I am Italian and shared a student home with Dutch, Belgians, French, Germans, Spanish,… My first impression was, the Dutch are rude, the Belgians are sweet and a bit shy, the Germans are silent, the French are arrogant, the Spanish are loud 😅 After a week when we got to know each other, I still found the Dutch very direct but in a funny way. Like one day I got up and Ruben asked me, do you feel okay Gianni, you look like you barely survived a world war. 😅 In Dutch norms that’s being nice and worried 😅😅 The Belgians were the peace keepers, impossible to get them mad or angry, they avoid fights, loved their crazy dark humour and some of them had the Dutch directness. French are actually not arrogant, it’s their way of expressing themselves, like Dutch aren’t rude, they are just very straightforward. As for the Germans I can understand why people say they come across as cold at first, they don’t say much and Sven made me feel in court for the first week 😅, but those guys were so amazing, Spanish are loud but so are we, Italians. 😂 I love all our crazy Europeans. We are different but put us together and it’s so much fun. 😅😅
So true, I live in a small town in BE. Lot's of Europeans migrated here to work in the coal mines. So did my Greek grandparents. So I grew up with a lot of different cultures, but still the same European values. A free open social society. My best friend is from Napoli. In one street, you can find people from Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Poland, Italy.. Most are born in BE. Like me. Recent years you'll find more people from further away. Africa, Syria, Afghanistan.. Europe awaits many challenges and changes. And I hope we can keep our core values. A free open social society in peace.
@@vanesOnYT I love Belgium, visited it twice with my parents and been 2 times to Tomorrowland, last year and this year. We spent 10 days visiting Belgium and it was amazing. Met a lot of Italians and Greeks that live there.
I'm from Belgium right at the border 15' car drive and I love the Dutch. Cheap on the daily necessities but they splurge on living life. Wine, dine and enjoy. One of the countries where people are most content. No BS approach is one of the reasons. Honesty solves issues. Very kind and loving people in general.
I live about 15 km from the border with Belgium. Great food, great beers. The people are nice but they’re a bit more shy in making contact. The infrastructure can be really bad here and there. What I hate about Belgium in the region close the the dutch border is that every main road is full of houses; ribbon development. I want to see the landscape.
We're so happy to have you as our neighbors, lovely people, the food and the drinks are fantastic, and even your cities and your nature are beautiful, so thank you for being our neighbors!
I'm also about 15 minutes into Belgium and can go shopping/partying in NL (Maastricht) or Germany (Aachen). Very pleased to be out of the UK. :) I also have great landscape views!!
My employer once told me, "That's not how you do it!" I responded, "If you think you can do it better, you should try it yourself." He did try and then said, "Okay, I get it. Do what you have to do." Later at lunch, he admitted, "It looks so simple when you do it, even though it's not the way we thought it should be done. Keep it up!"
@@richardhltrp1791 Top. Management nowadays is learned and it is not knowledge from the workplace. So I think you have a fine collegae on this man now.
I'm more offended by beating around the bush when I ask you a direct question than an answer I don't like. Honesty over politeness, saves everyone time and heartache.
@@iwanbottos5128 Trying to anticipate the answer someone wants to hear is just annoying though. With me, if you ask a question you'll get a straight answer every time. If you're fishing for compliments I will not play along. That just leads to getting it wrong eventually and hurting someone. What I find rude is when someone comments on something negatively without being asked.
Our Dutch workplace culture is characterized by a flatter hierarchy. We encourage open communication and value direct feedback. During job interviews, we often discuss the importance of identifying challenges and providing constructive criticism. While directness is appreciated, it's essential to maintain respect and avoid rudeness. Punctuality is also a hallmark of our society.
Also, about the talking to our boss-thing: I think it is even expected. Most places I've worked there was a very flat hierarchy and bosses often mingled and talked with and worked with employees. Providing honest feedback is considered a sign of dedication to the company I think.
Bosses like the wealth and income inequality, but outside money we like everybody to be equal, just 'one of the guys'. It is efficient, and hurt egos and feelings shouldn't get in the way of profit. You are expected to take criticism because you are valued anyway and you can improve or the product has to improve.
Even better is to intercept him/her randomly and then start to complain about certain things that are not going right (within his realm of authority). That's dedication and is mostly highly appreciated in my experience. Even better, bosses therafter often came to me to chat after working hours at my office. It also provided me with some career opportunities (which I did not take, by the way, I am content as it is).
I served in the Dutch navy and they learned me to obey orders, and not to if it was to dangerous. My job was to sweep mines at see ( and yes they are still there ). But when it was to dangerous for me and mine crew and the sergeant mayor didn't listen,i just went tho my commander with another idea. Only one time they said whe going tho bring tho court-martial i said ok its your pension.They listened to me. I'm not saying i now everything better but I new my job with the risks. P.S. I had also very good commanders and segeant mayors!!
the first thing you said at the end was good. that you were walking the streets . then you tried to improve yourself by saying you were walking the canals. but i cant walk on water so i walk on the street or along the canal
I‘m a German. I always expect that my staff say blunt and directly what‘s going on, what they think about work is organized. Save‘s time, everyone feels better. If something is going wrong you can intervene and change it at once
True about it being efficient. Funny that you, as German, also want that, while we (Dutchies) have sentiment that Germans are pretty hierarchic and stricter in standings and status.
Northern Germans and Dutch are the same in that respect. But I think in Germany there is a bit more formalism and hierarchy. An even slightly autocratic boss, is really gone soon in the Netherlands, especially if his staff is higher educated.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your amazing videos! I’ve really been enjoying watching your reactions to typical Dutch things and our culture. It’s so much fun to see my own country through your eyes, especially since you recently visited the Netherlands. In your video, you mentioned how some Dutch people see Americans as “fake,” but I wanted to share my perspective on that. I spent a year in Nebraska as an exchange student, and despite being in a very conservative area, I never found Americans to be fake at all. My host family, teachers, and classmates were incredibly warm and open, and I felt welcomed with genuine kindness. It was a great experience that left me with a lot of positive memories. There were things I missed from home while I was in the U.S., but when I came back to the Netherlands, I found myself missing a lot about America too! Thanks again for sharing your experiences and for all the fun content.
When I lived in Netherlands I met an American who was put in charge of a Dutch factory. He was grumbling that the employees regularly disagreed with him and would not do what he asked: "You didn't do what I asked!" - "No, because we didn't agree!". It is in Dutch culture to have the right to an opinion, and employees expect to be persuaded of a course of action, not just ordered to do something. It means managers have to have good reasons behind their decisions, and allows for other opinions to be be considered. Not exactly "democratic", but certainly respectful of employees as experienced and valuable members of a team.
The directness...... If someone has a bad haircut I'll ignore it but when they ask my opinion they get it. And while most Americans say they like directness I found out the hard way that their conception of directness is apparently different from ours and they really don't appreciate it.
The money thing. YEah, we dont do a lot on credit. But the Americans love credit cards and leases. They take out a loan for a car, max out a few credit cards. The dutch take a loan/mortage for a house and thats it. You save for a car, or lease it trough work. Private lease is not big here. Dont spend money you dont have
If you buy a car brand new and keep it for 2 years it loses so much money then you have the hassle of trying to sell it etc. Much better lease the car for 2 years then hand it back and get a new one. Easy and cheaper
@@markylon we like to own. Not to loan. Diffrent mindset. If i need a new car, the dealer buys my old one and discount that amount on the new car. But i dont buy new cars, only second hand
@@markylon nah we buy secondhand so the previous owner gets all the depreciation cost, and we can do whatever the hell we want with the car cause we own it. leasing is fine if thats your thing, but selling your already secondhand car with little to no loss, makes it really easy to upgrade every few years. you usually start off with a pos €500,- suzuki swift here anyway. as we say in the netherlands: "op een ouwe fiets moet je het leren" basically meaning "its better to learn how to ride an old bike first"
some 20 years ago I was in Las Vegas with a colleague and went into the elevator of our hotel where the elevator-guy (do you call it that?) asked us very politely 'Hellooo, how aaarr you? Had a nice day?' to which I only answered 'yes thank you'. But my colleague actually started telling our whole day, like, he really thought elevator-guy was that interested :'). I've never seen an elevator-guy so confused.
