Designing for Humans, Not Hypotheticals

May 13, 2025 · Work/Shift Insights Issue #5

By Frederic Libet Descorne

A day in the life of a truly inclusive workplace

We throw the word “inclusive” around a lot in workplace strategy. It’s in pitch decks, values walls, and end-of-year reports. But when you step into the average office, does it feel inclusive? Or does it feel like a design exercise built for the "average" employee, who, let’s be honest, doesn’t actually exist?

Let’s flip the script.

Let’s stop designing for hypotheticals and start designing for humans. For real people, with real needs, on real life journeys.

What follows isn’t a checklist, it’s a day in the life of a workplace that works because it flexes. A place that moves with its people, not against them. A space that doesn’t just include, it welcomes.

Morning: Emma Returns

Emma’s back at work after maternity leave. Sharp as ever, but also exhausted. She’s balancing deadlines with nap schedules, ambition with unpredictability.

And yet she’s thriving. The space gives her privacy when she needs it (thank you, wellness rooms), flexibility when life demands it, and a boss who doesn’t equate presence with performance. She doesn’t feel like a burden. She feels back.

Mid-Morning: Alex, Seen and Safe

Alex is a queer woman in tech. She’s talented, driven and used to reading the room before speaking up.

But here? She doesn’t have to wonder if she’s welcome. She just is. From the bathrooms to the branding, from the lunchroom conversations to leadership’s quiet signals of allyship, this workplace makes inclusion feel lived, not laminated.

Late Morning: Robert’s Still Got It

Robert’s been doing this a long time. He’s 62, still sharp, still fast but his body doesn’t bounce like it used to.

Luckily, the space supports him. Adjustable furniture, better lighting, intuitive tech. No fuss, no friction. He’s not seen as “past it”, he’s seen as an asset. And when he mentors Jason later today, it’s two generations working side by side, with equal footing and mutual respect.

Midday Reset: Mia, Quiet in a Loud World

Mia is an introvert on a high-energy team. Stand-ups, icebreakers, shared playlists, Slack buzz, it’s a lot.

But this workplace sees her. It offers spaces for focus, quiet rooms with natural light, and the ability to contribute asynchronously when needed. Mia’s not overlooked, she’s deeply respected. She’s not drained by the environment, she’s fuelled by a space that makes depth just as valuable as volume. And when she delivers? It’s measured, insightful, and sharp because she’s been given the space to think.

Early Afternoon: Linda, On Her Terms

Linda’s a single parent and a director. Her days are tight. School drop-offs. Strategy meetings. Back-to-back calls. Dinner duty.

What helps? Choice. The ability to shape her day with flexibility. Focus rooms when she needs to zero in. A strong hybrid rhythm. A culture that gets that life doesn’t stop at 9am. She’s not just coping, she’s leading.

Mid-Afternoon: Jason Finds His Rhythm

Jason’s 24, fresh out of uni, trying to find his voice.

He’s learning fast because the space invites him in. Collaboration zones, informal huddles, accessible leaders. He doesn’t feel like an intern in the corner. He feels like part of the team. And that confidence? It’s growing.

Late Afternoon: Priya, Belonging Beyond Borders

Priya just moved here. New job. New culture. New everything.

The office doesn’t make her feel like an outsider. Multilingual wayfinding. Cultural events that actually mean something. A manager who takes time to check in. The small signals of care make the big transitions feel possible.

End of Day: Daniel in the Details

Daniel’s brilliant with data and works on the spectrum. He needs calm, clarity, structure.

He gets it. Quiet zones. Clean layouts. Lighting that doesn’t overwhelm. He’s not “accommodated”, he’s enabled. He’s not the exception, he’s one of many stories that shaped how this space was designed in the first place.

One Office. Many Realities.

Here’s the thing: this isn’t eight different offices. It’s one.

And it works, not because it solves for everyone all at once, but because it’s built to respond. Designed to evolve. Structured to support a spectrum of lived experiences, without requiring anyone to shrink or mask who they are.

Inclusive design isn’t a feature. It’s a foundation.

But Great Design Isn’t Enough Without Leadership

You can design the world’s most inclusive workplace, but if leaders don’t set the tone, it won’t stick. People follow culture, not furniture.

Leadership needs to model inclusion. Make it safe to ask. Safe to fail. Safe to show up fully. And alongside that? Change management that helps people understand how to use the space differently. Because behaviour doesn’t change just because the layout does.

This is where intent becomes action. Where design becomes lived experience.

From Vision to Reality: The Messy Middle

Let’s be honest, this isn’t easy. Beautiful visions crash into budget realities. Policies collide with legacy systems. And too often, the very people you’re trying to include aren’t in the room when decisions get made.

So let’s talk about the messy middle.

Start with a space audit that asks: Who’s thriving here and who’s just surviving? Track how the spaces are actually used, not how you imagined they would be. Build pilots before you build walls. Test. Learn. Adapt.

Maybe create an inclusion council with real decision-making power and uncomfortable diversity. Budget not just for implementation, but for iteration. Getting it right the first time is a fantasy.

And when resistance comes, and it will, remember: comfort with the status quo is a privilege not everyone shares. The blockers are real: tight budgets, competing priorities, that one stakeholder who says, “but we’ve always done it this way.” Don’t minimise them. But don’t let them become excuses either.

Because the alternative? Spaces that slowly empty as your best people go looking for places where they can fully belong.

The most flexible workplaces aren’t born perfect. They’re built brave.

Here’s the Ask

If someone’s life changed tomorrow, would your workplace flex with them, or force them to hide it?

Because the best spaces don’t just support people where they are, they grow with them. Through change. Through life. Through the messy, complex, beautiful reality of being human.

So here’s the ask: What’s one thing you could do this month to help your workplace flex with your people rather than asking your people to flex for it?

Let’s stop designing for hypotheticals. Let’s start designing for humans.