Back to the office: learning Dutch at work is the new perk

With working from home increasingly out of favour with employers, offering in-company Dutch courses can be a great way of getting your international staff back on location.  

Earlier this month financial services group ABN Amro said it wanted its staff to come into the office for at least three days a week. The move was necessary, the bank said, to increase creativity, encourage contacts between staff and improve the differentiation between their work and private lives. It would also, the bank said, make it easier to integrate new colleagues into their jobs.

It’s a trend that is becoming increasingly apparent across Dutch industry. After all, work is about more than just sitting at a desk or being part of an online meeting. It is about interacting with colleagues, sharing experiences and learning something new. And this is one reason why in-company language courses are growing in popularity. They help people to develop skills together while strengthening intra-team communications. And they are also proving a popular perk!

“We’ve noticed that an increasing number of companies are offering Dutch courses at their offices,” says Margreet van ‘t Haaff, owner of language school Taalthuis, which recently expanded to Amstelveen, Rotterdam and Eindhoven and now offers lessons in 10 different cities.

From online to in-company

Taalthuis pioneered the development of online lessons during the coronavirus pandemic and found an enthusiastic market for learning Dutch when people were confined to their homes. Now, however, in-company lessons are becoming increasingly popular as employers seek ways of improving contacts between staff – and helping their foreign workforce settle into the Netherlands more quickly.

“Employers see language lessons as a way of encouraging people to reduce the amount of time they work at home as well as to boost team spirit,” says Margreet. “It’s not a question of forcing people to go back to the office, but of making it more attractive to do so. And of course, learning Dutch helps you to feel more at home as well as getting to know your colleagues.”

Dutch as teamwork

Taalthuis’s dedicated teachers come to the company itself to provide the lessons – either 14-week courses tailored to fit their students’ language level, or tailor-made conversation sessions to meet a particular need on a month-by-month basis. Every student is given a test to find out their Dutch level before they start.

The courses themselves cover beginners to C1 and emphasise conversation skills, which, says Margreet, are perfect for boosting chats between colleagues over lunch or during brainstorming sessions.

The lessons include discussion about typical Dutch themes such as Koningsdag, cycling culture and, of course, food. You will learn about the delights of bitterballen at the vrijmibo, and how to explain your disappointment to your colleagues when faced with a broodje kaas for lunch in the bedrijfsrestaurant.

Learn Dutch during office hours

Many classroom-based Dutch courses take place during office hours, and people who have been struggling to learn Dutch often say that they find it difficult to combine work with lessons and family duties. Offering lessons at the office is another way of getting round that hurdle.

One Taalthuis client, for example, offers its workers lunch combined with a Dutch language course. Others offer lessons towards the end of the day, but in company time, such as a session at 4.30pm, allowing staff to still go home at 6.15pm.

Engineering group Haskoning began offering Taalthuis language courses to its employees in Delft about two years ago and continues to do so. “We recognised a growing need among our international colleagues in the Netherlands to feel more integrated into Dutch society and workplace culture,” says Sofia Aguero from the company’s HR department.

Strengthening teamwork

“From a company perspective the Taalthuis courses strengthen team cohesion, support retention, and enhance our inclusive culture. And given all the positive feedback from students and a growing interest from other employees, we’re already planning future sessions and exploring ways to expand access.”

“Learning Dutch makes it more fun to go to the gym or to have a chat with your colleagues at the coffee machine,” says Taalthuis teacher Floortje, who specialises in in-company courses. “You can talk about the weather, your weekend, what you want to drink… it just makes it easier to have personal contact.”

If you are an employer who would like to offer your staff Dutch lessons, feel free to contact Taalthuis. And if you are a worker who would like your company to offer Dutch lessons at the office, ask your HR department to get in touch.