I have similar experiences. And I also made that mistake. Another mistake was that I did not tip the waitress of the breakfast room in the hotel. She even brought me orange juice the second day without asking after I ordered it the first day. That's dedication, not fake. And I still feel guilty about it now I know about the tipping culture. Forgot to say that it was a huge hotel. She had many, many guests to attend to.
@@ronaldderooij1774 Did that too and got schooled for it by the waiter. Apologize politely , left a big tip afterwards and swore never to go back there again.
The Dutch are frugal with their money but with a goal in mind and most achieve their goal, which can be a small goal such as a holiday, but most also achieve that big goal of having a house paid off!
This post just reinforces what I saw in your Patreon vlogs, how the Dutch way of life and their attitudes really hit home with you, this is us, we are who we are, take it or leave it, no hate. Your reaction to this reaction shows how many of your memories from that visit it brought back.
Another stereotype that isn't correct: thinking that cities in the north are representative of the entire Dutch people. Both Amsterdam and Utrecht are cities that are, as we call it, "above the rivers". There tend to be quite a lot of cultural and mentality differences between the north and south. It's as if you say that New Yorkers are a good indication of how Texans are.
About the boss thing, our bosses appreciate you more when you tell the truth about what you think then be a yes sayer and agree with everything the boss says even when you don't agree with him/her. The Dutch in general isn't materialistic and brag about it. We buy stuff for our self and not to show off. In the US it's buy to show off to other people and brag about it, 'look how well I am doing'. To the Dutch and many other countries it comes of as arrogant.
Their directness can come across as really rude to us terribly polite Brits, who are anything but direct. Years ago, I worked on a rig in the North Sea with a mostly Dutch crew, and as a Brit who finds politeness and consideration of peoples feelings important, I left the rig quite traumatized!
People working on oil rigs are super, super direct. Dutch directness squared! Don't take it personally. When all is said and done, the sheet is clean again (mostly).
Ohh for sure on the job with many Dutchmen would make you feel like you're in the army or something. 1 good thing is that discussion can wait for after work if something goes wrong. The focus is on solving the problem first and finishing the job. Emotions are for after work.
Hi JPS, a good example is this. I'm from ireland lived there for 20 plus years. Lets say a normal birthday party. In other countries, you'd probably invite a few people that you don't really get on with in life. In the Netherlands, that usually would not happen. Reason being, not really my friend, so I didn't invite him..... Ireland- You would invite the guy down the road, even you never really get on with him...ever!!. You might get outside pressure [family member] saying, your inviting his sister but not him ?? In the Netherlands, they usually would not bother at all inviting the person
We say: what you don't spend, you don't have to earn. (Keeping more time and money for fun) Be cheap when you can, so you can spend big when you need to
About talking back to your boss, you can say you think it's a stupid idea (often are even expected to give feedback) but at the end of the day- the boss still decides.
True, but not after he has heard everybody at a meeting who's got something to say about this subject. So if the consensus amongst the personnel (so without the boss) is for example "going up", but the boss wants for example to "go down", he will have to convince every crew member that, that's the best way to go. If the boss is not able to convince everybody, then "going down" is not going to happen. In the end, the boss needs sufficient support from all the personnel for his ideas. Companies in the Netherlands are not run autocratically.
The average Dutch does NOT smoke "weed", that is for tourists. We are NOT rude...we are HONEST...Big difference! people in the west of the country are direct, in the east...not really, we do not speak. We think a lot though..
Great Vid! Going deeper on the difference in cultures is very interesting. The things we used to take for granted are compared against your culture. Very interesting and entertaining. Good job!
This was a fun video - thanks for sharing! (BTW, David Wen's channel is great for letting Americans know about Dutch life and culture.) As an American living in The Netherlands I can confirm what these folks said about life here, and Dutch attitudes about themselves and their country. Life here is calmer, more secure, and in many MANY ways better than life in the US (at least the part of the US I come from - America is so huge compared to here, I don't think it's possible to compare straight across.)
yes we are always looking for a bargain, and yes we prefer not to spend too much. Typical Dutch indeed, but research shows that we as a country give the most to charities. For example the Tsunami of 2004 there the Dutch donated €208 million euros. that is quite a lot for a population of 17 million people. So we are frugal, but certainly not stingy.
Glad to hear you are in your final year at College (University), I also am in my final year (majoring in Criminology). I have been offered a chance to do an Honors degree next year but will opt to a Masters (Cyber Security) instead. Good luck with your studies, Joel. Love the content on this and the other channel. All the best.
The big difference between relations between bosses and employees is that in the Netherlands you can't be fired easely, there is always a judge involved
Hi, Joel! Well, the Dutch are very similar to us Germans. But I think sometimes they are a bit more casual!!! They have another history. Also geografic playes a roll! You look so happy. I am happy for you for your beautiful experiences and memories. 😊✌
Hahha so true. Dutch people will tell you straight up you look bad🤣 I walked into work and first thing I hear: “are you OK? You look horrible today” I wasn’t even offended 🤣🤣 I did sleep bad that night
Hi Karin here from the Netherlands, I love to watch your video’s and I’m glad but also proud that you loved the Netherlands! Each year we travel to the USA for 4 weeks for holiday and we love your country a lot! We love the nature, the diversity of it and the people. sometimes when we are in USA you feel if someone is real interested in you or they are just being polite and when we answer the question “how are you?” With: “good and how are you?” (And we mean it; we are realy interested) people mostly react surprised but most time I can feel that they like the question and that maybe they feel that I’m really interested and often we have a nice and long conversation after that and we always find out that the Americans are very open; we love it! At work I can always speak out what I think and feel, but I’ll do that polite. My mother told me; if you be polite you can always say what you feel and think and otherwise people can act to me that way as well, but do it respectful. I’m direct, but I’m not rude and you cannot always tell what you think if it doesn’t hurt other people (only if people ask me about what I think, than I’ll be honest but I’ll take the other person into account). I hope you will be able to visit the Netherlands again and would go to the countryside as well, because that is really different. Keep up the good work with your video’s on you tube: love them!
Talking straight with my boss and give an honest opinion about work-related issues is essential in our company (north germany). In the end it is his decision but we say if we dont like something or think it is not the right step. Of course he expects solutions as well. Not just critic.
You learnd so mutch from us !! Thank you for visiting the Netherlands. Next timt i show u around were i live south west near the haag het westland were al the greenhouses r Rob
My gf is british and i've experienced being too direct with her a few times. I'm not even particularly direct for a Dutchman. I've also fallen prey to the "how are you?" i was starting my reply and they had already moved on to someone else.
and foreneirs might call us direct or rude , but that's not true . we just dont beat around the bush . we are open on what we mean when we speak and dont like or preffer misdirection or deception , and what we say often has meaning and we pride our self in it . therefor we just say what needs to be said as clear as we can . so there are never misunderstandings , as misunderstandings leads to conflict , and conflict is bad for business as conflict destabilizes all markets which leads to losses for all . and no one likes to be losing .
Your videos of your visit to the Netherlands were fun to watch, thanks for being so interested and respectful. Did you have time to visit anything outside the bigger cities? Any nature, the islands, the Afsluitdijk or even those horribly touristic (but secretly pretty cool) windmills? Cool to finally see someone go outside of Amsterdam, but Haarlem and Utrecht don't really paint a picture of the rest of the country. I so wish that would get more attention from foreigners.
About the money, we say : " A dutchman can buy from a jew , sell to a scotsman and still make a profit" 😂, but jokes aside, we do like our neighbors , from Flanders🇧🇪 🤘❤️🇳🇱
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Its a stereotype no different than the one being made about the scotsman or about us Dutch being stingy , and in my view not anti semetic . Its just a stereotype , a joke . And I'm both sad and amazed how our society has changed , with everybody feeling the need to be offended and butthurt all the time . Life is too short , lighten up , have a laugh and stop being offended all the time and STOP putting every obvious joke under a magnifying glass and condemn them . And why do you only point at the jew in this joke as being anti semetic , but not at the scotsmen being frugile being offensive to them ? I call that hypocracy ? I can see that as a German it might look different to you , but know that my grandad was a Dutch resistance fighter during WOII and even hid jews in his own house at great risk to him and his family , I wouldnt be here if he had been caught ! And I am very very proud of him and what he did to help his fellow human.
