Leading technology company HubSpot not only provides thousands of companies with an excellent CRM system, but also provides hundreds of their own employees with an excellent office experience. Office manager Jo Jacobs joins us to talk about how they're competing in a war for talent in Dublin with LinkedIn, Facebook, and even TikTok, and about their monthly office massages.

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So you're office manager at HubSpot, can you take us through a day in the life?

I actually started as an office manager at PieSync in 2017, and because PieSync developed software that was interesting for Hubspot, Hubspot acquired us, including me as office manager. My role hasn't changed much. I continued to manage the office, the staff, make sure there's food and drinks. I also ensure we can organize things on time. That's my role here in Ghent. I also maintain contact with suppliers and local government agencies.

I am also part of HubSpot Culture. This is a department within HubSpot where we work with a team of six people worldwide to ensure that the HubSpot culture remains alive within the local offices.

It seems like a very varied job; probably no two days are the same. Your headquarters are in Dublin. Everyone knows that's the epicenter for major tech companies like Google and Facebook. How is that relationship with the office here in Ghent?

That's a good question! In Dublin, HubSpot really has to compete with those big companies. Not many people know us in Ghent, so we don't face any competition. We do benefit somewhat from the Dublin culture, where they really have to go out of their way to attract people. We're approaching it in a more conservative way, but I think we're doing our very best. In Dublin, there's so much to offer: a rooftop terrace, a non-stop kitchen, a hairdresser, people can bring in their laundry, etc. They also have over a thousand employees there—that's a big difference. We currently have a good 34 employees. Of which—that's a big difference—we, in percentage terms, have the largest office population in Ghent.

In Dublin, they have a larger area with regions where people work remotely and are also allowed to organize things remotely, which means that more than half of us work in the office.

So if I understand correctly, office experience and management is really used there as a tool to attract talent?

Yes, not just the in office culture. That is also because all other offices such as Facebook, LinkedIn are there. They have to compete and therefore they have to offer a lot, but we also want to do that because it's just nice. We want to create an atmosphere where people are happy and motivated to come to work.

I think you succeed in that because I have heard in the corridors here that some people drive more than two hours to get to the office. That's crazy, especially in a post-corona culture where people are coming to the office less and less.

It has been a special evolution because during the COVID period we had to work from home and people have also discovered those benefits. But after corona, it has become clear that most people prefer to come to the office. The freedom remains with HubSpot. No one is obligated, everyone can choose in which formula they work: either remote or flex or in office. In that choice, absolutely no remuneration is compensated or no judgment is made about it. Everyone does as they see fit. Here in Ghent, we notice that people come to the office even though they live further away.

As an office manager, I think you play a major role in that. How do you make sure your office is worth making that switch?

I really don't want to take all the credit. I try to ensure everyone here can work as well as possible, but the team is what it is. There's a real sense of cohesion and a genuine desire to work together. I think that's part of it. It's easier to communicate, but what we offer at the office is monthly massages. It's a sign-up formula where a professional comes to give us a half-hour massage every month. We also offer breakfast, so every morning we have all sorts of milk and cereals. We have a ping-pong table, and recently, a PlayStation as well. People really play on those during lunch breaks or just to relax.

"We want to do that because it's just nice. We want to create an atmosphere where people are happy and motivated to come to work."

On top of that, are there things that you really have exceptional? Something that other offices might not use?

Then I think of an online tool, a platform we have available. It's called Modern Health. It's a website where you can access psychological counseling of all kinds for eight sessions a year. It doesn't necessarily have to be work-related. Mental well-being is highly valued here.

So you really assume that employees who feel good about themselves are happier and perform better than they do in the end?

Yes, I have that feeling. Another thing we do that I find very special is that we organize a Hub Talk every so often. Then we will invite a speaker. Here in Belgium, for example, I am thinking of Bashir Abdi. Writers, people in the fashion world, even once The Monk Who Wears Heels. Those are those moments outside of work, but those people often have such charisma or are in such a special way in life that we also learn from them.