The best stress test for your workplace is one question

There’s a concept in user experience design called designing for the extreme user. The idea is simple: if you build a product that works for the most demanding, most constrained user, it will work well for everyone else too. Curb cuts, designed for wheelchair users, turned out to benefit cyclists, parents with strollers, delivery workers, and elderly pedestrians. Closed captions, designed for deaf viewers, became indispensable in gyms, airports, and open offices. Companies spend millions optimizing for their “average” employee. But who is that person, exactly? In most cases, the mental default is someone without significant caregiving constraints, implicitly or explicitly a person who can stay late, travel on short notice, be always-on, and structure their entire life around work. That default is becoming a liability. One question exposes it faster than any engagement survey or culture audit: could a single mother thrive here? If the answer is no, the problem isn’t the single mothers. {"blockType":"mv-promo-block","data":{"imageDesktopUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/PhotoLVitaud-169.jpg","imageMobileUrl":"https:\/\/images.fastcompany.com\/image\/upload\/f_webp,q_auto,c_fit\/wp-cms-2\/2026\/01\/PhotoLVitaud-11.jpg","eyebrow":"","headline":"\u003Cstrong\u003ESubscribe to Laetitia@Work\u003C\/strong\u003E","dek":"Women power the world’s productivity — it’s time we talked more about it. Explore a woman-centered take on work, from hidden discrimination to cultural myths about aging and care. Don’t miss the next issue — subscribe to Laetitia@Work.","subhed":"","description":"","ctaText":"Learn More","ctaUrl":"http:\/\/laetitiaatwork.substack.com","theme":{"bg":"#2b2d30","text":"#ffffff","eyebrow":"#9aa2aa","subhed":"#ffffff","buttonBg":"#3b3f46","buttonHoverBg":"#3b3f46","buttonText":"#ffffff"},"imageDesktopId":91472264,"imageMobileId":91472265,"shareable":false,"slug":"","wpCssClasses