Arriving from another EU country to work in the Netherlands can be an exciting experience. Whether you’re staying for a few months or a few years, the quality of your accommodation really matters.
It goes without saying that visiting workers expect decent accommodation that’s safe, and offers a good level of privacy. That’s exactly what we aim to give to our inAxtion employees. Director of Facilities, Marcel van Eck explains more.
Why decent accommodation is so important
Here at inAxtion, we like to think of ourselves as our workers’ family away from home. But we also provide a home away from home. Ensuring that employees have decent accommodation during their stay in the Netherlands is really important to us.
Accommodation plays an essential part in a person’s decision to move to the Netherlands for work. In fact, it could be a deal-breaker. If there’s no decent accommodation close to a worksite, then the costs involved with commuting can be very high, and the travel time can be excessive. These factors are likely to put off potential employees.
For that reason, having good accommodation and a decent salary are two deciding factors for the majority of workers coming to the Netherlands through inAxtion. Without it, they’re unlikely to take up a role. Proximity to work is important – ideally no more than 45 minutes by road.
On top of accommodation, we also have a pool of around 150 cars available for employees to commute between their accommodation and place of work at an additional cost. Some workers from nearby countries – such as Poland – choose to bring their own car. Others fly to the Netherlands and get a car on arrival.
How our accommodation service works
When providing our employees with accommodation, we follow our own internal standards, alongside the housing standards for labor migrants Stichting Normering Flexwonen (SNF).
In each accommodation, there is an information board that tells residents about the SNF rules. It’s our job to ensure each accommodation complies with these standards.
Once an employee agrees to take up a role, the facilities team is sent a request to provide a room and, if needed, a vehicle. At that point, we tap into our extensive network of rental agents to source appropriate accommodation. Finding the right properties can be a challenge. A shortage of rental properties in some regions makes it difficult – especially when we’re competing with students and young people who are also in need of housing.
The great thing about inAxtion is that workers don’t need to worry about finding suitable accommodation. All of that is taken care of by our team. We conduct a thorough assessment of each property to ensure it meets our standards in terms of safety and hygiene. Following that, we do a monthly inspection. We also do an inspection when a worker checks out after their contract ends.
Like any dwelling, from time to time things need fixing, or things go wrong – such as a disruption to the Wi-Fi or a fault with the washing machine. In these situations, we work quickly to resolve the issue and put things right. We’re a single point of contact if anything goes wrong with the accommodation or the living arrangements.
A safe and happy home in the Netherlands
At inAxtion, we care about the well-being of our workers. We know how important privacy is when you’re sharing a home with other people. For that reason, each person has their own room, whether they’re staying in a studio apartment or a 5-bedroom house.
Our facilities team gets a lot of feedback from employees about their accommodation. In general, most people are happy with the amount of space they have, and they’re pleased to have good Wi-Fi. Although it’s not always possible to be directly near work, we try our best to offer decent accommodation near local amenities such as shops and public transport.
With employees who return for a second or third project in the Netherlands, we try to accommodate their preferences – be it a quieter house in the suburbs or a city center apartment for enjoying their social life. We always try to find the best fit.
Discover more about working in the Netherlands through inAxtion. Speak to one of our friendly consultants today. Contact us