Don't worry my friend, a lot of Dutch people also eat (mostly slices of) meat on their bread. It don't have to be cheese, peanutbutter or hagelslag (chocolate springles) perse. But yes, mostly a Dutch sandwich also has butter on the bread, to make it taste less dry (it really can make a big difference, specially when eating on the way)
On talking with your boss on equal footing. It's interesting how the Japanese have a "loud blunt American" role in big companies to say the things that need to be said. Sounds like you all need a loud blunt Dutchman. In my Dutch opinion, founded complaints lead to innovation.
I am a retired manager in the Netherlands and my approach to team members has always been: If I have to tell you how to do your job, then one of us has the wrong job :)
Yes the mentality suits me i'm much the same, i am a Brit so can be less direct if needed lifes so much easier here because of the way they are glad i'm living here.
I'm smiling, I'm Dutch. I live in the north near Groningen. In the Netherlands we have our issues as well but at this point still a proud Dutch woman 😂
Can confirm for like 90% or more of the jobs in the Netherlands that the boss wants your input, its well accepted that the employees know better how a company and/or project should run, the only places where this doesn't happen much is in really really big companies (often the international ones that just have an office here) or really really basic jobs, everything in between the boss is very open for you to tell him the current project is bs and you have a better idea for the company or client.
I'm retired now, but I used to run a software company with clients all over the world. I found the Dutch the most pleasant to work with. They were competent and said exactly what they thought rather than beating around the bush.
I think the Dutch directness comes from our history as a trading nation, where clear and honest communication was important for making quick business deals. On top of that, our relatively egalitarian society and the influence of Calvinist values, like simplicity and honesty, played a role.
Hello, I'm glad you enjoyed it here but just a little note there is so much more in the Netherlands then Amsterdam, Amsterdam is still seen as the city with the canals and weed shops that is it when you say Amsterdam but there is so much more to see in the netherlands when you ever come over again please visit some other cities in the Netherlands like Maastricht, Groningen, Almere. so much to see in this beautiful country Greetings
It was'nt critizism i justwanted him to know that there are a lot of other places i did'nt want him to go there just make the attention for him that when he ever is ccoming bach to the Netherlands i hope that he will visit other places i do understand that travelling takes a lot of time and there is not always the time to see everything it was just a suggestion nothing more
1. Dutch = Deutsch = German ... 2. 'Act normal' or 'Thats enough' also exist as sayings in Germany ('Verhalte dich normal' or even 'Verhalte dich unauffaellig' (low profile)). 'Thats enough' = 'Das ist genug' or 'Das sollte reichen' or 'nicht gleich uebertreiben!' etc. ...
Ohh, as a Dutchie I love to watch people react to our culture. I have a few things to add myself: 1. This might be my personal opinion but I don’t think the Americans are ‘fake’ there are plenty that are very nice, but mostly to people they are close to or personally know. In stores, it’s more out of politeness, but comes over as fake. And the customers know this as you mentioned. 2. Not sure if it’s the case in all cities, but in the small one I live in, we have a special lane in grocery stores that we refer to as the ‘talk lane’. It’s a lane specially catered to those wanting a longer talk with the cashier (and they often enjoy it too). While those in a hurry can choose another. No fake politeness needed. 3. The Dutch do like their deals, can’t argue with that as I enjoy them very much myself. But it’s often with the purpose of saving money for big purchases like houses or holidays. Most people (I know) even keep some money on a ‘savings account’ for healthcare, if they’ll ever need it. Better to have it and be able to pay for it directly than worrying about getting the money while you aren’t well.
I'm a little bit surprised how equal Dutch is to Danes. From the directness to tell your boss no and have a say in decisions at work and all speaking English.
“Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg” (Just act normal, and you’re already acting crazy enough)! This saying can influence how compliments are given and received. In our country, it is often considered immodest or boastful to place excessive emphasis on individual achievements or appearances when expressing appreciation. For this reason, compliments in the Netherlands tend to be more subtle and modest compared to those in some other cultures.
One day I was grocery shopping. The employee took the milk cans from the pallet and handed them to his employer. The employer did put them in the cooling. My son is working at a market stall selling fruits. I explained to him that he can say to his chef that this or that fruit needs to be replenished and ask his chet to do that. His chef will like the fact that he has noticed the shortage and asked him to replenish
Quite possible you recognized Utrecht. I believe those lower cafes next to the water is Utrecht. And the guy's were right there is some hierarchy but no way like in the states at work. Its great to see you understand more about our small country,😂 after your visit.
Being open en honoust towards your employeer is encouraged. Everybody benefits of It. And It is very liberating I think, It sets you at ease and make you feel inclusief and appreciaties wich has a lot of benefits for the employer as well offcourse.
Yup, that is your culture. 🙂 I am Dutch and your very first sentence in this video struck me right away as a stereotypical, pointless question: "What's going on guys?" A Dutchman would never start with such an automatism, because the person asking the question does not expect (and cannot get) an answer when he is talking to the camera. The camera cannot talk back. (see notes below) You can consider my comment in several ways: 1. Trolling, with the intention of annoying you, (which makes me a jerk), 2. A typical (direct) Dutch comment that makes me seem rude, 3. Well-intentioned advice to make you more aware that you are using clichés, 4. Consider it an encouragement to express yourself in a more authentic, more personal way. By the way, Dutch people also express themselves using clichés and wrong choices of words. The last time I commented on a weird combination of words was when someone called the desert ‘awfully delicious’. If you comment on it with a smile, you can both laugh about it. The comment is taken as well-meaning advice. At least, here in The Netherlands and among friends and colleagues. That's also how I meant my response to your first sentence: as well-meaning advice and to make you aware that such a greeting is a weird cliché. 😉
@@Draregkoeliekalie Wie dat zijn weet ik niet, maar als ik het ze zou zien doen zou ik er ook wat van zeggen. Misschien ben ik een taalpurist geworden. Ik houd ervan als mensen eerst nadenken over wat ze willen zeggen en hoe ze dat dan zeggen.
well i've worked in several multinationals and everywhere (based on what i experienced) was encouraged to challenge what your boss have said or mentioned if you felt that something was missing and the data given was incorrect. is encouraged to speak up. of course, everything should be handled politely and respectfully.
A direct comnication style does not sessisarily mean you can say everything in every way. If you do not agree, you say you don't, but you do not say the other person is stupid. It also depends on what you are used to. I live in a smaller town, where the 'direct' way they comunicate in the cities is seen as rude too, as is the American overuse of superlatives and please. Also the American influence lead to a very anoying comunication stile on universities where they have a very complicated 'nice' way to say you are stupid, worthless and evil because you have slightly different opinions. I personally find it more insulting, because they say which is pointed at you as a person instead of what you think, but they say it in a way you can't defend youself.
I work with quite a few Americans, and it's always so funny when we have like team meetings or seminars and the Dutch are front, center, being critical and asking the questions that need to be asked, even if it might hurt the ego of the leader/teacher and they are just sitting there jaws on the floor, absolutely still cultureshocked, even a few years in XD You can tell them "No, just tell them when something doesn't work for you" and they're "I could never, I'll get fired!" "No you won't..." "YES I WILL!" "If they try to do that, come to me. I'll make sure they'll change their mind." "How can you do that? They will fire you too!" "Laws my dear. They may try, but they will pay dearly." I can get into the entire "HEEEY!" hugs culture, I don't necessarily mind that friendly part, but I do call people out when they ask "How are you doing" and then instantly direct their attention to their phone. Just don't be ingeniune, that's a bad move with any Dutchy, and also one of my personal major petpeeves with Americans.
I grew up in Canada, but live in the Netherlands, and constantly think that there really is a middle ground with directness, at least I personally strive for it... to be direct in a diplomatic way. It still freaks out people from indirect cultures (such as even the Belgians, not just the Asians, as stated here), but at least I say what's on my mind, but try to do so in a polite way.
