What does radical flexibility look like in the workplace?

Redefining work-life balance through empathy, autonomy, and trust: how one interior design studio is making radical flexibility the norm, not the exception.

When founder Michelle Madison started MICHE.studio, she wanted to create a diverse and flexible interior design studio that allowed employees to be human and work with their individual lifestyle needs. The goal for MICHE was not to become the most well-known firm, but instead, to create a work place to suit its employees' lifestyles.

A few years ago, when Michelle was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease – a chronic disorder that caused a myriad of symptoms including chronic pain, extreme exhaustion, and tenderness throughout the body (to name a few symptoms) – having an invisible disability drastically changed the way she lived and worked.

"Being disabled does not mean I cannot contribute to the industry in a meaningful way or that I have to stop being a designer. It just means I have to change the way I work."

Her change in lifestyle was the driving force when Michelle created MICHE.studio – she wanted to create a studio environment rich in flexibility in regards to health challenges or other obligations. To achieve this, our company is fully remote, with flexible work hours, and a 32-hour work week. It's built around four key values—leadership, connection, execution, and balance—developed as a collaboration between owner and employees (see the MICHE website to learn more!).

Working at MICHE has allowed senior designer Sara Streeter the flexibility to be there for her two young children. "Michelle is designing an incredible company around her employees' needs, instead of the other way around," she says. "The company's radical flexibility has given me space to live an authentic and meaningful life - at work and outside of it."

For junior designer Valeria, her husband is in his first year of residency.  He sometimes works 17 days in a row, and when he is off - our work flexibility allows her to spend time with him on those rare days. As Valeria puts it, “MICHE’s flexibility allows me to support my husband through residency while still growing as a designer. That balance isn’t treated as a perk—it’s part of the culture.”

For Rutha who is caretaker to her mother, she is able to work remotely and have the flexibility to be a designer and care for her family. Why choose? "Caring for a loved one presents meaningful responsibilities and challenges. Balancing those commitments with a traditional 40-hour, in-person workweek can make that responsibility even more demanding. MICHE enables me to be fully present for my mother’s needs while continuing to advance my career in design. It provides meaningful added value by supporting a healthy and fulfilling work–life balance."

Designing a future where work adapts to life—not the other way around.

How does this work? Trust, empathy, and communication. And core hours.

MICHE team members have core hours during the week that everyone must work so we can plan meetings and coordinate. When someone is unable to work they just need to communicate to the team. This time has never been denied.

When trust is given it is returned. When someone takes time off during “normal work hours” they are able to make the time up as they see fit. Whether working at night when the kids are asleep or on the weekend.  It is relying on the team to step up when another person needs it; creating a safe place to be a designer dealing with free whatever life throws at them. At MICHE, we prefer quality work hours over quantity.  We believe working more hours does not equate to more work completed. It often leads to time waste, errors, and burnout.

Another great example of how we incorporated flexibility into our ethos is MICHE’s email signature. Our signature contains a Well Being Notice to help encourage this flexibility in employees and others. It reads: “Receiving this email outside of normal working hours? Managing work and life responsibilities is unique for everyone here at MICHE.studio. I have sent this email at a time that works for me. Please respond at a time that works for you.” 

Yes, it can be stressful at times. But it is absolutely worth it to revolutionize the design studio status quo where personal sacrifice and working late hours are exalted.

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