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In order to maintain a safe and healthy work environment, it is crucial for employees to understand work and safety instructions. However, language barriers can lead to hazardous situations in the workplace. Here are some tips to help effectively manage these barriers and with that, a safe work environment.

What is a language barrier?

A language barrier arises when people are limited in their communication due to a lack of proficiency in a language. With increasing multiculturalism and labor migration, the likelihood of different languages on the work floor in the Netherlands is growing. 

Research shows that many workplace incidents stem from miscommunication caused by language barriers. When employees are unable to understand safety instructions, it endangers not only themselves, but also others. If your company consists of a large number of non-native speakers, implementing a language policy is crucial.

Tips on how to manage language barriers in the workplace

Now that we have made clear what a language barrier entails, let’s consider the ways in which employers can address this challenge.

1. Learn about your employees’ language and culture

If you are aware of which languages are spoken on the work floor, it can be helpful to understand more about their language and culture. Gestures and expressions may have different meanings in their home countries than in the Netherlands. By being aware of this, it could help prevent misunderstandings.

2. Translate essential documents

Ensure that important manuals, work instructions and safety protocols are available in the employees’ native language. Many documents are typically available in Dutch, English or German. However, employees who are unable to read these languages struggle to understand the crucial information.

3. Organize an instructional meeting with interpreter support

If you have several employees speaking the same language, consider holding a joint instructional session with an interpreter present. This approach ensures that everyone understands the information and fosters mutual understanding and team cohesion.

4. Create a company dictionary

Every company uses its own jargon and terminology for processes, systems and even work instructions. Compiling a dictionary with key terms translated into employees’ native languages could be beneficial. It helps new employees integrate more quickly.

5. Use visual aids

Visual support, such as icons, simple images or clear instructional videos, can greatly aid understanding amongst your employees with limited language skills.

6. Be patient

Patience is key when trying to bridge a language barrier. If an employee with limited Dutch proficiency tries to explain something, it is important to stay patient. If they perceive impatience from their conversation partner, they may speak more quickly or stop communicating altogether. This increases the likelihood of misunderstandings and may even lead the employee to avoid future communication.

7. Offer a language course

Providing language courses is a valuable investment in your non-native-speaking employees. By offering them the opportunity to learn Dutch, you enable them to express themselves more effectively and understand workplace dynamics better. A language course tailored to essential terms and job-related language skills can make daily tasks and communication with colleagues easier. This improves safety and understanding, making the company a more attractive place to work. On top of that, it contributes to the employees’ personal development and therefore to the development of your company.

Welcoming a non-native employee?

Take time to familiarize yourself with their language and culture. No one expects you to be fluent, fully versed in their customs or to spend hours trying to learn their language. However, it does benefit you to know a few words and some basic cultural practices, since this could make a huge difference safety-wise. Use these tips to transform language barriers and a multicultural workplace from obstacles into opportunities for your company.

At MBS Beton in Soest, our concrete workers are engaged in the production of concrete elements such as balconies, stairs, walls, and platforms. From carpentry for formwork, pouring of the elements, operating the overhead crane, to concrete finishing – our skilled professionals handle it all!

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Unique projects

Assignments are never the same, so there is always work on unique and custom concrete projects. Working at MBS Beton means being trained to become a true all-rounder in concrete!

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Learning through practical experience

When a skilled professional starts here, all tasks are explained patiently. They are given time to learn the various aspects of the production process. While experience in the concrete sector is beneficial, at MBS Beton, they primarily consider the right work attitude, personality, and soft skills.

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Relaxed working atmosphere

In the well-lit production hall, cheerful tunes are already playing on the radio. Everyone is 'doing their thing' and staying busy. There's a structured environment, where everyone knows what is expected of them, colleagues support each other, and there is laughter all around. It's an atmosphere where learning from each other is encouraged, and help is always readily available

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Social media plays an indispensable role in our society, and we eagerly leverage it in the quest for foreign workers. To find the perfect candidate, you must be present where your target audience is, and that place is undoubtedly social media! It is the ideal platform to bring job vacancies to the attention of potential candidates. Let Blinkr show you how it's done.

Social media recruitment

When recruiting through social media, you utilize various social media channels to attract suitable candidates. We provide you with some practical tips to devise your social media strategy for international recruitment.

1. Establish a presence on online channels

This may sound obvious, but it is crucial to be consistently present on channels where your target audience is active. Showcase your company, your identity, and share your knowledge and experiences with your followers.

2. Enhance visibility on multiple platforms

Share your content and job vacancies across different channels tailored to your target audience. While TikTok has seen significant growth in recent years, and the number of users on Instagram continues to rise, we observe a decline in active Facebook users. Nevertheless, your specific target audience might still be most active on Facebook. So, adapt your content not only to your audience but also consider the platform where you will publish it.

3. Know which social media channels are popular in each country

Social media usage varies significantly across European countries. Therefore, research the country where you intend to place your job vacancy or content.

Apart from well-known platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, there might be other local social media channels that are popular in specific countries. It's essential to investigate these local platforms and understand which channels align best with your target audience in each specific country.

By thoroughly researching social media usage in each country where you plan to post your job vacancy or content, you can better align your marketing and recruitment strategies, selecting the right channels to convey your message. This will help you create a broader reach and increase engagement with the right audience.

4. Launch campaigns

Once you have implemented the above points effectively, it's time to initiate a content or social media campaign. With a paid campaign, your message reaches even more people, particularly your specific target audience.

