In your new Dutch office, people keep mentioning “de OR”, there’s an OR-verkiezing coming up, the OR has to instemmen with something. If you’ve nodded along without knowing what it is: the OR is the ondernemingsraad, the works council, and it has genuinely real power over decisions that affect you. Here is what it is and does.
What the OR is
The OR (ondernemingsraad) is the works council: an elected body of employees that represents staff inside the company. As the SER explains the role of the works council, it’s the central vehicle for medezeggenschap (employee participation/co-determination).
It’s not optional for bigger employers: under the Wet op de ondernemingsraden (WOR), a company with 50 or more employees must have one.
Its dual role
As workplace guides describe it, the OR plays two roles at once: it’s a sparring partner for management (thinking along on decisions), and it represents employees’ interests and wishes on company policy. So it sits between staff and the boardroom.
The real powers
This is why it matters, the OR isn’t just a suggestion box. As the government sets out the rights of a works council:
| Right | What it covers |
|---|---|
| instemmingsrecht | consent over social/HR policy (hours, holiday, pension rules) |
| adviesrecht | advice on big financial/organisational decisions (reorganisation, merger) |
| informatierecht | right to information from the employer |
| initiatiefrecht | right to raise its own proposals |
The instemmingsrecht is strong: for social-policy changes, management needs the OR’s agreement. With the adviesrecht, if management decides against the OR’s advice, it must explain why and cannot act immediately (a suspension period applies). As FNV sets out the rights of the OR, these rights have legal teeth: the council can challenge a decision taken without proper consent or advice, so they’re not a formality management can simply wave through.
Why it affects you
Even if you never join, the OR signs off on the policies that shape your working life, schedules, leave, health and safety, reorganisations. You can vote in the OR-verkiezing, raise issues with members, or stand yourself. It’s the formal counterpart to the informal, flat Dutch workplace culture.
The vocabulary
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de ondernemingsraad (OR) | works council |
| de medezeggenschap | employee participation |
| het instemmingsrecht | consent right |
| het adviesrecht | advisory right |
| de OR-verkiezing | works-council election |
| de achterban | the (employee) constituency |
Where it connects
The OR is part of your Dutch workplace rights, alongside understanding your proeftijd (trial period) and arbeidsovereenkomst (contract), claiming family rights like parental leave and kolfrecht (pumping rights), and the everyday assertiveness of defending your weekend.
The bottom line
The OR is the ondernemingsraad, your company’s elected works council, mandatory at 50+ employees under the WOR. It wields real power: instemmingsrecht (consent) over HR/social policy, adviesrecht (advice, with a suspension period) on big decisions, plus information and initiative rights. It shapes your working conditions whether or not you’re a member. Learn ondernemingsraad, medezeggenschap, instemmingsrecht and adviesrecht, and you’ll know how to use your voice at work.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the workplace Dutch the OR uses, ondernemingsraad, medezeggenschap, instemmingsrecht, adviesrecht by real situation in five-minute lessons, so you can follow what the works council decides and use your voice instead of tuning the emails out.
Frequently asked questions
What is the OR (ondernemingsraad)?
The OR (ondernemingsraad) is the works council: an elected body of employees that represents staff and has formal say in company decisions. Under the Wet op de ondernemingsraden (WOR), a company with 50 or more employees must have one. It has a dual role, acting as a discussion partner (sparring partner) for management and representing employees’ interests and wishes on company policy.
What powers does a Dutch works council have?
Real ones. The OR has the instemmingsrecht (consent right) over decisions on social and HR policy, like working hours, holiday or pension rules, where management needs the council’s agreement. It has the adviesrecht (advisory right) on major financial, economic or organisational decisions (reorganisations, mergers, big investments), with a duty to wait and explain if it overrules the advice. Plus rights to information and to raise initiatives.
Does the OR affect me as an employee?
Yes. The OR negotiates and signs off on policies that shape your daily working life, schedules, leave arrangements, health and safety, reorganisations, so its decisions reach you even if you’re not a member. You can vote in the OR-verkiezing (works-council election), raise issues with members, or stand for election yourself. It’s the main formal channel for employee voice (medezeggenschap) in a Dutch company.
What is the best app to learn Dutch for the office and workplace rights?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the workplace Dutch the OR uses, ondernemingsraad, medezeggenschap, instemmingsrecht, adviesrecht, in five-minute lessons built around real situations, so you can follow what the works council decides and use your voice instead of tuning the emails out.
