In the previous post about Office Insights , you could read about how HubSpot keeps its employees motivated with free massages and an excellent office experience. Curious about their mental well-being policy, the Hub Talks, and what advice Jo has for companies that aren't (yet) investing in office management? Read on!

Personal growth is therefore super important to you. The combination of feeling good about yourself, having a safety net, a safe space in the office in combination with motivational talks. That's actually a way to keep your employees motivated.

I also think about the themes. Every month we highlight a theme. For example, May is for mental health. For that month, I invited a company to come and talk about imagination and link it to a workshop. June is Pride Month, and the LGBTQ+ community is celebrated. In April, it was all about ecology, and we went cleaning up the neighborhood with picket fences. There's something new every month.

Is that a tool that you use when looking for people. Have you noticed that this can be the deciding factor in people choosing HubSpot over another company?

I don't know to what extent that's included in recruiting. Modern Health definitely does. I don't know about the HubTalks and other benefits. But once people are hired, they do get them. I think that plays a role in that. When I see the reactions or photos posted when such a Talk is organized, you think, "Wow, that's a great company to work for."

I can absolutely imagine that when you walk around here. Do you also take into account the needs of employees themselves in such matters? Do they come up with their own ideas?

Yes, we do. We have a party committee here. For example, when our meeting rooms were rebranded, we sat down with a team to name them. We were allowed to come up with our own names. So now our meeting rooms are named after local abbey beers and our offices after regions in Ghent. My office, for example, is in Het Patershol. We try to involve employees and colleagues as much as possible. Of course, that's easy to say when you have a small team.

And then if we go back to Dublin for a moment - do you know how it works there?

It's analog, but on a larger scale. Next week, for example, there's a community festival, and every office is organizing a festival on May 17th. We're giving a sushi workshop and playing games with drinks. But in Dublin, for example, there's a band. It's a different approach, but the look, feel, and vibe are still analog.

So it's really more of a tool to compete with those larger companies there than it is here. You've told me before that you have a kind of book subscription, how does that work exactly?

That's a platform called Libby. The principle is that every HubSpotter can read a free book per month. You can rent from that library for up to three months. But since we're Dutch-speaking, we can buy one book per month from our local bookstore. That's a really fantastic perk.

Are those benefits for everyone? Both remote workers and in-office people?

Yes it is. Everyone gets the same benefits here. From payroll to interns. No distinction is made

Do you notice that this has a major impact on absenteeism or, for example, retention? Do you notice that people stay because of those perks?

In Ghent, I think that plays a very important role. Proof is that only one person has left here since the takeover. People are not leaving, on the contrary, more and more are joining. I'm actually kind of proud that they're not leaving. I also feel that they like to come to the office.

Fine. I can imagine that from HubSpot on your CV, you will get a lot of offers. It's a big name in the industry, isn't it?

Especially since the majority of our team here in Ghent are engineers. They work on the product and are a highly sought-after profile. So I think they have to shake off the LinkedIn requests on a daily basis.

If you could give advice to any other company that is not (yet) so committed to office experience, what would it be?

I'm immediately reminded of my previous work experience. I worked for a tax consultancy for a long time. It was a very traditional company where people had to arrive at a certain time and preferably leave at a certain time or later, using a registration system. That's absolutely not the case with us now. It turns out to be completely self-regulating. I think it's important for a company to ensure that your teams enjoy their work, and if they enjoy it, they simply work hard.

"It's really all about a sense of belonging. That's a very human trait and I think you can facilitate that as a company."

So I can only conclude that Hubspot is a leading company in the field of office experience and that many companies can learn from you. It's probably also something that's often pushed aside, or that an office manager is a role that only comes later. What's your take on that?

My job isn't just about making sure the team is doing well. Of course, I also have administrative responsibilities. Managing an office involves a lot. I don't understand how a company can function without someone taking on that role. Our team consists largely of professionals who work for the company, the product, and the clients, under the motto "we help our customers grow better." But my customers are my colleagues. I essentially do the same thing in my team.

It seems like a really fulfilling job. When you talk about it, it's filled with passion. I think maybe something we haven't really touched on yet is the HubSpot culture. Could you explain how that works?

HubSpot Culture was created to embody the values ​​HubSpot stands for. These values ​​are summarized in the acronym HEART—Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, and Transparent. We do this by paying attention to colleagues, the teams, and also through events. We also create various communities within HubSpot. These can range from families to dog owners. They are all encouraged. I'm part of The Wise and The Experienced. Only 3% of employees are over 46, and I'm one of them. That's just fun. You can share things there. It's all part of the culture.

I think that's something nice to pass on to other companies. Make sure you have a few people in your company who watch over that culture.

It grows quite organically I must say and it's always about a sense of belonging. That's a very human trait to want to belong to something and I think you can facilitate that as a company.

That's right! Because work in 2023 isn't just work. People want more from their jobs. You want to get more out of it, to be part of something, and those communities are a great example of that. You can tell you're very proud of HubSpot and your job. So I can only thank you for your time and this conversation. Thanks, Jo!