When Your International Talent Isn't Thriving: Warning Signs Dutch Leaders Miss
The Pattern You Keep Seeing
You hired them because they were brilliant. Top universities, impressive track records, exactly the skills your team needed. But six months in, something feels off:
They're less proactive than you expected
Engagement scores are lower than your Dutch employees
Sick leave is creeping up
They're not developing as fast as their potential suggested
They seem... fine. But not thriving.
And you're wondering: What are we missing?
The Moment You Didn't See Coming
Or worse: one day you get the news that your international hire is leaving. Or their sick leave stretches from weeks into months.
And you're left with questions:
"Why didn't they say something earlier?"
"How did we miss this?"
"Why didn't their colleagues notice?"
You try to have the conversation—a performance review, an exit interview, a check-in during sick leave. But it goes nowhere. Either the conversation feels stiff and superficial, or they tell you everything is fine when clearly it isn't.
This is the moment many Dutch managers realize: something fundamental isn't working.
The Friday Afternoon Test
Here's a smaller but telling example:
It's Friday afternoon drinks. Your Dutch team members start leaving after an hour—tennis lessons, family dinners, normal life. The international colleagues stay behind. Some go out for dinner together afterward.
On the surface? No problem.
But dig deeper: Your international professionals are building their strongest connections with each other, not with the team they work with daily.
That's not a social preference. That's a symptom.
Four Patterns That Cost You Talent
1. The Silent Struggler
"I'm not going to ask for that training course."
Your Dutch employees casually mention to you that they'd like to attend a conference or do a specific course. It's normal here—proactive career development is expected.
But your international team members hesitate:
"Will I seem demanding?"
"Is it appropriate to ask?"
"Maybe I should prove myself first?"
The cost: Slower skill development. Untapped potential. Talented people who aren't growing as fast as they could.
2. The Feedback Vacuum
In Dutch workplace culture, silence often means approval. "Geen nieuws is goed nieuws" (no news is good news).
But for international professionals—and actually for your younger Dutch employees too—this silence is confusing:
"Am I doing okay?"
"Do they value my work?"
"Should I be worried?"
The cost: Lower engagement. Reduced confidence. People who hold back ideas because they're unsure if their contributions matter.
3. The Overcompensation Trap
When international team members feel uncertain about their position, they often compensate by working harder and longer than necessary. They want to prove their worth.
Short-term? Great output.
Long-term? Burnout risk.
And when it becomes a problem, they often don't speak up until it's too late.
The cost: Extended sick leave. Stress-related issues. Eventually, departure—often sudden and unexpected.
4. "We don't really know how to give each other feedback"
The Dutch directness can feel harsh to some cultures. Indirect communication from other cultures can feel unclear to Dutch colleagues.
So feedback doesn't happen. Issues simmer. Nobody addresses the real problems.
When you finally try to have "the conversation," it's already too difficult. They say everything is fine. You know it isn't. The gap is too wide to bridge in one meeting.
The cost: Unresolved tension. Slower problem-solving. Teams that perform below their potential. Talent walking out the door.
Why This Matters for Your Bottom Line
Let's be direct about the business case:
Turnover costs: Replacing an employee costs 6-9 months of their salary
Extended sick leave: Often longer than expected, and harder to resolve
Lost productivity: Teams with poor communication waste time on misunderstandings and rework
Missed innovation: Diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones—but only when communication works
Employer brand damage: Word spreads quickly in international professional networks
You invested heavily in attracting international talent. Are you investing enough in making them successful?
The Real Problem (And It's Not What You Think)
Here's what we see repeatedly in Dutch organizations:
The assumption is that highly educated international professionals will simply adapt. "They're smart, they speak English, they know how to do their job. They'll figure it out."
But professional competence doesn't equal cultural fluency.
Your international team members aren't failing to adapt, they're navigating an invisible set of rules that nobody explained. Meanwhile, your Dutch team members often don't realize how much of their workplace behavior is culturally specific, not universal.
The result?
International talent underperforms
Dutch colleagues feel frustrated ("Why don't they just speak up?")
Management sees the symptoms but not the cause
By the time you realize there's a problem, it's often too late to fix
What Actually Helps
The solution starts with understanding your specific team dynamics:
Where are the invisible friction points?
What cultural assumptions are causing misunderstandings?
Which team members are struggling silently?
What practices would actually make a difference?
You can't fix what you can't see clearly.
The Team Communication Scan
This is why we created a diagnostic specifically for teams of 3-25 people with international members.
It's designed for team leads, managers, HR professionals, and members of management teams who want to understand what's really happening in their team—before small issues become big problems.
What You Get:
1. Comprehensive Team Questionnaire
Covering:
Team composition and dynamics
Current engagement and performance patterns
Specific challenges and friction points
Cultural backgrounds and communication styles
Management observations and concerns
2. 1.5-Hour Expert Consultation with Simon Jansen and/or Allard Klok
An in-depth conversation about real situations in your team. We explore patterns, ask probing questions, and identify what's working and what isn't. (Online or face-to-face; we prefer the latter when possible.)
3. Practical Insight Report
Within two weeks, you receive:
Analysis of your team's communication patterns
Identification of specific friction points
Practical, actionable advice and concrete tips tailored to your situation
Clear next steps you can implement immediately to create improvement
This is a diagnostic, not a complete solution. Think of it as getting clear on what's actually happening in your team, so you can make informed decisions about what to do next.
If follow-up work makes sense, like team training or a structured team development program, we'll discuss options.
And if you decide to work with us further, we'll deduct 50% of the scan cost from any team program.
Investment: €797 (ex. VAT).
Who Is This For?
This scan is ideal if you're a team lead, manager, HR professional, or MT member and you:
Lead a team of 3-25 people with international members
Notice lower engagement or proactivity than expected
See concerning patterns in sick leave or turnover
Have had unexpected departures or extended sick leave
Find it difficult to have open conversations about what's really going on
Want to understand team dynamics before problems escalate
Suspect your team could perform better but aren't sure where to start
How It Works
Schedule a 30-minute introductory call with Simon Jansen by clicking the orange button below
Receive the team questionnaire (complete about a week before the main consultation)
1.5-hour in-depth consultation about your team's specific situation
Receive your insight report within 2 weeks
About The Happy Expats for teams
We specialize in helping Dutch organizations get the best out of their international talent and helping international talent thrive in Dutch workplace culture.
Our coaches understand both worlds. We know Dutch workplace norms, and we know what it takes to build genuinely effective multicultural teams.
We don't do theory. We do practical solutions based on real team dynamics.
Ready to Get Clarity on Your Team?
If you're a team lead, manager, or HR professional dealing with a team of 3-25 people, and you recognize these patterns, let's start with a conversation.