Being a bit stingy doesn't mean we don't spend it we just don't wanna overspend and wanna have a good deal. But i agree with you sometimes we go over the top and just don't do things while we can still afford it. Wich isn't a problem if it doesn't really improve the quality of your life but it is if you misout on nice experiences. For me i'm trying to be not to dutch about it but its ingrained in you if youre dutch. Also we do like quality in things that you use for a long period of time and it costs so getting that deal there makes perfect sence. But paying a fair (but a expensive) price for quality is not uncommon.
In '94 and '95 . I had 2 years Jamborie in Zeewolde. 2x 21 days of hobby and holiday. €275,- for 21 days. And spent in '94 €4000,- extra and '95 €5000,- extra. In 21 days. Whit 3x foods a day for €275,-. Terras and bars, Jachtclub, for a every day clean! Whit 60+ people on Terras. And then there was 1 bil? And every now paying in chass. Thats my food and drinks. This '94. Greetings from Bunschoten-Spakenburg the Netherlands.
I had a coworker (designer) that went to work in Chicago.. he made people in his team cry with his direct feedback XD It's totally true though.. you can be really honest with your boss, especially if you're a specialist in your field. In the end though, that doesn't mean you can just do what you want. It's ok to have an honest discussion about something, it's less ok to just agree to disagree and then do it your way anyways.
You can be direct and not rude. There are many ways to say something directly, and still be nice about it! That's my direct Dutch way anyway 🙂 Also I usually eat a warm lunch, but I also like my hagelslag sandwich 😃
Going Dutch is a thing, but usually it just means splitting the bill in equal parts, not ´just paying for what you had´. Or one person paying the 100 euro and sending a Tikkie for 25 Euro to the other 3 friends.
There is nothing wrong with interaction between workers and their manager. A manager is also a human being who can make mistakes. In the end the manager always has the last word… even in the Dutch army a soldier can ‘communicate’ with his sergeant/lieutenant…. But only in case there is an opportunity to do so if you know what I mean 🤣😜😆
If you ever come back to my great country, you should visit my city, Schiedam. Also, canals but we have the biggest windmills in the world, and it is called the jenever stad. I love your videos.
The example of directness always reminds me of this video where someone asked an opinion on an outfit.. and the Dutch person said 'It's not your best' and the American showed that as being so rude XD Like, that's being nice, just telling you you have better outfits that look better on you
I’ am Dutch and I can be really direct and give you my opinion, good or bad. If it’s something bad it will shock you and maybe even make you angry. But on the other hand if it’s something good, like a compliment, you will appreciate my compliment even more, because if I did’nt mean it I wouldn’t say it!
Yes, you can talk to your boss if something is wrong, people on the workplace have years of experience, so they know a lot of what will work or not, and the boss will listen to the complains, he can also learn from that.
You can be direct without being rude. And it depends if there's a way of leveling in the way that you understand eachother then you can be direct in your opinion about the topic that is at hand, or be direct as in comments on the behaviour of a person. Being direct as in a comment on the person's hair colour, skin colour, clothings, or looks in general that can be seen as offensive, rude and anti-social.
What is there to comment on someone's skin colour? Maybe someone could do with a tan but commenting on how people are born is rude in the Netherlands anyway, has little to do with directness.
@@DenUitvreter Well, I know of someone greeting a Somali refugee who was pitch black, not brown, but black. She was shocked and said: Wow, you are really black! So, yeah it happens, commenting on the skin color. And no it was not racism, just shocked by a first time seeing really black skin color. It was direct, not rude.
Nope, I regularly get those comments and also give those comments. I never had any negative feedback, nor did I give any negative feedback. It is normal to do that, at least in the west of the country and I guess in the north as well.
In the Netherlands you won't find a lot of boasting about how expensive something was. Same goes for grades at school. If you pass, you pass, no matter if it's a perfect score or if you barely got it. So they won't care about putting more effort into something than absolutely necessary. The supposed "studenten voldoende". (Of course this doesn't apply to all Dutch people, but it sure applies to me). Bread and cheese is fine, but you can put anything on bread if you want. Meat. Chocolate. Punctuality is also quite important. I once had an internship with a girl from Romania and for her it's common to arrive 15 minutes late (or so she said). So she would arrive 15 minutes late every single day. It wasn't a habit she needed to change, because the boss wouldn't come in until an hour later and I didn't feel like ratting her out because she was so much nicer than the boss haha.
The Nordics are our brothers and sister, but the Dutch are our soulmates: The Danish queen had one of her "galla do's" . The minister of environment showed up in a fabulous green dress, the fotographers went crazy. When a jounalist asked about the dress, the minister answered: I don't know. I bourght it second hand - will you believe it? - I only paid 100 euroes for it 😍 We don't call that cheap - we call it fåking brilliant 🤣🤣 Peace and love
On the spending money issue: I think it detracts from the fun when I have to worry if the others think I'm not contributing enough, or too much (basically boasting). I'd much rather get the payment details out of the way so I can have fun and not worry. For example: 1 person pays everything, keeps all receipts and we handle it after the fact. Or if it's some kind of "per person" thing like tickets, everyone just buys their own.
Being late a couple of minutes isn't the problem , we do that too, but showing up an hour late and without notification that you are going to be late is ( certainly to me) un acceptable. When underway and traffic stops or trains delay , busses don'n run... OKAY BUT let us know what is going on, for all we know you could lay in a ditch with a broken scull , robbed and all.
Not being able to talk freely to your boss puts a brake on innovation. Very often the best ideas emerge from the workfloor, while management has no clue.
Hello, I'm from the Netherlands living in the city Eindhoven. This is the city where Philips is and invented the CDg/player. Did you know that we are the invented "capitalism" and also the "Stock market" And Eindhoven is called the Second Silicon valley most intelligent city in the world . I thought maybe you would like to know this. If not.. than excuse me I meant it to be good . Thanks for the video.
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I am Italian and shared a student home with Dutch, Belgians, French, Germans, Spanish,… My first impression was, the Dutch are rude, the Belgians are sweet and a bit shy, the Germans are silent, the French are arrogant, the Spanish are loud 😅
After a week when we got to know each other, I still found the Dutch very direct but in a funny way. Like one day I got up and Ruben asked me, do you feel okay Gianni, you look like you barely survived a world war. 😅 In Dutch norms that’s being nice and worried 😅😅 The Belgians were the peace keepers, impossible to get them mad or angry, they avoid fights, loved their crazy dark humour and some of them had the Dutch directness. French are actually not arrogant, it’s their way of expressing themselves, like Dutch aren’t rude, they are just very straightforward. As for the Germans I can understand why people say they come across as cold at first, they don’t say much and Sven made me feel in court for the first week 😅, but those guys were so amazing, Spanish are loud but so are we, Italians. 😂 I love all our crazy Europeans. We are different but put us together and it’s so much fun. 😅😅
We love our Belgian brothers. We make fun of them but it's because we love them.
So true, I live in a small town in BE. Lot's of Europeans migrated here to work in the coal mines. So did my Greek grandparents. So I grew up with a lot of different cultures, but still the same European values. A free open social society. My best friend is from Napoli. In one street, you can find people from Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Poland, Italy.. Most are born in BE. Like me. Recent years you'll find more people from further away. Africa, Syria, Afghanistan.. Europe awaits many challenges and changes. And I hope we can keep our core values. A free open social society in peace.
@@vanesOnYT I love Belgium, visited it twice with my parents and been 2 times to Tomorrowland, last year and this year. We spent 10 days visiting Belgium and it was amazing. Met a lot of Italians and Greeks that live there.
@@gertvanderstraaten6352 It’s also because they don’t take themselves seriously. They joke about themselves. I love that mentality.
We dutchies have tried to make out Belgian neighbors angry for ages. We'll get back to you when we succeed. 😂 they're good fun.
I'm from Belgium right at the border 15' car drive and I love the Dutch. Cheap on the daily necessities but they splurge on living life. Wine, dine and enjoy. One of the countries where people are most content. No BS approach is one of the reasons. Honesty solves issues. Very kind and loving people in general.
I live about 15 km from the border with Belgium. Great food, great beers. The people are nice but they’re a bit more shy in making contact. The infrastructure can be really bad here and there.
