Exploring the Dutch talent ecosystem with Marieke van Iperen, Founder of Settly

For our interview series for the Dutch Salary benchmark Report, we sat down with Marieke van Iperen, the CEO and Co-founder of Settly. Menno de Graaf, our Partnership Manager, and Marieke spoke about the latest trends and developments that are shaping the Dutch scale-up talent market.

Marieke van Iperen, the brains behind Settly

With Settly, a B2B employee relocation platform, Marieke is on a mission to redefine the future of work and foster a world where everyone feels at home. Last year Settly was recognised as top 5 growing bootstrapped start-ups in the world. The company’s growth has been nothing short of phenomenal, with a team that has expanded rapidly to 60 people hailing from 35 different nationalities and with a strong LGBTQI+ representation.

Marieke emphasises, ”But perhaps more importantly I am proud of the inclusive culture created by each and every one on our team, which has become the driving force behind our growth and success.”. Yet, for Marieke, the true reward lies in the social impact Settly makes every day, as they witness clients finding their place and comfort in new environments. These stories act as constant reminders of their mission's significance.

Before founding Settly four years ago, Marieke worked in HR, Recruitment, and Total Reward Leadership roles at Uber, PwC, Manpower and Nike across five continents. Her extensive background speaks volumes about her expertise and experience.

Developments in the Dutch scale-up talent market

Marieke has a clear view on the developments in the Dutch scale-up market: “Unprecedented times for sure! Following a strong GDP growth in 2022, the Dutch economy definitely cooled down in 2023. However, where we’d expect the demand for international talent to significantly drop, unemployment rates are remaining very low (3.6%) in The Netherlands.”.

Furthermore, Marieke notes that 65% of companies are still struggling to find local talent, and need to consider more innovative ways to attract talent. And when it comes to retention, she highlights a significant statistic: 76% of Dutch talent is open to a new job. In response to these shifting dynamics, Marieke emphasises that this requires companies and people leaders to revisit their focus on talent attraction and retention across the board, and truly think through their total reward philosophy. Job loyalty is now considered the exception rather than the rule. Even generally satisfied employees are open to better employment opportunities in the future. The relentless cycle of resignations is therefore not going to slow down anytime soon. It has become a new norm in an era of change.

The change in employee attitudes and motivations will as well continue to affect the competitive landscape of talent across all age groups and industries. Purpose, impact and belonging are becoming more important besides flexibility. Marieke highlights how the new generation now has higher expectations from their employers, “They now seek a deeper sense of care through perks and benefits, as well as opportunities for development via learning and development programs,” she explains. “Additionally, their career aspirations include a greater emphasis on purpose and contributing to social impact, symbolised by an increased interest in initiatives like volunteering.”

“The changes we see today can’t be reversed; they are part of the continuum of change that followed the pandemic.”

The impact of economic downfall

Investments are still flowing into the markets, evident from the number of companies securing funding. Although as Marieke observes, “The nature of conversations has evolved from ‘write a check now, see results later’ to a more measured approach, which I believe is a positive development. And they’ve shifted their focus towards AI, data, and sustainability models.”.

In the post-Covid era, there was a period of manic investments, but now a sense of rationality predominates. This shift has implications for startups and scale-ups, especially those struggling to refine their business models and achieve profitability or those facing challenges related to their financial runway. Marieke highlights raising bigger amounts has become more difficult if you don’t have the growth and data to back it up. “Companies that are post series A will need to manage their runway carefully and therefore also their hiring.” Interestingly according to Marieke, “These changes don't necessarily impact specific job roles. We are still seeing a shortage of local talent in areas like tech, product development, and sales.”

Remain competitive and appealing for international talent

The Netherlands continues to receive top ranking as the best country to live and work, and has a natural appeal for international talent. Also, compared to Germany, the infrastructure, housing market, immigration system, and language scores are much higher amongst expats. So, attracting talent isn’t the issue in Marieke’s opinion, “The real issue is retaining talent. Although we have a very rich, and diverse culture we aren’t always very inclusive. 40% of the expat hires fail, simply because they don’t feel at home. If you want to retain talent in The Netherlands, it’s critical to think beyond just providing them a job, and the 30% tax ruling. It's the community, and sense of belonging that will make them thrive and stay in our country.”

Talent's motivations for seeking new job opportunities differ significantly depending on their home location. As Marieke insightfully observes, “We see that in emerging economies people are more driven by safety, security and a better life for their family. In contrast, talent from western countries have different drivers, such as seeking purpose, flexibility, and the chance to create a significant impact. Ensuring you understand and can meet the needs of highly sought-after talent is, and will remain, essential.”

Nurturing company culture in times of talent scarcity remains paramount to success

Given the continual talent shortage, emphasising company culture becomes even more crucial in order to retain the talent you do have onboard. As Marieke points out, “Transparency and communication are key. Whether you’re going through a growth spurt or rough patch. Making sure you take people along on the journey and help them understand the implications is important because it drives business decisions, strategic focus and also your people strategy.”. Trusting your teams and involving them in the company challenges will often lead to a better understanding and sense of ownership. This is of course something that you have to cultivate and can’t be established overnight, but is vital at every stage of a company’s growth.

An interesting trend that aligns with this is the shift from hierarchical organisational design to more data driven adaptive and horizontal structures. As Marieke explains, “This new way of designing organisations suits start-ups really well, as they are flexible, lean, and nimble. Another benefit is that it empowers employees to make decisions, share learnings and solve problems across the lines of the traditional job descriptions. As well as it fosters a culture of innovation, learning, and feedback.

