How my office reverses my work-life balance

As a working mom with challenging daily routines, I have a secret pleasure of spending time in my office. Call it a cliché, but I truly look forward to the 9 am moments every morning.

For those of you who have little ones at home, you’re probably familiar with craving some time when you can keep your chin up at an adult’s eye level instead of constantly bending over to answer a million questions from that high-pitched, sweet voice of your child; time in which you can finally pay full attention to that strategic pitch you’ve been trying to get done, clean up the long list in your email inbox, or finally tweet a social post on your upcoming industry event.

For me, there is a special perk, a luxury that comes with my office. I work in two offices in New York – one WELL Certified and one soon to be – both of which are designed to make my work days productive, collaborative and focused. From clean air to conveniently accessible drinking water, circadian lighting to biophilic designs, thermal comfort to acoustic satisfaction, there are many WELL features implemented in my office spaces.

I wouldn’t trade my office hours for flex time at home. When I get to work, I adjust my desk height at digitally controlled increments. A beautiful, active green wall separates me from foot traffic. I hide in a well-insulated phone booth for calls of elevated energy. I walk the stairs to grab healthy snacks and fresh fruits. I make sure to hydrate myself with filtered tap water. And, occasionally, if I’ve battled all night long against my sick child’s fever and found myself exhausted during the day, I can get a few minutes of delicious shut-eye in our designated wellness room.

Recently, at the Workplace Wellness Leadership Summit held at the Garrison Institute in New York, I hit it off with Kari Stringfellow, Vice President of Member Experience at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), discussing how our respective healthy offices keep us happier and make us nicer to be around. A healthy office offers a safe haven for working moms to enjoy some peace and quiet and spend time with adult peers of similar intelligence level, but more importantly, office hours serve as an opportunity for recovery, both physical and mental. For everything we would have enjoyed in a regular office, we double enjoy it in our WELL Certified space. Designs focusing on the 10 concepts of WELL - air, water, nourishment, light, movement, thermal comfort, sound, materials, mind and community - touch our lives every step of the way.

“As a mother of two kids, I really don’t take care of myself enough at home, and often I find myself eating the leftovers on my kids’ plates,” Stringfellow remarked. “That’s why I enjoy going to the office where everything is designed to make my life more well.” ASID’s Washington DC-based headquarters office was WELL Certified at the Platinum level in 2017.

Aside from the tangible features embedded in a WELL Certified office, the wellness-conscious culture of a company that prioritizes employee health and well-being often makes a healthier lifestyle more attainable. Monthly competitions for steps, group lunches out at healthy restaurants, organically formed meditation breaks and mindfulness practices - these are just a few examples of how my peers at work are also my support group.

I often feel lucky that my work-life balance is reversed. I get recuperated and recharged during my work hours and am a healthier and happier mom because of it.

Don’t get me wrong - I love spending time with my darling daughter, but alone time in the office is a close runner up. Thanks to my WELL Certified office environment, I can focus on taking care of my kid because my office takes care of me.