From retail and food to metals and chemicals, every minute counts in manufacturing companies.
But what happens when instructions are misunderstood, safety rules are ignored or team communication breaks down? Language barriers are among the biggest challenges for HR and L&D managers, with direct consequences for safety, efficiency and employee retention.
In this blog, we explore the 5 biggest language challenges on the shop floor - and why investing in Dutch language training at work is often the key to success.
When instructions are not fully understood, mistakes multiply quickly. Think of product mislabelling, incorrect order picking in warehouses, incomplete recording of production data or even missed hygiene checks.
Individually, these errors may seem minor. But they soon add up to lost time, additional costs and frustrated colleagues. For the company, this means not only more rework, but also invisible costs that undermine overall efficiency.
In sectors such as chemicals and food, safety and hygiene regulations are not optional - they are vital.
But what if an employee doesn’t understand a “hazardous product” sign or misses instructions on protective equipment? Risky situations can arise in seconds, with serious consequences for both the employee and the team.
Research by safety expert Paul Lindhout (Netherlands) shows that one in ten workplace accidents is linked to language problems.
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) also reports that foreign-language workers in physically demanding sectors face a significantly higher risk of workplace accidents.
* Source: European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), report Migrant workers and occupational safety and health.
3. Difficult collaboration
Teamwork relies on clear communication. Yet language barriers often create friction. Dutch-speaking colleagues struggle to give feedback, while non-Dutch speakers hold back, ask fewer questions and may feel excluded.
The result? Silos instead of collaboration. Teams work next to each other, not with each other – at the expense of productivity and team spirit.
For team leaders and production managers, language is often an invisible obstacle. A short briefing can take twice as long, as messages need repeating or visual aids. Feedback or performance reviews can cause frustration when expectations are not fully understood.
This slows down processes, increases workload and forces HR to step in more often to bridge communication gaps.
5. Integration and retention at risk
Without smooth communication, employees feel less understood and often isolated. They engage less with colleagues and develop weaker bonds with the organisation. Valuable workers may leave simply because they don’t feel fully part of the team.
For HR and L&D managers, this means higher turnover, and turnover is costly. Recruiting and training replacements takes far more resources than retaining and developing current staff. Investing in language is therefore also an investment in retention and employer branding.
All these challenges share one factor: language skills. Employees who understand the language feel more confident, work more safely and contribute more to a productive workplace.
At BLCC, we support manufacturing companies in retail, food, metal, chemical and beyond with practical Dutch training on the shop floor.
Not a standard course, but a programme designed 100% around your reality:
Interactive group lessons on and off the shop floor
Focus on safety, instructions and teamwork
Digital support via Drillster and workplace challenges
The right trainer matched to your employees
Guidance with sector-specific subsidies
👉 Discover how your organisation can benefit from our approach to language training Dutch in the workplace.
👉 Want more inspiration? Read our blog on the benefits of Dutch language training for manufacturing companies.
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