Insights

Acquisitions in Europe

Everyone sees the announced deal. Few see the workforce-related risks beneath it.

The announcement names the buyer, the target, the price and the closing date. What sits under this announcement decides whether the deal goes through.

These guides follow the buyer's timeline in three chapters, from signing to Day 100 and beyond.

1At signing
A deal buys a company, not an employer.
Who employs our people in Europe, and what may we do before clearance?
2Before and at closing
The team is consulted before the deal is final.
Who must we consult, who moves where, and is everyone paid at closing?
3To Day 100 and after
The deal pays off only if the people stay.
How do we keep the key people, and what changes in 2027?

Octagon Professionals has worked from The Hague since 1987. We act as an acquirer's HR function in Europe until it builds its own, and then hand the work over.

Guides

All guides

13 guides, newest first.

4 Nov 20269 min read

Betriebsrat: works councils in Germany explained for US acquirers

A Betriebsrat is the works council that employees elect in a German workplace. In Germany in 2026, any establishment with at least five permanent employees can elect one. It co-decides working time, monitoring tools and pay structures. It cannot block a share sale. However, it must be told who the buyer is and what the...

3 Nov 20269 min read

ESA geographical return: why US space companies buy in Europe

In 2026, ESA geographical return still shapes where European Space Agency contracts go. The rule steers work to industry in the countries that fund each programme, in line with their contributions. As a result, a company based only in the United States rarely wins ESA contracts directly. Many US space firms therefore buy or partner...

2 Nov 20268 min read

Post merger integration checklist for Europe: the HR steps from signing to Day 100

In 2026, a post merger integration checklist for a deal in the Netherlands follows four stages. At signing, decide who employs the buyer’s people and map consultation duties. Before closing, recruit and sponsor the first roles. At closing, keep payroll running and have retention offers ready. After Day 100, consolidate payroll and HR policies. This...

30 Oct 20266 min read

Feestdagen 2027: public holidays in the Netherlands and what employers must give

Feestdagen 2027 are the official public holidays in the Netherlands for 2027. There are eleven, from New Year’s Day on 1 January to Boxing Day on 26 December. Dutch law makes none of them a paid day off. Instead, the collective labour agreement (CAO) or the employment contract decides who works and what they earn....

29 Oct 20266 min read

Gun jumping in acquisitions: what HR can and cannot do before closing

Gun jumping means a buyer acts as the target’s owner before regulators clear the deal or it closes. In the EU and the Netherlands in 2026, HR can still plan the integration early. It can also build the buyer’s own team before closing. However, directing the target’s employees or changing their terms has to wait...

28 Oct 20266 min read

Space Tech Expo Europe 2026 in Bremen: a visitor's guide

Space Tech Expo Europe 2026 takes place from 17 to 19 November at CONGRESS BREMEN – Messe Bremen in Bremen, Germany. The organiser, Smarter Shows, calls it Europe’s largest B2B space event. One pass covers the exhibition, four conferences and the Skills Lab. This is also the last edition in Bremen before the show moves to...

27 Oct 20266 min read

Why US companies choose a European headquarters in the Netherlands

US companies choose a European headquarters in the Netherlands because leaders can hire, sponsor specialists and work in English. In 2026, the data still supports that choice. The US Bureau of Economic Analysis puts US direct investment there at $1,044 billion for end-2025. Only the UK held more. Statistics Netherlands counted 3,665 US companies there...

26 Oct 20266 min read

Carve-outs in Europe: the HR side of a transition services agreement

In 2026, buying part of a European company moves people without their payroll, HR systems or, often, their employer. A transition services agreement lets the seller keep running some of those services after closing. However, staff in the Netherlands and across the EU still need a lawful employer and payroll from Day 1. How is...

23 Oct 20266 min read

Loonheffingennummer: registering as a foreign employer in the Netherlands

A loonheffingennummer is the Dutch payroll tax number that lets an employer file payroll tax returns. In 2026, a US company without a Dutch entity can get one by registering as a foreign employer. It then runs Dutch payroll itself, withholding wage tax and paying employee insurance premiums for staff in the Netherlands. This guide...

22 Oct 20266 min read

HR due diligence checklist for a European acquisition: what US buyers should check

In 2026, an HR due diligence checklist for a target in the Netherlands goes well beyond headcount and pay. Before signing, US buyers should confirm which employee bodies to consult and which collective agreements and pension funds apply. They should also check long-term sick leave, contractors who could count as employees, and key people needing...

21 Oct 20266 min read

How much does an employer of record cost and what drives the price?

The employer of record cost for a hire in the Netherlands in 2026 has two layers. First comes the provider’s monthly fee per employee. On top sit Dutch employment costs: employer contributions, holiday allowance, sick pay, any sector pension and the exit. So compare both layers, not just the headline fee. For US companies expanding...

20 Oct 20266 min read

Who employs your people in Europe between signing and closing?

Signing a deal in Europe does not give your own people a European employer. A share deal changes the owner of a company, not its employer. Meanwhile, merger rules can stop you from implementing the deal before clearance. Your staff therefore need an employer from day one. This guide explains where an employer of record...

19 Oct 20266 min read

There is no at-will employment in Europe: what US employers need to know before hiring

Most US employers work with at will employment. In most of Europe, however, a dismissal needs a valid reason and a set procedure and the at will employment in Europe doesn’t work. It often needs a payment set by law, too. This guide compares four countries, so you can price the people risk before signing....

Deals into Europe

Every cross-border acquisition, merger and joint venture into Europe and the UK, checked every working day, with what each one means for the people in the target's country.

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The compliance iceberg in European acquisitions

A three-page briefing for US acquirers: seven people risks from signing to Day 100, and why the Netherlands is the first base.

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Planning the people side?

HR experts in Europe for you until you build your own team, then the hand-over.