What once operated simply as a location for getting work done has transformed into a culture-fueled, physical reflection of an organization, decked out with home-inspired interiors.
We’re talking, of course, about the office. And these four Austin tech companies have developed work spaces that employees proudly show off and call their homes away from home. Take a look.
Talk about views. BlackLocus’ office at 6th and Congress frames the perfect shot of our state capitol building. The team moved into the sixth floor of the Scarborough building in August 2017. Since then, they’ve expanded to the top floor to accommodate a growing team. Product Manager Alan An walked us through his team's favorite parts around the office.
You can’t get any closer to the heart of downtown than this.”
Notable hallmarks: The view of the capitol, downtown parking provided, fully stocked kitchen, and free breakfast tacos and lunch every week.
Employee favs: You can’t get any closer to the heart of downtown than this. The windows on all sides of the building bring in natural lighting throughout the entire open layout. We have several comfortable living room areas, giving us homey spaces to work from or just relax. And, of course, we have foosball and a ping pong table to round everything out.
Fun extras: Provided parking within blocks of our office. Short walking distance to Houndstooth, Mort Subite, Easy Tiger and other downtown favorites.
Last May, the Liquibase team moved into their new office just five minutes from The Domain. Caroline Hunt, Liquibase’s office manager and accounting assistant, told us about the office’s unique interior decorating, including the “bobblehead wall” and a special mural created by a local artist.
One thing that creates some common ground is a love of competition and problem-solving.”
Notable hallmarks: The first is our expansive superhero mural that was painted by local artist, ULOANG. It was such a fun surprise for our employees on their first day in our new office. Secondly, our newly installed “bobblehead wall” has garnered some attention. We hosted our holiday party at Trail of Lights this year and gifted our five-plus year employees with custom bobbleheads. They were such a hit. It was a special thank you for their dedication over the years, and I look forward to watching the wall grow as more employees hit that milestone.
Employee favs: We have professionals in every field here at Liquibase — engineering, sales, marketing, finance and ping pong. We have a diverse group of people, and the one thing that creates some common ground is a love of competition and problem-solving. While we aren’t that startup with employees who sit on bean bag chairs and sip cold brew all day, we sure do love our ping pong, which you could consider a startup cliche. We are in the process of establishing an annual tournament to determine the true champion around the office.
Fun extras: Liquibase’s office is located in Austin’s Brewery District, putting them just a few steps away from Austin Beerworks. Employees can also take a very short walk to Gold’s Gym and take advantage of our discounted membership. Parking is easy with plenty of spaces at our building; no frustrating mornings for us trying to find a spot downtown!
Medallia’s Austin team moved into their downtown digs about six months ago. Luke Abbott, Medallia’s global head of sales, gave us a few deets on what makes their office special. Hint: arf!
As part of the design process, we split the office into teams to design each unique space.”
Notable hallmarks: Our office was built by us, for us. As part of the design process, we split the office into teams to design each unique space. Our South Congress conference room has “I Love You So Much” spray-painted across the wall and bats hanging from the ceiling. The 6th Street conference room looks like some of downtown's best-known watering holes. We designed it with Austin at the core, but through the lens of our incredible people. It truly feels like home.
Employee favs: Dogs! We made the very conscious decision to be a furry-friend-friendly office. From Windsor; to Ollie; to office regular, the greatest of Great Danes, Ronin, they’re true members of the team and staples of our space.
Fun extras: Happy hours are dangerously close, lunch spots are abundant and we’re a stone throw from some of the best live music Austin has to offer. Our views of the Capitol are pretty sweet, too. Parking is also provided by Medallia.
Signpost’s Northwest Austin office marks the company’s newest location, with other offices in Denver and New York City. Tatjuana Phillips, a recruiter and HR administrator at Signpost, shared how ping pong, among other things, bring the entire office together.
The office environment and culture remain empowering at all times.”
Notable hallmarks: In our office, we genuinely like each other, which is unique to the sales culture and super hard to find. Sounds cliche, but while everyone is competing to stay on top, the environment and culture remain empowering at all times. We trade ideas and tips constantly, and learn from one another daily. One of our employees sums it up as, “Highly competitive but very supportive.”
Employee favs: On any given day, you’ll find the team surrounding the ping pong table. We have tons of tournaments with prizes to the winner, and they get pretty intense. Even if you are not playing, you’ll find it entertaining to watch, because the players always do or say something to make the crowd go crazy and throw their opponents off.
Fun extras: Parking is free and plentiful. City views. Four minutes from The Domain. Less than 10 minute walk to Austin Terrier, a dog-friendly neighborhood bar with craft beers and speciality pizzas.
