Anna Binder is Head of People Operations at workplace collaboration and planning software provider Asana. In this role, she leads the company’s efforts in recruiting, total rewards, diversity and inclusion, learning, development, and employee engagement. We are delighted that Anna will be joining us as a speaker at the digital Make A Difference US Summit in association with Mind Share Partners on 15 October.
Make a Difference Digital Summit US in association with Mind Share Partners is North America’s premier digital conference and exhibition addressing workplace culture, mental health and wellbeing.
In this interview Anna gives a sneak peek of the perspective she’ll be bringing to the agenda.
What does supporting staff mental health and wellbeing mean to you as Head of People for Asana?
The People Team at Asana works to enable all Asanas to achieve our goals as a company in a way that is consistent with our values. We recruit, develop and retain exceptional people of diverse backgrounds. Our goal is to ensure that all Asanas are thriving, maximizing their impact and growing. All of this is in service of our mission: Help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.
Thriving includes supporting physical, mental and emotional well being.
How long has Asana had a support program for staff mental health? Were you involved in initiating this program at the Asana?
Since our founding a decade ago, we’ve been committed to staff mental health and the concept of viewing work-life balance as a fractal. We believe that for all employees to achieve work-life balance and avoid the perils of burnout, we have to practice what we preach. After all, if I as a leader have no work-life balance, my team likely won’t either.
What would you say has been the most effective aspect toward supporting workplace mental health and wellbeing within your organization?
The number one most important thing we’ve done towards supporting workplace mental health and wellbeing has been to create space for people to talk about it openly. Don’t underestimate the power of creating space for employees to feel empowered in taking care of themselves and each other.
Since COVID-19 what has been the most effective initiative that’s supported the mental health and wellbeing of Asana’s people?
Over the past 8 months, we’ve rolled out a number of company wide initiatives to support our employees during these challenging times and beyond including monthly Asana-wide holidays and mindfulness-based stress reduction classes. We also introduced a new mental well-being platform – Modern Health – for all employees to have access to certified coach and therapist support for everything from stress management, parenting transitions, relationships, career coaching, inclusion and belonging, financial wellness, and other life challenges.
Is there anything you’d like to share about your participation in The Case for Training People Managers & the Most Effective Approaches session at Make a Difference in association with Mind Share Partners?
I’m thrilled to be joining my peers across different industries to discuss this incredibly important topic that is more relevant today than ever before.
At the digital Make a Difference Summit US in association with Mind Share Partners you will learn how to create inclusive mental health and wellbeing plans with a preventative, personalized approach for any sized workforce, reinvent the ‘new normal’, and learn best practices from companies leading the way as the pandemic unfolds.
Register here using the code MADUSA50 for 50% off your ticket. Or, if your company is bringing 10+ guests, sign up with our corporate pass for a flat one-price ticket ($1,000) with unlimited seats (our best deal for teams).
