company Maintain Its Culture?
Alexandra, I want to talk about psychological safety in a distributed environment
Strategic Safety in a Distributed Workforce
How do you approach performance management and compensation strategies at Series B
How Do You Approach Performance Management?
Alexandra: Start with a strategy, not the operational
Alexandra On Managing Remote Teams
Alexandra, thank you so much for joining us on Built by People podcast
Alexandra On Built by People Podcast
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Organizations and entities mentioned
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