Although she does point out, “To navigate this trend, it's key to rethink your roles, systems, and technology to enable distributed leadership, cross-functional collaboration, and agile ways of working. Communication is also more important than ever before. Repeat, repeat, repeat your vision, values, and goals clearly and consistently align around common purpose.”

Cultivating a thriving company culture and nurturing talent

Marieke repeatedly underscores the importance of always putting people and culture first, “Because culture eats strategy for breakfast”. When it comes to building a successful culture, Marieke emphasises “Practise what you preach”. She highlights, “Right from the start we’ve focused on building and nurturing a strong company culture, centred around inclusion and belonging.” For Settly – similar to the company’s mission – this means striving to create a workplace where everyone feels at home.

Marieke, drawing from her HR background, stresses the importance of having a reward system that aligns with the company's culture and values. She explains, “We believe in finding the right balance that drives results at work while it also empowers our team’s outside of work.” From a rewards perspective, she emphasises the importance of understanding what motivates individuals and maintaining a clear philosophy. She stresses, “There's no one-size-fits-all, and it's critical to help your teams grasp why certain decisions are made, regarding compensation and benefits.”

Drawing inspiration from her previous employers, Starbucks and Uber Marieke observes, “Starbucks has been very successful at creating a value driven company, and involvement from their employees. Marked by deep employee engagement, affectionately referred to as 'partners' within the organisation.” A strategy that might not be readily adopted by most early-stage businesses when they're in the scaling phase. However, if executed effectively, it can prove to be a winning strategy. On the flip side, Uber took a different approach. Marieke notes, “Uber fostered a mindset that may not have resonated with everyone (or always adhered to compliance she added with a smile), it succeeded very much in attracting some of the brightest talent globally and generating an incredible surge of energy and forward momentum.”

These elements, she suggests, are relatable for early-stage businesses: “A sense of innovation, urgency, and being part of something greater. If you can sustain these positive aspects of your culture in a lasting manner, it can yield substantial value across the board.” Marieke encloses this perspective, stating, “The key is to understand the unique culture that fits your business and nurture it effectively.”

Settly actively tracks employee satisfaction through metrics like the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) to keep tabs on how the team feels, and identify areas for improvement. With a solid eNPS score of 67% and an impressive employee satisfaction rating of 9.1, they’ve been successful in attracting and retaining the right people. Marieke humbly notes, “We haven't faced major challenges in finding and keeping the right people so far. However, it's crucial to always be aware of emerging trends and stay ahead of the curve.”

Trends to keep an eye on

With a world where talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t, hybrid and remote working have become the norm for most companies. “A development that impacted the way we look at workforce planning and hiring strategies”, according to Marieke.

A trend that Marieke is very excited about is the increased focus on diversity, equity,  inclusion and belonging (DEI&B). “The importance of creating a culture with recognition, respect, belonging, and representation of different perspectives is finally starting to make it to the top of the agenda.” Although building a DEI&B driven culture isn’t easy, and requires a lot of time, patience and focus. Something most start-ups don't have in the early days. Marieke points out, “It's proven to drive strong business results, creativity and innovation, and if done well it will positively impact your employee attraction, engagement, and retention goals.”

Marieke highlights a much talked about trend that will reshape not only business models but also the type of skills that will be required, and the way people work and interact: artificial intelligence (AI). She specifies this by underlining, “Talent shortages are a matter of being able to find people with the right skill set at the right time. When a new skill set is required and no education established, this will lead to an increased skill shortage, and different ways of working.”.

Last piece of advice

As our conversation with Marieke comes to an end, it’s clear that her experience, insightful perspectives, and advice hold great value for early-stage companies. She leaves us with some final advice for founders, people leaders and talent.

1. People are the heart of your success

Your people are your most important resource, regarding Marieke, “When you empower them to excel and make them feel included, there's no limit to what you can achieve.” Emphasising the importance of having a clear vision for your team, nurturing a vibrant culture, and taking a comprehensive approach to rewards. She highlights the need to twine these principles into every aspect of your business and consistently reinforce the cultural values. 

And for startups, Marieke stresses, “Your first hires are THE most important, for they will become your culture. Not the signs on the wall.” This underscores the idea that culture isn't just about slogans but about the behaviours and values exhibited by the people within the organisation. 

2. Lead by example

Another important learning Marieke shared, “People tend to imitate behaviours. As founders or members of the management team, it's crucial to set the right example, live by the company's values, and ensure there's no space for unacceptable or harmful behaviour. This is because such behaviour can significantly harm your culture.”

3. Give HR a seat at the table

Marieke offers valuable advice, stressing the importance of actively developing and nurturing your company's culture, saying, “Start building and nurturing your culture if you haven't already.” She underscores the need for Human Resources (HR) to have a prominent role in your organisation, advising that HR should have a seat at the decision-making table.

And for talent she also has some good advice, “Find a company culture that aligns with your values, provides a safe place to learn, grow, and make mistakes.” Additionally, Marieke highlights the significance of seeking a job that leverages your strengths and energises you. To make informed career decisions, she recommends thorough research, asking numerous questions, and checking references during the job search process, emphasising that it should be a two-way interview.

For underrepresented groups in the workforce, Marieke offers an empowering tip: “Believe in yourself and don't fixate too much on finding the perfect job description match.” She suggests that with the right company, you’ve the opportunity to shape your own future and carve out your career path.