Family, career and a dog – achieving work-life balance at CSS

As Head of Digital Learning at CSS, Laura Pasula works an 80% schedule spread across five days. Her son Ando, her Dobermann Luma and a demanding role require plenty of organisation and energy. Even so, she has found ways to bring everything together – not always perfectly, but with workable everyday solutions.

Jessica Bossard

18 November 2025 | 5 Min. Reading Time

Juggling office, family and dog

Daily life is a balancing act, but one with well-established routines. In the morning, Laura drops her son Ando off at his grandparents’, takes the dog for a walk and then sits down at her laptop. Her working day starts early, usually at 7.15, and finishes around 16.45 – with a short break at lunchtime for some fresh air with the dog. Evenings are family time: dinner, a bedtime story, then a quiet moment to herself.

Support from her husband plays a big part, as do the conditions at CSS: flexible working hours, options such as working from home, and a team that shows initiative all make her life easier.

Trust within the team creates breathing space – also for the things that matter outside work.

Laura Pasula, Head of Digital Learning at CSS

Parallels between leadership and home roles

At work, Laura carries responsibility for her team – she plans, organises, delegates and sets priorities. At home, she sees similar patterns: Here too, it’s about coordinating tasks and sharing responsibilities – even when it might be quicker to do things herself. Realising this helps her bring everything together, as nothing works if you try to do it all alone. In her leadership role, she can rely on a strong team, and at home on a supportive partner and carers. Everything only works when everyone pulls together, and that requires a shared commitment – both at work and at home.

A dog senses instantly when leadership is missing – as does a child.

Laura Pasula, Head of Digital Learning at CSS

Finding balance without chasing perfection

Walks with the dog and time with her family help her recharge. Thanks to the flexible ways to perform her role, she can carry out her function seriously without having to compromise on family life or personal passions. Laura says: “I’ve learnt that it’s not about doing everything at once and all perfectly. It’s about setting priorities and celebrating the small wins.”

Small wins, strong impact

What motivates Laura aren't the big milestones but the many small moments of everyday life. At work, she’s especially pleased when her team takes responsibility and makes decisions independently – a sign that trust and autonomy truly exist. At home, too, it’s the little things that matter: when Ando happily tucks into his breakfast or Luma walks calmly by her side.

CSS Mitarbeiterin Laura Pasula bei der Arbeit in ihrem Home-Office — Laura Pasula, Head of Digital Learning at CSS

Work-life balance is a reality at CSS

Laura shows that work, family life and personal passions can go hand in hand. At CSS, work-life balance is supported wherever the role and situation allow. She underlines: “What matters is knowing your own needs and goals and talking about them openly. Together, you can almost always find a good solution – and that solution can evolve.”

This openness is something Laura really values at CSS – and for her, it’s key to keeping family life, work and personal passions in long-term balance.