Catherine Avendaño is Asana’s head of employee communications & experience. Last year, she had an experience that left her speechless.
Catherine was on a Zoom meeting with colleagues, giving a “check-in” on how she was doing. She mentioned that it was the six-month anniversary of the death of her partner. “I started to weep,” she recalls. She turned off her camera. But her grief came with a silver lining of comfort. Fellow “Asanas” reached out to her, sending love and telling her to take the time she needed to process the pain.
The incident captures the way the collaboration software maker has kept people connected and cared for during a difficult year. Amid a challenging 2020, Asana racked up awards for its culture. The San Francisco-based company ranked #2 on our Best Small & Medium Workplaces™ list, and among small and medium workplaces, they’re #1 on Best Workplaces in Technology™, #1 on Best Workplaces for Millennials™ and #1 on Best Workplaces in the Bay Area™.
In this session of Work in Progress, we speak to Catherine about how Asana’s culture of trust, transparency and authenticity has helped deepen camaraderie and empathy.
Prepare to learn – and possibly shed a tear.
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