What I hate about Belgium in the region close the the dutch border is that every main road is full of houses; ribbon development. I want to see the landscape.
Dank u , Thank you
We're so happy to have you as our neighbors, lovely people, the food and the drinks are fantastic, and even your cities and your nature are beautiful, so thank you for being our neighbors!
I'm also about 15 minutes into Belgium and can go shopping/partying in NL (Maastricht) or Germany (Aachen). Very pleased to be out of the UK. :) I also have great landscape views!!
@@antiqueinsider MM, Limburg present :)
My employer once told me, "That's not how you do it!" I responded, "If you think you can do it better, you should try it yourself." He did try and then said, "Okay, I get it. Do what you have to do." Later at lunch, he admitted, "It looks so simple when you do it, even though it's not the way we thought it should be done. Keep it up!"
@@richardhltrp1791
Top. Management nowadays is learned and it is not knowledge from the workplace.
So I think you have a fine collegae on this man now.
I'm more offended by beating around the bush when I ask you a direct question than an answer I don't like. Honesty over politeness, saves everyone time and heartache.
Totally agree
Why not combine the 2 . I do it every day , and hate rudeness not honesty . There is a big , big difference.
@@iwanbottos5128 Trying to anticipate the answer someone wants to hear is just annoying though. With me, if you ask a question you'll get a straight answer every time. If you're fishing for compliments I will not play along. That just leads to getting it wrong eventually and hurting someone.
What I find rude is when someone comments on something negatively without being asked.
Our Dutch workplace culture is characterized by a flatter hierarchy. We encourage open communication and value direct feedback. During job interviews, we often discuss the importance of identifying challenges and providing constructive criticism. While directness is appreciated, it's essential to maintain respect and avoid rudeness. Punctuality is also a hallmark of our society.
Also, about the talking to our boss-thing: I think it is even expected. Most places I've worked there was a very flat hierarchy and bosses often mingled and talked with and worked with employees. Providing honest feedback is considered a sign of dedication to the company I think.
Bosses like the wealth and income inequality, but outside money we like everybody to be equal, just 'one of the guys'. It is efficient, and hurt egos and feelings shouldn't get in the way of profit. You are expected to take criticism because you are valued anyway and you can improve or the product has to improve.
Even better is to intercept him/her randomly and then start to complain about certain things that are not going right (within his realm of authority). That's dedication and is mostly highly appreciated in my experience. Even better, bosses therafter often came to me to chat after working hours at my office. It also provided me with some career opportunities (which I did not take, by the way, I am content as it is).
I served in the Dutch navy and they learned me to obey orders, and not to if it was to dangerous.
My job was to sweep mines at see ( and yes they are still there ). But when it was to dangerous for me and mine crew and the sergeant mayor didn't listen,i just went tho my commander with another idea. Only one time they said
whe going tho bring tho court-martial i said ok its your pension.They listened to me.
I'm not saying i now everything better but I new my job with the risks.
P.S. I had also very good commanders and segeant mayors!!
the first thing you said at the end was good. that you were walking the streets . then you tried to improve yourself by saying you were walking the canals. but i cant walk on water so i walk on the street or along the canal
I‘m a German. I always expect that my staff say blunt and directly what‘s going on, what they think about work is organized. Save‘s time, everyone feels better. If something is going wrong you can intervene and change it at once
True about it being efficient. Funny that you, as German, also want that, while we (Dutchies) have sentiment that Germans are pretty hierarchic and stricter in standings and status.
That's one of the things I like about the Germans, you're pretty much as direct as us Dutchies are.
Northern Germans and Dutch are the same in that respect. But I think in Germany there is a bit more formalism and hierarchy. An even slightly autocratic boss, is really gone soon in the Netherlands, especially if his staff is higher educated.
Actually we are very simular 😊
Gr. from Frisia (NL)
@@tom.jacobsnetherlands is at the point that it is more rigid than the reich
My (English) son has lived in Amsterdam for around 15 years and loves it. He wouldn’t leave.
I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for your amazing videos! I’ve really been enjoying watching your reactions to typical Dutch things and our culture. It’s so much fun to see my own country through your eyes, especially since you recently visited the Netherlands.
In your video, you mentioned how some Dutch people see Americans as “fake,” but I wanted to share my perspective on that. I spent a year in Nebraska as an exchange student, and despite being in a very conservative area, I never found Americans to be fake at all. My host family, teachers, and classmates were incredibly warm and open, and I felt welcomed with genuine kindness. It was a great experience that left me with a lot of positive memories. There were things I missed from home while I was in the U.S., but when I came back to the Netherlands, I found myself missing a lot about America too!
Thanks again for sharing your experiences and for all the fun content.
When I lived in Netherlands I met an American who was put in charge of a Dutch factory. He was grumbling that the employees regularly disagreed with him and would not do what he asked: "You didn't do what I asked!" - "No, because we didn't agree!". It is in Dutch culture to have the right to an opinion, and employees expect to be persuaded of a course of action, not just ordered to do something. It means managers have to have good reasons behind their decisions, and allows for other opinions to be be considered. Not exactly "democratic", but certainly respectful of employees as experienced and valuable members of a team.
Very well said!
The directness...... If someone has a bad haircut I'll ignore it but when they ask my opinion they get it.
And while most Americans say they like directness I found out the hard way that their conception of directness is apparently different from ours and they really don't appreciate it.
For real
being direct, doesnt imply being rude or blunt. you can pretty much be direct but at the same time respectful
The money thing. YEah, we dont do a lot on credit. But the Americans love credit cards and leases. They take out a loan for a car, max out a few credit cards.
The dutch take a loan/mortage for a house and thats it. You save for a car, or lease it trough work. Private lease is not big here.
Dont spend money you dont have
If you buy a car brand new and keep it for 2 years it loses so much money then you have the hassle of trying to sell it etc. Much better lease the car for 2 years then hand it back and get a new one. Easy and cheaper
@@markylon we like to own. Not to loan. Diffrent mindset.
If i need a new car, the dealer buys my old one and discount that amount on the new car. But i dont buy new cars, only second hand
@@sannejong715 if you work out how much you pay and how much you sell and service costs, leasing can be cheaper and technically no different.
@@markylon nah we buy secondhand so the previous owner gets all the depreciation cost, and we can do whatever the hell we want with the car cause we own it. leasing is fine if thats your thing, but selling your already secondhand car with little to no loss, makes it really easy to upgrade every few years. you usually start off with a pos €500,- suzuki swift here anyway. as we say in the netherlands: "op een ouwe fiets moet je het leren" basically meaning "its better to learn how to ride an old bike first"
I was told: don't buy it if you can't buy it twice. Obviously, for things like houses that won't work, but not a bad rule to live by.
One of life's real pleasures is sitting in the sunshine by a bar alongside a canal in Utrecht or Amsterdam and just watching the world go by !!
some 20 years ago I was in Las Vegas with a colleague and went into the elevator of our hotel where the elevator-guy (do you call it that?) asked us very politely 'Hellooo, how aaarr you? Had a nice day?' to which I only answered 'yes thank you'. But my colleague actually started telling our whole day, like, he really thought elevator-guy was that interested :'). I've never seen an elevator-guy so confused.
I have similar experiences. And I also made that mistake. Another mistake was that I did not tip the waitress of the breakfast room in the hotel. She even brought me orange juice the second day without asking after I ordered it the first day. That's dedication, not fake. And I still feel guilty about it now I know about the tipping culture. Forgot to say that it was a huge hotel. She had many, many guests to attend to.
@@ronaldderooij1774 Did that too and got schooled for it by the waiter. Apologize politely , left a big tip afterwards and swore never to go back there again.
Joel, you're always more than welcome to pay 'us' another visit. 🧡 Je bent welkom!
The Dutch are frugal with their money but with a goal in mind and most achieve their goal, which can be a small goal such as a holiday, but most also achieve that big goal of having a house paid off!
its true , Germans are our friendly neighbors and cousins , but we are different which includes our lagauge .
friendly??
This post just reinforces what I saw in your Patreon vlogs, how the Dutch way of life and their attitudes really hit home with you, this is us, we are who we are, take it or leave it, no hate. Your reaction to this reaction shows how many of your memories from that visit it brought back.
