Tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint, is de kantoorbezetting goed.

Tegen de tijd dat means something like by the time.

It introduces a time relationship between two parts of the sentence:

• Tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint = By the time the office day starts
• is de kantoorbezetting goed = the office staffing/occupancy is good

It is a fixed expression you will see quite often in Dutch. After dat, you get a subordinate clause, which affects the word order.

Because dat introduces a subordinate clause.

In Dutch subordinate clauses, the conjugated verb usually goes toward the end:

• main clause: De kantoordag begint.
• subordinate clause: dat de kantoordag begint

So:

• de kantoordag begint = normal statement
• tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint = time clause, so the verb comes at the end

This is one of the most important word-order patterns in Dutch.

Because the sentence starts with a time phrase:

• Tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint

When a Dutch sentence begins with something other than the subject, Dutch usually uses inversion in the main clause: the verb comes before the subject.

So the structure is:

• first position: Tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint
• second position: is
• then subject: de kantoorbezetting
• then the rest: goed

Without that fronted time clause, you would normally say:

• De kantoorbezetting is goed.

This is the standard verb-second rule in Dutch main clauses.

Kantoorbezetting is a compound noun:

• kantoor = office
• bezetting = occupation, staffing, manning, occupancy

Together, it means something like:

• office staffing
• office occupancy
• the level of people present in the office

The exact translation depends on context. In a workplace context, it often refers to whether enough people are present.

Dutch forms compounds very freely, so long nouns like this are very normal.

In Dutch compounds, the last part usually determines the grammatical gender and article.

Here the final element is bezetting, and that word takes de:

• de bezetting
• therefore: de kantoorbezetting

This is a very useful rule for compounds:

• het kantoor
• de bezetting
• but the compound is de kantoorbezetting, because bezetting is the head word

Here goed means something more like:

• good
• adequate
• satisfactory
• at a good level

So de kantoorbezetting is goed does not mean the staffing is morally virtuous. It means the staffing level is fine or sufficient.

In business or practical contexts, goed often means acceptable / solid / adequate, depending on tone and context.

A more explicit alternative could be:

• voldoende = sufficient

But goed is very common and natural.

Yes, it is understandable and grammatically normal as a Dutch compound:

• kantoor = office
• dag = day
• kantoordag = office day / workday at the office

Dutch often creates compounds in this way.

That said, depending on context, a speaker might also choose other wording, such as:

• werkdag = workday
• de dag op kantoor = the day at the office

So kantoordag is not strange, but whether it is the most idiomatic choice can depend on the situation.

Dutch often uses the present tense to talk about future or scheduled situations, especially when the time reference is clear.

So:

• de kantoordag begint = the office day starts
• is de kantoorbezetting goed = the office staffing is good

Even if the meaning is future-oriented, the present tense is very natural in Dutch.

English does this too sometimes:

• By the time the day starts, staffing is fine
• The train leaves at 8

So the Dutch tense here is completely normal.

Usually, is is the better choice here.

• is goed describes a state: the staffing level is good
• wordt goed would mean becomes good, which focuses on a change

So:

• is de kantoorbezetting goed = by that time, the staffing level is good
• wordt de kantoorbezetting goed = by that time, the staffing level becomes good

The second version sounds less natural unless you specifically want to emphasize a process of improvement.

Yes, that is a very good idea.

It is best learned as a set expression:

• tegen de tijd dat ...

Then you can plug in different clauses after it:

• Tegen de tijd dat hij aankomt, zijn we klaar.
• Tegen de tijd dat de les begint, zit iedereen al.
• Tegen de tijd dat de kantoordag begint, is de kantoorbezetting goed.

Memorizing it as one chunk will help you produce it more naturally.

It sounds understandable and fairly formal, and it may feel a bit specialized because of words like kantoorbezetting.

In an HR, planning, or office-management context, it makes sense. In everyday speech, some speakers might choose simpler wording.

For example, more everyday alternatives might be:

• Tegen de tijd dat de werkdag begint, zijn er genoeg mensen op kantoor.
• Als de kantoordag begint, is er genoeg bezetting.

So the original sentence is grammatically fine, but it has a somewhat professional or administrative feel.