Series: "HR Policies and Procedures: The Employer’s Legal Shield under UAE Legislation" - Article 1: The Legislative Basis for HR Policies and the Policies Employers Are Required to Establish

Authored by Mr. Omer Yousif Badi, Legal Consultant and Guest Writer

Last month, we explored working hours compliance from the employee’s perspective in our series “Your Guide to Avoiding Workplace Violations.” This month, we turn to the employer’s perspective as we begin a new series on HR policies and procedures. We will return to the first series in future editions, as we continue to explore the rights and obligations of both parties to the employment relationship.

Human resources management in UAE private-sector establishments is no longer an internal administrative matter left to managers’ discretion and personal judgment. It has become a regulated activity governed by mandatory rules within a comprehensive legislative framework. Under this framework, the question employers must ask is no longer: “Do I need written HR policies?” but rather: “How do I build a framework of policies and procedures that complies with the law, protects the establishment, and demonstrates the lawfulness of its decisions before the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization and the competent courts?”

In this article, the first in a three-part series, guest author Mr. Omer Yousif Badi examines the legal basis for HR policies and the policies and procedures that employers are required by law to establish.

The English version of this article will be available here Shortly. Stay tuned for it.