Page 169 of What Goes Around

And now I was here, in Sinclair’s Chicago headquarters, standing beside Ms. Carter from HR as she guided me toward the elevators.

“The building has seventy-two floors,” she explained. “Sinclair occupies sixty-eight through seventy-two.”

The tower itself was a structure of glass and steel, rising into the Chicago skyline. Inside, everything was light. Glass walls. Polished stone. Soft neutral colors.

People moved everywhere. Conversations in low tones. Laptops under arms. Coffee cups in hands.

The elevator doors slid open and we stepped inside with several employees. The ride upward was smooth and fast.

“As we go up,” Ms. Carter said, “you’ll see how we organize departments. Some hold multiple teams, but we group related units together so collaboration stays natural.”

The doors opened onto the first Sinclair floor.

The space was open, bright, and busy. Large desks arranged in organized clusters. Glass meeting rooms along the perimeter. Screens filled with projections. Whiteboards half-covered in equations and diagrams.

A man passing by smiled. “Morning, Stacy.”

“Good morning, Jason,” she replied, then glanced at me. “This is Ashley, our new development analyst.”

“Welcome aboard,” he said.

“We moved away from private offices years ago,” Stacy explained. “Transparency improves performance. People solve problems faster when they can see each other.”

Each floor had its own kitchen corner. Coffee machines. Refrigerators. Fruit bowls. Seating areas with plants and soft lighting. Quiet lounges with low couches. Informal meeting nooks.

“We designed it to prevent burnout,” she added. “People don’t need to leave the building just to breathe.”

We continued upward.

More floors. More greetings.

The gym floor came next.

“And this,” Ms. Carter said, stepping aside, “is the gym.”

The space was expansive. Full glass walls. Modern machines. Free weights. Stretching zones. Calm music.

“For staff use only. Six in the morning until ten at night. Most people come before work or during lunch.”

“Wow,” I said quietly.

She smiled. “Exactly.”

Finally, the elevator reached the top.

“This is your floor.”

The doors opened.

The top floor was different. It was divided into three clear zones.

On one side were two glass-walled conference rooms and the Vice President’s private office.

On the opposite side was the CEO’s reception suite and office.

Between them was the open workspace for the senior development team.

“This floor holds our senior development level,” Stacy explained. “And leadership.”