--- title: The Companies Making Their Offices More 'Fiercely Human' for the Age of AI description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. canonical: https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7383484/the-companies-making-their-offices-more-fiercely-human-for-the-age-of-ai/ author: Michelle Peng article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2026-03-16T10:28:45.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-28T07:07:34.827Z article:section: Charter og:title: The Companies Making Their Offices More 'Fiercely Human' for the Age of AI og:description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription.  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Mar 16, 2026 10:28 AM UTC  Gensler’s LA office (Photo by The Ingalls)  by [Michelle Peng](https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/) Mar 16, 2026 10:28 AM UTC Earlier this year, AT&T launched a new on-site therapy benefit for workers at 10 locations across the US, with plans to expand to 10 more by the end of 2026\. At its San Ramon, California, office, sessions are open to both the white-collar employees working in real estate or sales and the frontline workers manning the company’s call center—offering a way to get mental health help between upsetting calls from customers or just a tough meeting with the boss. “Our business is evolving \[and\] more broadly, signs of stress and anxiety are growing nationally,” says [Ben Jackson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-jackson-1519434/), a vice president of HR at AT&T, pointing to factors like AI disruption, political divisiveness, corporate restructurings, and concerns about job security. The purpose of the benefit, he says, is “to help people manage change.” AT&T’s move is part of a larger trend of employers investing in both on-site amenities and space design that make offices feel a little more human—even as AI takes over more parts of people’s jobs and many employees would prefer to be working at home. From on-site therapy to campus pharmacies and tech-free zones, more businesses are using in-office perks and campus design to encourage workers to take breaks, recharge, and run errands while on-site rather than merely locking in on their to-do lists. Sign up for Charter's newsletter to get the handbook for the future of work delivered to your inbox. Email Address You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our [Terms of Service](https://www.charterworks.com/terms-of-service/) and [Privacy Policy](https://www.charterworks.com/privacy-policy/). The shift might help workers who are navigating the mental fatigue of [AI “brain fry”](https://hbr.org/2026/03/when-using-ai-leads-to-brain-fry)—the cognitive load of excessive oversight of AI tools—or working in Bay Area tech companies where “996” work schedules are increasingly common, says [Janet Pogue McLaurin](https://www.linkedin.com/in/janet-pogue-mclaurin-faia-fiida-604b913/), global director of workplace research and principal at architecture firm Gensler. “If we’re spending most of our time working on screens, how do we create a very humanistic environment beyond \[them\]?” Of course, creating a more humane environment on-site also helps employers pull workers back to the office—and entice them to spend more time close to their desks. “We've had broader corporate initiatives around return-to-office and doing more in-person collaboration,” acknowledges Jackson. With more workers commuting to consolidated hubs, he says, the logical next step is to ask, “What are the right type of amenities just in general?” members-only **Onsite therapy at AT&T** AT&T employees in San Ramon can now schedule up to 16 free therapy sessions per year through the company’s on-site therapy program, with appointments taking place in a dedicated space. Once they have reached their limit, sessions cost $20, though out-of-pocket costs may be less depending on employees’ insurance plan. The therapy program expands an on-site amenity previously available only to workers at the company’s Dallas headquarters. “A few years ago, we put a health clinic here on site down next to the cafeteria in the headquarters building,” says Jackson. Since opening its doors, requests for primary care visits, chiropractic appointments, and mental health sessions have increased. “We are still working on unlocking additional space to add services,” adds Jackson. Heather McCall, the on-site therapist at the San Ramon office, started seeing patients earlier this year. “I don’t hear as much as you’d think I would hear about work,” she says. “People come in for the same reasons they would come in my private practice…life stress and life changes.” One factor driving AT&T’s investment in workplace wellbeing within its offices is a simple cost calculation. Because it contracts with a single vetted provider across all the sites, “we have high quality but lower \[per-person\] cost\[s\] than when we send people out into the great world of healthcare,” says Jackson. Still, it’s not all about return on investment. Sometimes, it’s about “vibes on investment,” says Jackson. “Some things are just going to be vibes, and vibes are okay,” he adds. “Vibes help build culture, help create connection and togetherness and community.” **Walmart’s HQ revamp** Walmart’s first corporate offices in Bentonville, Arkansas were housed in former warehouses. Most white-collar employees—or associates, as Walmart calls them—worked in cubicles under harsh fluorescent lighting, with few windows to let in natural light. The low-tech home office was a reflection of the company’s “Save money. Live better” ethos, but it was also reminiscent of Apple TV’s “Severance,” recalls one corporate spokesperson. Walmart’s new headquarters has gone in a different direction, spanning 350 acres and featuring amenities including a food hall, a child-care center, a 360,000 square foot fitness center, and independent retailers that range from from a bike shop to a barbecue [restaurant named the region’s best.](https://www.southernliving.com/best-bbq-joint-every-state-2025-8777825) Within the buildings, every desk has access to daylight. With a bank, barbershop, pharmacy, and other retailers on the corporate campus, “you don’t have to travel across town” to run errands, says [Cindi Marsiglio](https://www.linkedin.com/in/cindimarsiglio/), senior vice president for corporate real estate at Walmart. “Those minutes are devoted