You help an international employee build a social network by providing structure from day one: regular touchpoints, a buddy, low-threshold social activities, and clear introductions outside the team. This works best when you combine it with practical support around arrival and a culture where colleagues actively invite people along.
For Highly Skilled Migrants, there’s often additional pressure: a new country, a different work culture, sometimes a partner who also has to start over, and limited time to arrange everything. That’s why a structured approach works better than ad-hoc drinks or a one-off tour.
Below, you’ll find concrete actions per question for the first 30 days, activities that genuinely help, and ways to keep the network growing after onboarding.
What does an international employee need to build a social network,
An international employee mainly needs safety, repetition, and access to build a social network: a few familiar faces, recurring moments to join in, and clear entry points to colleagues and local contacts. For Highly Skilled Migrants, this works especially well when you link social steps to practical milestones after arrival.
Specifically, it helps if you organize three things:
- A small core: 1 buddy and 2 to 3 colleagues who actively stay in touch during the first weeks.
- Rhythm: fixed moments in the calendar, so social contact doesn’t depend on chance.
- Access to context: explanations of team habits, humor, meeting style, and what’s “normal” in your organization.
Also pay attention to nuance: not everyone wants big groups right away. Some people prefer to build up gradually through one-on-one conversations, sports, or a hobby club.
How do you help in the first 30 days with a buddy program and fixed touchpoints,
You help most in the first 30 days by making a buddy program simple and predictable: assign one buddy, schedule fixed check-ins, and give the buddy concrete tasks. This quickly gives an international employee trusted contacts and practical guidance, lowering the barrier to connect outside the team as well.
A workable 30-day schedule:
- Days 1 to 3: buddy lunch or coffee, quick round of introductions to direct stakeholders, explanation of informal team rules.
- Week 1: two short 15-minute check-ins, plus one shared activity with 2 to 3 colleagues.
- Week 2: buddy introduces 3 relevant contacts outside the team, for example HR, a project lead, or another expat.
- Week 3: plan a moment where the employee chooses something themselves, such as sports, a meetup, or a lunch group.
- Week 4: evaluation: what worked, what’s still needed, and what next step fits.
Make the buddy role concrete: for example, have the buddy arrange three “first introductions” and proactively ask once a week who the employee would like to meet.
Which activities work best to get to know colleagues and local contacts,
The best activities for getting to know colleagues and local contacts are those with repetition and a shared task, not just a one-off drink. Think recurring lunches, sports, volunteering, or project groups. For Highly Skilled Migrants, this works well because you move from small talk to real connection more quickly.
- Recurring lunch moments: fixed day, fixed time, open invitation.
- Interest groups: running, board games, photography, cooking, language exchange.
- Buddy plus one: the buddy brings along one different colleague each week for coffee.
- Mini projects: have someone join a short working group outside their own team.
- Local routine: go together to the market, gym, library, or a neighborhood café.
Avoid activities that revolve only around alcohol or take place late at night. That excludes people due to culture, family situation, or low energy after an intense relocation period.
How do you ensure the network keeps growing after onboarding,
You ensure the network keeps growing after onboarding by making social goals just as planable as work goals: you continue with monthly touchpoints, encourage participation in communities, and help someone take initiative themselves. This prevents the network from stalling once the initial busyness of starting has passed.
Practical ways to sustain this:
- Monthly check-in with the manager or buddy: who are you in contact with, what are you still missing.
- Role switch: after 2 to 3 months, have the employee onboard a new colleague themselves or organize a lunch.
- Community anchors: one fixed activity outside work—such as a sports club or meetup—that happens weekly.
- Include partner and family: if someone has a partner, a parallel network often supports well-being and retention just as strongly.
Stay realistic: some periods are busy due to projects or family matters. In that case, it helps to keep the network “warm” with short, regular moments instead of big plans.
What is the difference between internal and external networks and when do you use which,
Internal networks are contacts within the organization; external networks are contacts outside it, such as the neighborhood, sports, professional groups, and expat communities. You use internal networks mainly for quick psychological safety, getting oriented, and collaboration. You use external networks for long-term connection to the Netherlands and a social life that doesn’t depend solely on work.
A useful timing distinction:
- First 0 to 6 weeks: focus on internal, because it’s immediately available and helps with day-to-day questions.
- From week 4: start building external, because routines begin to form and someone has room to explore.
- After 3 months: balance both, so changes at work don’t immediately affect someone’s entire social life.
Consider personal preference: some Highly Skilled Migrants find external contacts faster through hobbies than through work. So ask explicitly what someone prefers.
How All About Expats helps build a social network for international employees,
We help you make building a social network part of a smooth start in the Netherlands by organizing relocation and immigration processes in a practical way and supporting employers with a structured approach to onboarding. This gives Highly Skilled Migrants more peace of mind and room to build connections, instead of being busy only with rules and paperwork.
- Immigration and employer support via the highly skilled migrant route, so the process is clear and compliant: immigration for employers
- Practical guidance around arrival and settling in, so you can get to social integration sooner.
- Alignment with employer and intermediary on a workable rhythm of touchpoints and expectations.
Want to brainstorm about a buddy program that fits your team and the realities of international relocations? Get in touch via contact us.
