You best prepare managers for international team members by setting clear working agreements upfront, training managers in cross-cultural communication and feedback, and designing onboarding that is both practical and people-focused. This helps you build trust faster, prevent misunderstandings, and assess performance fairly.
This is especially true when you work with Highly Skilled Migrants who are new to the Netherlands, because they are adjusting to a new work culture while also dealing with practical matters such as registration, housing, and immigration processes. Managers who understand what’s going on can better steer on results and well-being.
Below you’ll find a direct answer to each question, plus concrete steps you can apply right away.
What should managers know before international team members start?
Before the start date, managers should know which expectations need to be made explicit, which practical barriers an international colleague may face, and how you will measure success in the first 30 to 90 days. This reduces noise, speeds up productivity, and gives Highly Skilled Migrants a safe foundation to ask questions.
Before day one, create a short, shared set of agreements together with HR and the hiring manager. Think about working hours, availability, decision-making, and what “ownership” means in your team. International colleagues often fill in unspoken norms differently than you are used to.
- Role and scope: what is and isn’t part of the role, and what does “good” work look like?
- Communication: which channels do you use for what, and what response time is expected?
- Decision-making: who decides, who advises, and how do you escalate issues?
- Practical start conditions: laptop, accounts, access, workspace, and a buddy from week one.
How do you train managers in cross-cultural communication and feedback?
You train managers in cross-cultural communication by teaching them to recognize differences in directness, hierarchy, and conflict style, and by practicing feedback using concrete examples and fixed formats. This keeps feedback clear without coming across as harsh, and helps an international colleague feel taken seriously.
Use short, repeatable routines instead of one long training. That fits day-to-day practice better and makes it easier to change behavior.
- Start with a shared language: agree on what “direct” and “respectful” mean in your team.
- Use a fixed feedback format: situation, behavior, impact, desired next step.
- Actively check understanding: ask “What are you taking away from this?” instead of “Is that clear?”
- Practice difficult conversations: role-plays with cases such as deadlines, meeting behavior, and ownership.
Tip: have managers practice positive feedback as well. In some cultures, giving or receiving compliments can feel unusual, while it actually helps build trust.
Which onboarding approach works best for international team members?
The best onboarding for international team members combines a structured 30-60-90-day plan with extra support for practical settling-in. You make goals measurable, schedule fixed check-ins, and assign a buddy to the new colleague. This works well for Highly Skilled Migrants because work and private life are starting up at the same time.
Make onboarding predictable and repeatable. An international colleague may find it harder to “just ask around” when everything is new, especially while they are still getting used to the language and context.
- Week 1: team introductions, systems, expectations, first small deliverables.
- Weeks 2 to 4: first project responsibility, feedback moments, stakeholder mapping.
- Months 2 to 3: larger deliverables, evaluation based on output, development plan and training.
Schedule at least one check-in per week in the first month. Keep those conversations practical: what’s blocking you, what do you need, and what’s the very next step?
How do you prevent misunderstandings about work culture, performance, and collaboration?
You prevent misunderstandings by making working agreements explicit, assessing performance based on output rather than style, and structuring collaboration with clear roles and definitions. International team members often interpret norms around initiative, meetings, and escalation differently. Clarity upfront prevents frustration on both sides.
Many misunderstandings don’t arise from unwillingness, but from different assumptions. So make the “invisible rules” visible.
Make work culture concrete with team agreements
Document how you collaborate and actively refer back to it in the first weeks. Think about meeting discipline, preparation, decision-making, and how you can disagree. Put the agreements on one page and discuss them with the team, not only one-on-one.
Assess performance based on measurable output
Use goals you can verify: deadlines, quality standards, customer impact, code reviews, tickets, or project milestones. This prevents “visibility” or “assertiveness” from weighing more heavily than results, which can be unfair for international colleagues.
Which HR and immigration points should managers know?
Managers should know the basics of the highly skilled migrant route, the role of recognized sponsorship, and the practical steps after arrival such as BRP registration, collecting the residence document from the IND, and health insurance. This helps plan realistic start dates and reduces stress for Highly Skilled Migrants.
Important to keep in mind: for international professionals who come to the Netherlands under the highly skilled migrant scheme, the employer applies for a residence permit with the IND. This is a different process than a GVVA, and it requires different planning and communication.
- IND processing time: applications from recognized sponsors are generally handled on an expedited basis and often completed within a few weeks, but always plan with a buffer.
- Entering the Netherlands during the procedure: whether someone can enter earlier depends on nationality. Non-MVV-required countries have different situations than MVV-required countries.
- After arrival: BRP registration and collecting the residence document from the IND both need to be arranged quickly. Which step comes first varies by municipality and situation.
- Health insurance: anyone who lives or works in the Netherlands generally must take out Dutch health insurance within four months.
If your organization is a recognized sponsor, four obligations apply: notification duty, information duty, record-keeping duty, and duty of care. Managers don’t need to know every detail, but they do need to know when to involve HR—for example in the event of a role change, salary change, long-term leave, or termination of employment.
Also pay attention to salary thresholds: as of 1 January 2026, three separate IND thresholds apply, namely highly skilled migrant ≥ 30 years: € 5,942, highly skilled migrant < 30 years: € 4,357, and orientation year scheme: € 3,122. Which threshold applies depends on the employee’s category.
How All About Expats helps prepare managers for international team members
We help you by practically preparing managers to work with Highly Skilled Migrants and by making the highly skilled migrant route and related compliance clear for your situation. This allows managers to focus on team results, while you maintain control over planning, obligations, and a smooth start for the new colleague.
Specifically, you can come to us for:
- Explanation and guidance on recognized sponsorship and the residence permit application via the highly skilled migrant scheme
- Pragmatic alignment on start dates, onboarding, and what managers do and do not need to arrange
- Support with relocation and practical steps after arrival, so managers receive fewer ad hoc questions
Want to discuss your approach or a specific case? Get in touch via contact us or view our explanation for employers about immigration for employers.