back to the individual, and what you do with those minutes—work, play—I’m agnostic to.” Of course, many employers like these perks because they help workers spend more time on campus—something many tech companies learned a decade ago when they started providing free dry cleaning, dinner, and more to get workers to stick around, often working longer hours. “If I can get you to linger just a little longer—maybe you get another extra cup of coffee with a team, maybe you have dinner on campus,” says Marsiglio. Building those relationships—and at times, putting in those extra hours—can pay dividends in increased performance and engagement, especially through “tumultuous times,” she says. Still, data back up Walmart’s investments. When researchers from Gensler [asked](https://www.gensler.com/gri/global-workplace-survey-2026?utm%5Fsource=gensler%5Fhome) workers to rank the most important amenities and services to have in or near their offices, coffee shops and restaurants topped the list, followed by mass transit, grocery stores, retail, medical facilities, and pharmacies. It’s all about “these day-to-day conveniences to make my life better and to make my life easier,” says McLaurin. **Tech-free spaces for tech workers** For many knowledge workers, the pressure to work longer hours is ramping up as AI accelerates the pace of work and economic headwinds put pressure on teams to deliver. Some companies have taken it to the extreme, with “[996” work cultures](https://sfstandard.com/2025/09/16/san-francisco-became-ultimate-996-city/) that expect workers to clock 12-hour workdays from 9am to 9pm, six days a week. “When you’re there \[that many hours\], you’re doing all things at all times,” says McLaurin. In those cases, she says, companies need to “make sure that there are even more places for people to focus, to disengage tech-free, to catch their breath before coming together.” McLaurin points to a number of companies that have increasingly opted to build tech-free spaces, such as LinkedIn’s Sunnyvale office and Gensler’s own Los Angeles office. “To be a person at your best, \[employers\] need to invest in your time to take five minutes here or there,” says [Casey Lindberg](https://www.linkedin.com/in/casey-lindberg/), senior design researcher at architecture firm HKS and co-author of the firm’s [research report](https://www.hksinc.com/how-we-think/reports/getting-to-a-brain-healthy-workplace/) on “brain-healthy” workplaces. “And that's not five minutes \[spent\] on your phone or bringing your computer and checking email or listening to a podcast. That's five minutes \[of\] doing nothing or walking around in nature.” For designers, that means building spaces that signal to workers it’s a place for rest and reflection rather than locking in—think soft seating and outdoor views versus phone booths and office chairs. Take DoorDash’s New York office, which HKS recently redesigned. The tech company has a buzzy, ambitious culture where AI adoption has recently become part of official performance evaluations, says [Katie Kossick](https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-andes/), workplace design lead at DoorDash. Before the redesign, "accessing areas for rest and reflection was still something that \[DoorDash employees\] weren’t rating super highly,” says Lindberg. To encourage workers to take more breaks throughout the day, HKS and DoorDash designed soft, casual zones like “the Highline,” where comfortable seating and a lack of outlets subtly cue workers to unplug and rest in the middle of a busy workday. “There’s nothing magical about a certain number of chairs and tables and walls, but it’s what your brain predicts would happen in that space,” says Lindberg. “You can match those with your own individual preferences for getting work done, resting, reflecting, or doing focus work.” --- ## Read more from Charter [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/) [Open article: Why You Shouldn’t Give AI Agents a Name](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-give-ai-agents-a-name/)  ### Why You Shouldn’t Give AI Agents a Name [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-you-shouldn-t-give-ai-agents-a-name/) [Open article: Why Leaders Should Ignore Predictions About AI](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-leaders-should-ignore-predictions-about-ai/)  ### Why Leaders Should Ignore Predictions About AI [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/why-leaders-should-ignore-predictions-about-ai/) [Open article: What Jamie Dimon Thinks About Jobs, an AI Bubble, and How to Measure Schools](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/what-jamie-dimon-thinks-about-jobs-an-ai-bubble-and-how-to-measure-schools/)  ### What Jamie Dimon Thinks About Jobs, an AI Bubble, and How to Measure Schools [READ MORE](https://time.com/partner-content/charter/what-jamie-dimon-thinks-about-jobs-an-ai-bubble-and-how-to-measure-schools/) --- ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7383484/the-companies-making-their-offices-more-fiercely-human-for-the-age-of-ai/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7383484/the-companies-making-their-offices-more-fiercely-human-for-the-age-of-ai/"},"headline":"The Companies Making Their Offices More 'Fiercely Human' for the Age of AI","datePublished":"2026-03-16T10:28:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-28T07:07:34.827Z","description":"Ways to get a return on ‘vibes on investment’ with on-site perks and better design, with lessons from AT&T, Walmart, Doordash, and more.","url":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7383484/the-companies-making-their-offices-more-fiercely-human-for-the-age-of-ai/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10331766c216f8ba/69e8941b4bdd671a335d5c0f/gensler-la-office.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Peng","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/michelle-peng/"}],"articleSection":"Charter","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt10331766c216f8ba/69e8941b4bdd671a335d5c0f/gensler-la-office.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"gensler-la-office","caption":"","creditText":"","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/partner-content/charter/7383484/the-companies-making-their-offices-more-fiercely-human-for-the-age-of-ai/","name":"The Companies Making Their Offices More 'Fiercely Human' for the Age of AI"}}]}] ```