What it is like to co-lead Team Rainbow at Asana

After joining Asana in 2019, getting involved with Team Rainbow was a no-brainer. Team Rainbow is one of the ERG’s (Employee Resource Groups) at Asana for LGBTQIA+ folks. This ERG aims to be a safe space and serve to celebrate our vibrant LGBTQIA+ community at Asana to meaningfully connect, grow, share, and show up for each other.  

I’ve always had a deep passion for the queer community and finding ways to help create allyship in my actual work. I remember expressing this in one of my first 1:1’s with our General Manager in Sydney at the time, in which he let me know about Asana’s Team Rainbow ERG. A few short months later, with the help of the co-leads at the time, I planned our very first Mardi Gras celebration for the Asana Sydney team. For those not in Australia, Mardi Gras is not to be confused with the very famous carnival you’re all used to, it is our name for Pride celebrations in Australia. 

Fast forward a few years, I’m now officially a co-lead for the Team Rainbow ERG and I’ve had the opportunity of putting together programming across our APAC offices and have helped shape global initiatives to help LGBTQIA+ folks at Asana feel safe, celebrated, and to share amazing moments together. Some of the impactful programming I’ve helped plan in APAC included a Lunch & Learn with Minus18 (a charity here in Australia), a panel on the importance of Pride, a panel for Trans Awareness, and my recent favorite panel for National Coming Out Day, which featured global Asanas sharing their different coming out experiences. 

Having the opportunity to be involved with Team Rainbow, both as a member and a co-lead, has given me so much joy. Of course, helping put together the programming has given me the opportunity to work with people I typically wouldn’t in my day-to-day role – both internally and externally. My ERG leadership work has given me a space to always feel safe and seen at Asana – knowing I don’t need to hide my queerness as I start my work day and being allowed to bring my best self to work. At Asana I’m encouraged to be as loud and as queer as I am outside of work. I’m thankful even for the small things Team Rainbow has provided, such as being able to have a channel to connect with folks about queer topics. And yes, those do include weekly Drag Race discussions! 

We’ve just finished rolling out our jam-packed programming for Pride 2024 and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out! One of my personal favorites we worked on was our very own Asana clapper fan we designed and had made for all Asanas globally. Pride may be over but the work for Team Rainbow doesn’t stop here. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year to continue delivering year-long programming that’s diverse and meaningful for all Asana. Now, more than ever, it’s important that we ensure every identity of our vibrant LGBTQIA+ community is celebrated and represented, and I’m so excited to be a part of delivering that to Asana! 

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About the Author 

Hello! My name is Erfaan Arif and I’ve been at Asana now for just under 5 years. I’m currently working as a Technical Account Manager (TAM) and helping some of our largest customers in APAC thrive in Asana. Throughout the 5 years, I’ve been championing our Team Rainbow Employee Resource Group (ERG) in our APAC offices as the global co-lead!