Another stereotype that isn't correct: thinking that cities in the north are representative of the entire Dutch people. Both Amsterdam and Utrecht are cities that are, as we call it, "above the rivers". There tend to be quite a lot of cultural and mentality differences between the north and south. It's as if you say that New Yorkers are a good indication of how Texans are.
In Dutch we have an expression Amerikaans feestje - American party, which means bring your own drinks.
About the boss thing, our bosses appreciate you more when you tell the truth about what you think then be a yes sayer and agree with everything the boss says even when you don't agree with him/her.
The Dutch in general isn't materialistic and brag about it. We buy stuff for our self and not to show off.
In the US it's buy to show off to other people and brag about it, 'look how well I am doing'. To the Dutch and many other countries it comes of as arrogant.
Its an art to be direct and still not offend.
naah it's just Dutch
With karin and kenny's as popular names breathing could be experienced as offended
The Dutch also have people named Karen. Popular name
Not offending isn't hard. Not having someone take offense is impossible. So we gave up on that.
@@DT-wp4hk haha, Yeah i know. Iam Dutch
A wise man said: Dutch people grow vertical and American grow horizontal 😄
Their directness can come across as really rude to us terribly polite Brits, who are anything but direct. Years ago, I worked on a rig in the North Sea with a mostly Dutch crew, and as a Brit who finds politeness and consideration of peoples feelings important, I left the rig quite traumatized!
Directness is not rude it is honnest and efficiënt ❤
We're definitely on the opposite ends of the spectrum.
I hope you've recovered from that traumatizing experience. 😉
I bet xD That kind of job attracts like a super concentrated form of Dutch directness. 😂
People working on oil rigs are super, super direct. Dutch directness squared! Don't take it personally. When all is said and done, the sheet is clean again (mostly).
Ohh for sure on the job with many Dutchmen would make you feel like you're in the army or something. 1 good thing is that discussion can wait for after work if something goes wrong. The focus is on solving the problem first and finishing the job. Emotions are for after work.
Hi JPS, a good example is this. I'm from ireland lived there for 20 plus years. Lets say a normal birthday party. In other countries, you'd probably invite a few people that you don't really get on with in life. In the Netherlands, that usually would not happen. Reason being, not really my friend, so I didn't invite him.....
Ireland- You would invite the guy down the road, even you never really get on with him...ever!!. You might get outside pressure [family member] saying, your inviting his sister but not him ?? In the Netherlands, they usually would not bother at all inviting the person
When an American asks something personal, they seek validation. Not honestly. 😂
We say: what you don't spend, you don't have to earn. (Keeping more time and money for fun)
Be cheap when you can, so you can spend big when you need to
About talking back to your boss, you can say you think it's a stupid idea (often are even expected to give feedback) but at the end of the day- the boss still decides.
True, but not after he has heard everybody at a meeting who's got something to say about this subject. So if the consensus amongst the personnel (so without the boss) is for example "going up", but the boss wants for example to "go down", he will have to convince every crew member that, that's the best way to go. If the boss is not able to convince everybody, then "going down" is not going to happen. In the end, the boss needs sufficient support from all the personnel for his ideas. Companies in the Netherlands are not run autocratically.
The average Dutch does NOT smoke "weed", that is for tourists. We are NOT rude...we are HONEST...Big difference! people in the west of the country are direct, in the east...not really, we do not speak. We think a lot though..
in the east they're real at least...
Great Vid! Going deeper on the difference in cultures is very interesting. The things we used to take for granted are compared against your culture. Very interesting and entertaining. Good job!
This was a fun video - thanks for sharing! (BTW, David Wen's channel is great for letting Americans know about Dutch life and culture.) As an American living in The Netherlands I can confirm what these folks said about life here, and Dutch attitudes about themselves and their country. Life here is calmer, more secure, and in many MANY ways better than life in the US (at least the part of the US I come from - America is so huge compared to here, I don't think it's possible to compare straight across.)
I’m glad you fell in love with our country. You are always welcome to stay with us.
yes we are always looking for a bargain, and yes we prefer not to spend too much.
Typical Dutch indeed, but research shows that we as a country give the most to charities.
For example the Tsunami of 2004 there the Dutch donated €208 million euros. that is quite a lot for a population of 17 million people.
So we are frugal, but certainly not stingy.
Love it, that you like your visit to the Netherlands.
Good to see that you have taken some dutch home when it comes to our personality haha. Don't be a stranger and Come visit again ❤️💪🇳🇱
Glad to hear you enjoyed it here mate!
Glad to hear you are in your final year at College (University), I also am in my final year (majoring in Criminology). I have been offered a chance to do an Honors degree next year but will opt to a Masters (Cyber Security) instead. Good luck with your studies, Joel. Love the content on this and the other channel. All the best.
The big difference between relations between bosses and employees is that in the Netherlands you can't be fired easely, there is always a judge involved
I find it fascinating how the Dutch have evolved more height in anticipation of rising sea levels
Hahaaa!
I’m Dutch and Dutch also ask ‘how are you’ just to be nice. It can be a good thing to give a positieve vibe to start a conversation👍🏾
Hi, Joel! Well, the Dutch are very similar to us Germans. But I think sometimes they are a bit more casual!!! They have another history. Also geografic playes a roll!
You look so happy. I am happy for you for your beautiful experiences and memories. 😊✌
Hahha so true. Dutch people will tell you straight up you look bad🤣 I walked into work and first thing I hear: “are you OK? You look horrible today” I wasn’t even offended 🤣🤣 I did sleep bad that night
Hi Karin here from the Netherlands, I love to watch your video’s and I’m glad but also proud that you loved the Netherlands! Each year we travel to the USA for 4 weeks for holiday and we love your country a lot! We love the nature, the diversity of it and the people. sometimes when we are in USA you feel if someone is real interested in you or they are just being polite and when we answer the question “how are you?” With: “good and how are you?” (And we mean it; we are realy interested) people mostly react surprised but most time I can feel that they like the question and that maybe they feel that I’m really interested and often we have a nice and long conversation after that and we always find out that the Americans are very open; we love it!
At work I can always speak out what I think and feel, but I’ll do that polite. My mother told me; if you be polite you can always say what you feel and think and otherwise people can act to me that way as well, but do it respectful. I’m direct, but I’m not rude and you cannot always tell what you think if it doesn’t hurt other people (only if people ask me about what I think, than I’ll be honest but I’ll take the other person into account). I hope you will be able to visit the Netherlands again and would go to the countryside as well, because that is really different. Keep up the good work with your video’s on you tube: love them!
Talking straight with my boss and give an honest opinion about work-related issues is essential in our company (north germany). In the end it is his decision but we say if we dont like something or think it is not the right step. Of course he expects solutions as well. Not just critic.
You learnd so mutch from us !! Thank you for visiting the Netherlands. Next timt i show u around were i live south west near the haag het westland were al the greenhouses r Rob
My gf is british and i've experienced being too direct with her a few times. I'm not even particularly direct for a Dutchman. I've also fallen prey to the "how are you?" i was starting my reply and they had already moved on to someone else.
and foreneirs might call us direct or rude , but that's not true . we just dont beat around the bush . we are open on what we mean when we speak and dont like or preffer misdirection or deception , and what we say often has meaning and we pride our self in it . therefor we just say what needs to be said as clear as we can . so there are never misunderstandings , as misunderstandings leads to conflict , and conflict is bad for business as conflict destabilizes all markets which leads to losses for all . and no one likes to be losing .
Your videos of your visit to the Netherlands were fun to watch, thanks for being so interested and respectful. Did you have time to visit anything outside the bigger cities? Any nature, the islands, the Afsluitdijk or even those horribly touristic (but secretly pretty cool) windmills? Cool to finally see someone go outside of Amsterdam, but Haarlem and Utrecht don't really paint a picture of the rest of the country. I so wish that would get more attention from foreigners.
About the money, we say : " A dutchman can buy from a jew , sell to a scotsman and still make a profit" 😂, but jokes aside, we do like our neighbors , from Flanders🇧🇪 🤘❤️🇳🇱
I'm going to borrow that saying , cheers 😀
@@Maverick21491 I wouldn't. Have you not realised that it is an anti-Semitic stereotype?