Exposure via social media 

When searching for candidates abroad through social media, you not only reach active job seekers but also latent job seekers – those who are not actively seeking employment. Your social media campaign (paid advertisement) catches their attention as well. Consequently, you generate exposure and extend the reach of your job vacancy. This is ideal, as the more people who see your job vacancy, the higher the likelihood of finding your ideal candidate.

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Due to the tight labor market, it can be quite difficult to find the right employees in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is often worthwhile to extend your target area. You could try to find your new personnel in other European countries. This, however, comes with a fair amount of paperwork and organization. It’s a very time-consuming task, which is why a partnership with Blinkr is highly beneficial. Why? Blinkr is an expert when it comes to these procedures; from bringing people to the Netherlands to handling all the administrative tasks and housing: we succeed in all.

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We recruit, select and dispatch candidates for jobs in production, prefabricated concrete, the energy sector, insulation, petrochemicals and HVAC. Simultaneously, we prioritize projects that make a positive impact on the environment and society as a whole.

What makes Blinkr special?

Reliability is at the root of what we do. We put our people first, regardless of whether they are our clients, partners, candidates or colleagues. Our number one priority is our people, so we make sure to provide the very best service. We take full responsibility, take care of everything that needs to be taken care of, and happily share all our knowledge. In other words: we’ve got your back!

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Furthermore, we use data-driven recruitment. Our intelligent data system provides us with valuable insights regarding the recruitment of international employees. This system is a network of candidates, vacancies, applications and companies. We compare new recruitment challenges with old challenges to ensure the very best match for your business.

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What exactly does Blinkr do?

Skilled workers without the hassle, that is what we stand for. We handle all the details – from recruiting and selecting the best candidates to verifying their paperwork. Once all the documentation is in order, we also arrange transportation to the Netherlands and provide housing. We take care of every detail, from the daily commute to the necessary administration that ensures candidates to work legally in the Netherlands. 

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Trustworthy and uncomplicated  

Blinkr is certified under the ISO-9001 quality management standard. We also hold a NEN 4400-1 certification. This emphasizes everything has been thoroughly checked, and devoid of complications. We strive for smooth operations only!

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Why partner with Blinkr?

• We ensure to provide the best service and candidates for your vacancy or project, by using our intelligent data system;
• No need to worry about transport and housing: we take care of everything;
• ISO-9001 certified;
• Holder of the NEN 4400-1 certification.

Hiring employees is a complex process, which often involves guessing, intuition and luck. Data-driven recruitment simplifies and streamlines this recruitment process, making it more efficient. In this blog, we take a closer look at what data-driven recruitment is and how BlinkR leverages it.

What is data-driven recruitment?

Data-driven recruitment means making decisions based on knowledge and facts. By utilizing data, the entire recruitment process gets optimized. For instance, by using data from Google Analytics, you can identify which channels bring in the most candidates and attract the highest number of applications. This allows you to utilize these channels strategically and more effectively.

Another great example is mapping out the recruitment funnel. By measuring where and when potential candidates drop off in the process, you can refine your recruitment strategy at those specific points.

Data-driven recruitment not only speeds up the process, but also enhances accuracy and cost-efficiency. The goal of this approach is to find the best possible match by using all available data.

How does Blinkr utilize data-driven recruitment?

We improve and optimize our recruitment processes on a daily basis, by developing and implementing data and algorithms. We operate from a vast database, a network of candidates, vacancies, applications and companies. We compare past recruitment challenges with new ones and use the input for online recruitment campaigns.

Once you submit a vacancy with BlinkR, we analyze and match it within our system. If there is a match with a candidate from our database, we contact them immediately.

Digital recruitment campaigns

Vacancies are written with SEO optimization and promoted through various channels. Approximately 10% of individuals are actively job-seeking, whilst 75% are passively interested. BlinkR runs social media campaigns to reach both groups. By targeting not only the active job seekers but also the vast pool of latent job seekers, the chances of filling the vacancy enhance greatly.

Each needed candidate has certain qualifications, characteristics and traits. The same goes for your company and its vacancies. Based on this information, BlinkR determines the target audience. We then create content that resonates with this audience, combining vacancy-specific requirements with your company’s unique selling points (UPS) and the candidate’s interests.

To ensure a successful recruitment campaign, it is vital to make content visible and to determine how to strategically target different channels. These decisions are based on data analysis and accumulated campaign history.

Smart database

Once the sourcing process is completed, candidates enter our system. This is where the matching process begins. With our intelligent system, we have a clear overview of candidates by region, industry and position. This enables us to make better matches based on soft and hard skills. By combining technology and recruitment, we ensure a streamlined and effective process for both clients and candidates.

4 advantages of a data-driven recruitment strategy

1. Improved quality of hire

A thorough data analysis reveals the motivations of your very best candidates. Who are they? Where did they come from? What characteristics and soft skills do they share? By analyzing data from your top candidates, you gain insights into who to look for in the future and where to find them.

2. Lower costs

By concentrating on essential variables in the process rather than on redundant information, it should lead to improved results and cost savings. A data-driven recruitment strategy reduces costs associated with traditional methods. If certain platforms yield few new quality candidates despite invested time and budget, you can decide to discontinue using them.

3. From gut feeling to objective decisions

As you may know from personal experience, positive gut feelings don't guarantee a candidate's success. Within a data-driven strategy, you use various technologies to select candidates in a structured and substantiated manner. Working with data enables you to operate based on real insights rather than making decisions based on feelings.

4. Enhanced candidate experience

Imagine discovering that certain data indicates candidates often drop out at a specific stage of the recruitment process. There is likely a reason for this. Identifying such data points allows you to create a better experience, preventing candidates from abandoning the process due to difficulties or discomfort. An improved candidate experience leads to more and better-qualified candidates.