"Jew" is not a nationality.
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Triggered by that? You sure the internet is the right place for you?
@@Michael_from_EU_Germany Its a stereotype no different than the one being made about the scotsman or about us Dutch being stingy , and in my view not anti semetic . Its just a stereotype , a joke .
And I'm both sad and amazed how our society has changed , with everybody feeling the need to be offended and butthurt all the time .
Life is too short , lighten up , have a laugh and stop being offended all the time and STOP putting every obvious joke under a magnifying glass and condemn them .
And why do you only point at the jew in this joke as being anti semetic , but not at the scotsmen being frugile being offensive to them ?
I call that hypocracy ?
I can see that as a German it might look different to you , but know that my grandad was a Dutch resistance fighter during WOII and even hid jews in his own house at great risk to him and his family , I wouldnt be here if he had been caught ! And I am very very proud of him and what he did to help his fellow human.
Don't worry my friend, a lot of Dutch people also eat (mostly slices of) meat on their bread. It don't have to be cheese, peanutbutter or hagelslag (chocolate springles) perse. But yes, mostly a Dutch sandwich also has butter on the bread, to make it taste less dry (it really can make a big difference, specially when eating on the way)
On talking with your boss on equal footing. It's interesting how the Japanese have a "loud blunt American" role in big companies to say the things that need to be said.
Sounds like you all need a loud blunt Dutchman. In my Dutch opinion, founded complaints lead to innovation.
I am a retired manager in the Netherlands and my approach to team members has always been: If I have to tell you how to do your job, then one of us has the wrong job :)
Yes the mentality suits me i'm much the same, i am a Brit so can be less direct if needed lifes so much easier here because of the way they are glad i'm living here.
We also have a saying 'Goedkoop is duurkoop'.
Buying cheap is mostly buying crap.
I'm smiling, I'm Dutch. I live in the north near Groningen. In the Netherlands we have our issues as well but at this point still a proud Dutch woman 😂
Can confirm for like 90% or more of the jobs in the Netherlands that the boss wants your input, its well accepted that the employees know better how a company and/or project should run, the only places where this doesn't happen much is in really really big companies (often the international ones that just have an office here) or really really basic jobs, everything in between the boss is very open for you to tell him the current project is bs and you have a better idea for the company or client.
I'm retired now, but I used to run a software company with clients all over the world. I found the Dutch the most pleasant to work with. They were competent and said exactly what they thought rather than beating around the bush.
I think the Dutch directness comes from our history as a trading nation, where clear and honest communication was important for making quick business deals. On top of that, our relatively egalitarian society and the influence of Calvinist values, like simplicity and honesty, played a role.
Hello, I'm glad you enjoyed it here but just a little note there is so much more in the Netherlands then Amsterdam, Amsterdam is still seen as the city with the canals and weed shops that is it when you say Amsterdam but there is so much more to see in the netherlands when you ever come over again please visit some other cities in the Netherlands like Maastricht, Groningen, Almere. so much to see in this beautiful country
Greetings
It's a bit unfair since Joel made an effort to see Utrecht and Haarlem on his quite short trip!
It was'nt critizism i justwanted him to know that there are a lot of other places i did'nt want him to go there just make the attention for him that when he ever is ccoming bach to the Netherlands i hope that he will visit other places i do understand that travelling takes a lot of time and there is not always the time to see everything it was just a suggestion nothing more
1. Dutch = Deutsch = German ...
2. 'Act normal' or 'Thats enough' also exist as sayings in Germany ('Verhalte dich normal' or even 'Verhalte dich unauffaellig' (low profile)). 'Thats enough' = 'Das ist genug' or 'Das sollte reichen' or 'nicht gleich uebertreiben!' etc. ...
Ohh, as a Dutchie I love to watch people react to our culture.
I have a few things to add myself:
1. This might be my personal opinion but I don’t think the Americans are ‘fake’ there are plenty that are very nice, but mostly to people they are close to or personally know. In stores, it’s more out of politeness, but comes over as fake. And the customers know this as you mentioned.
2. Not sure if it’s the case in all cities, but in the small one I live in, we have a special lane in grocery stores that we refer to as the ‘talk lane’. It’s a lane specially catered to those wanting a longer talk with the cashier (and they often enjoy it too). While those in a hurry can choose another. No fake politeness needed.
3. The Dutch do like their deals, can’t argue with that as I enjoy them very much myself.
But it’s often with the purpose of saving money for big purchases like houses or holidays. Most people (I know) even keep some money on a ‘savings account’ for healthcare, if they’ll ever need it. Better to have it and be able to pay for it directly than worrying about getting the money while you aren’t well.
I'm a little bit surprised how equal Dutch is to Danes. From the directness to tell your boss no and have a say in decisions at work and all speaking English.
Yes, you were indeed on the same bridge in Utrecht. Well spotted!
“Doe maar normaal, dan doe je al gek genoeg” (Just act normal, and you’re already acting crazy enough)! This saying can influence how compliments are given and received.
In our country, it is often considered immodest or boastful to place excessive emphasis on individual achievements or appearances when expressing appreciation.
For this reason, compliments in the Netherlands tend to be more subtle and modest compared to those in some other cultures.
One day I was grocery shopping. The employee took the milk cans from the pallet and handed them to his employer. The employer did put them in the cooling.
My son is working at a market stall selling fruits. I explained to him that he can say to his chef that this or that fruit needs to be replenished and ask his chet to do that. His chef will like the fact that he has noticed the shortage and asked him to replenish
Quite possible you recognized Utrecht. I believe those lower cafes next to the water is Utrecht. And the guy's were right there is some hierarchy but no way like in the states at work. Its great to see you understand more about our small country,😂 after your visit.
Being open en honoust towards your employeer is encouraged. Everybody benefits of It. And It is very liberating I think, It sets you at ease and make you feel inclusief and appreciaties wich has a lot of benefits for the employer as well offcourse.
In the EU there's a group of countries called frugal 4. One of them is the Netherlands. If England was in the EU it would be a frugal 5
We - Dutch - do NOT say 'bro'. Just sharing.
dan woon je vast ergens waar iedereen boven de 30 is
The youth does...
Yup, that is your culture. 🙂 I am Dutch and your very first sentence in this video struck me right away as a stereotypical, pointless question: "What's going on guys?"
A Dutchman would never start with such an automatism, because the person asking the question does not expect (and cannot get) an answer when he is talking to the camera. The camera cannot talk back. (see notes below)
You can consider my comment in several ways:
1. Trolling, with the intention of annoying you, (which makes me a jerk),
2. A typical (direct) Dutch comment that makes me seem rude,
3. Well-intentioned advice to make you more aware that you are using clichés,
4. Consider it an encouragement to express yourself in a more authentic, more personal way.
By the way, Dutch people also express themselves using clichés and wrong choices of words. The last time I commented on a weird combination of words was when someone called the desert ‘awfully delicious’. If you comment on it with a smile, you can both laugh about it. The comment is taken as well-meaning advice. At least, here in The Netherlands and among friends and colleagues. That's also how I meant my response to your first sentence: as well-meaning advice and to make you aware that such a greeting is a weird cliché. 😉
The opening is just the way 99% of the TH-camrs start their videos. Also dutch youtubers.
@@Draregkoeliekalie De macht van de getallen is nooit een reden om recht te praten wat krom is.
@@Tardis216 ik praat het niet recht, maar zeg alleen dat ik ook veel NL youtubers het zie doen.
@@Draregkoeliekalie Wie dat zijn weet ik niet, maar als ik het ze zou zien doen zou ik er ook wat van zeggen. Misschien ben ik een taalpurist geworden. Ik houd ervan als mensen eerst nadenken over wat ze willen zeggen en hoe ze dat dan zeggen.
Hey, hoe gaat 'ie?
well i've worked in several multinationals and everywhere (based on what i experienced) was encouraged to challenge what your boss have said or mentioned if you felt that something was missing and the data given was incorrect. is encouraged to speak up. of course, everything should be handled politely and respectfully.
A direct comnication style does not sessisarily mean you can say everything in every way. If you do not agree, you say you don't, but you do not say the other person is stupid.
It also depends on what you are used to. I live in a smaller town, where the 'direct' way they comunicate in the cities is seen as rude too, as is the American overuse of superlatives and please.
Also the American influence lead to a very anoying comunication stile on universities where they have a very complicated 'nice' way to say you are stupid, worthless and evil because you have slightly different opinions. I personally find it more insulting, because they say which is pointed at you as a person instead of what you think, but they say it in a way you can't defend youself.
I work with quite a few Americans, and it's always so funny when we have like team meetings or seminars and the Dutch are front, center, being critical and asking the questions that need to be asked, even if it might hurt the ego of the leader/teacher and they are just sitting there jaws on the floor, absolutely still cultureshocked, even a few years in XD You can tell them "No, just tell them when something doesn't work for you" and they're "I could never, I'll get fired!" "No you won't..." "YES I WILL!" "If they try to do that, come to me. I'll make sure they'll change their mind." "How can you do that? They will fire you too!" "Laws my dear. They may try, but they will pay dearly." I can get into the entire "HEEEY!" hugs culture, I don't necessarily mind that friendly part, but I do call people out when they ask "How are you doing" and then instantly direct their attention to their phone. Just don't be ingeniune, that's a bad move with any Dutchy, and also one of my personal major petpeeves with Americans.
I grew up in Canada, but live in the Netherlands, and constantly think that there really is a middle ground with directness, at least I personally strive for it... to be direct in a diplomatic way. It still freaks out people from indirect cultures (such as even the Belgians, not just the Asians, as stated here), but at least I say what's on my mind, but try to do so in a polite way.
Being a bit stingy doesn't mean we don't spend it we just don't wanna overspend and wanna have a good deal. But i agree with you sometimes we go over the top and just don't do things while we can still afford it. Wich isn't a problem if it doesn't really improve the quality of your life but it is if you misout on nice experiences. For me i'm trying to be not to dutch about it but its ingrained in you if youre dutch.
Also we do like quality in things that you use for a long period of time and it costs so getting that deal there makes perfect sence. But paying a fair (but a expensive) price for quality is not uncommon.
In '94 and '95 . I had 2 years Jamborie in Zeewolde. 2x 21 days of hobby and holiday. €275,- for 21 days. And spent in '94 €4000,- extra and '95 €5000,- extra. In 21 days. Whit 3x foods a day for €275,-. Terras and bars, Jachtclub, for a every day clean!
Whit 60+ people on Terras. And then there was 1 bil? And every now paying in chass. Thats my food and drinks. This '94.
Greetings from Bunschoten-Spakenburg the Netherlands.
Great video ❤
I had a coworker (designer) that went to work in Chicago.. he made people in his team cry with his direct feedback XD
It's totally true though.. you can be really honest with your boss, especially if you're a specialist in your field. In the end though, that doesn't mean you can just do what you want. It's ok to have an honest discussion about something, it's less ok to just agree to disagree and then do it your way anyways.
You can be direct and not rude. There are many ways to say something directly, and still be nice about it! That's my direct Dutch way anyway 🙂
Also I usually eat a warm lunch, but I also like my hagelslag sandwich 😃
That's the reason why we developed more, becouse every opinion is based on a expertise so it should consider a option
Going Dutch is a thing, but usually it just means splitting the bill in equal parts, not ´just paying for what you had´. Or one person paying the 100 euro and sending a Tikkie for 25 Euro to the other 3 friends.
There is nothing wrong with interaction between workers and their manager. A manager is also a human being who can make mistakes. In the end the manager always has the last word… even in the Dutch army a soldier can ‘communicate’ with his sergeant/lieutenant…. But only in case there is an opportunity to do so if you know what I mean 🤣😜😆
Its not rude...its about saving time
You have also to visit more european countries like , Italy. Italy has a great culture and very good food. You will love it.
Yep, Italy is in my top three countries to visit. Sweden, Italy, Germany is my top three.
If you ever come back to my great country, you should visit my city, Schiedam. Also, canals but we have the biggest windmills in the world, and it is called the jenever stad. I love your videos.
The example of directness always reminds me of this video where someone asked an opinion on an outfit.. and the Dutch person said 'It's not your best' and the American showed that as being so rude XD Like, that's being nice, just telling you you have better outfits that look better on you
Notice the Dutch are speaking English... 🙂
I’ am Dutch and I can be really direct and give you my opinion, good or bad. If it’s something bad it will shock you and maybe even make you angry. But on the other hand if it’s something good, like a compliment, you will appreciate my compliment even more, because if I did’nt mean it I wouldn’t say it!
Proud to be Dutch 💜🇳🇱
Yes, you can talk to your boss if something is wrong, people on the workplace have years of experience, so they know a lot of what will work or not, and the boss will listen to the complains, he can also learn from that.
You can be direct without being rude. And it depends if there's a way of leveling in the way that you understand eachother then you can be direct in your opinion about the topic that is at hand, or be direct as in comments on the behaviour of a person.
Being direct as in a comment on the person's hair colour, skin colour, clothings, or looks in general that can be seen as offensive, rude and anti-social.
What is there to comment on someone's skin colour? Maybe someone could do with a tan but commenting on how people are born is rude in the Netherlands anyway, has little to do with directness.
@@DenUitvreter Well, I know of someone greeting a Somali refugee who was pitch black, not brown, but black. She was shocked and said: Wow, you are really black! So, yeah it happens, commenting on the skin color. And no it was not racism, just shocked by a first time seeing really black skin color. It was direct, not rude.
Nope, I regularly get those comments and also give those comments. I never had any negative feedback, nor did I give any negative feedback. It is normal to do that, at least in the west of the country and I guess in the north as well.
In the Netherlands you won't find a lot of boasting about how expensive something was. Same goes for grades at school. If you pass, you pass, no matter if it's a perfect score or if you barely got it. So they won't care about putting more effort into something than absolutely necessary. The supposed "studenten voldoende".
(Of course this doesn't apply to all Dutch people, but it sure applies to me).
Bread and cheese is fine, but you can put anything on bread if you want. Meat. Chocolate.
Punctuality is also quite important. I once had an internship with a girl from Romania and for her it's common to arrive 15 minutes late (or so she said). So she would arrive 15 minutes late every single day. It wasn't a habit she needed to change, because the boss wouldn't come in until an hour later and I didn't feel like ratting her out because she was so much nicer than the boss haha.
White bread whit kaas, Heinz spread (originele)and Duchts currysaus. For frikadel and friet. That's the best!
The Nordics are our brothers and sister, but the Dutch are our soulmates:
The Danish queen had one of her "galla do's" . The minister of environment showed up in a fabulous green dress, the fotographers went crazy.
When a jounalist asked about the dress, the minister answered: I don't know. I bourght it second hand - will you believe it? - I only paid 100 euroes for it 😍
We don't call that cheap - we call it fåking brilliant 🤣🤣
Peace and love
On the spending money issue: I think it detracts from the fun when I have to worry if the others think I'm not contributing enough, or too much (basically boasting). I'd much rather get the payment details out of the way so I can have fun and not worry. For example: 1 person pays everything, keeps all receipts and we handle it after the fact. Or if it's some kind of "per person" thing like tickets, everyone just buys their own.
Love videos on the dutch
We have so little to complain about, yet it is our favorite pasttime 😅
Being late a couple of minutes isn't the problem , we do that too, but showing up an hour late and without notification that you are going to be late is ( certainly to me) un acceptable. When underway and traffic stops or trains delay , busses don'n run... OKAY BUT let us know what is going on, for all we know you could lay in a ditch with a broken scull , robbed and all.
Not being able to talk freely to your boss puts a brake on innovation. Very often the best ideas emerge from the workfloor, while management has no clue.
Don't take anything at face value, is one of the most important things to keep in mind
Hello,
I'm from the Netherlands living in the city Eindhoven. This is the city where Philips is and invented the CDg/player.
Did you know that we are the invented "capitalism" and also the "Stock market"
And Eindhoven is called the Second Silicon valley most intelligent city in the world .
I thought maybe you would like to know this.
If not.. than excuse me I meant it to be good .
Thanks for the video.