HR Strategy & Insights

Profile of Mayank Sharma, Managing Partner of Element MEA, including areas of practice, working approach and selected UAE people-infrastructure analysis.

A practical guide to choosing an HR consultant in Dubai — what they actually do, consultant vs consultancy vs outsourcing, the questions to ask, and the UAE-specific depth (Labour Law, WPS, Emiratisation) that separates advice from delivery.

As a UAE company scales, its people function needs different leadership at different stages. A plain-English guide to when you need an HR manager, a fractional CHRO, or a full-time CHRO — and how to tell the difference.

Not what it costs — whether and when to outsource HR in Dubai. The signals you've outgrown DIY people ops, what to hand over versus keep, the control question, and how to transition without breaking things.

How senior and C-suite hiring really works in Dubai — retained versus contingent search, the process step by step, confidentiality, and how to choose a firm. A plain-English guide for UAE employers.

An HR consultancy can sell you two things that look identical on a proposal — advice, or infrastructure. In the UAE, the difference quietly decides whether your growth stalls.

Sample employee engagement survey questions built for the UAE's multicultural teams — by dimension, with notes on calibration, scales and honest fielding.

A practical 2026 guide to improving employee engagement in the UAE — what engagement really is, why Gulf teams are different, and the levers that move it.

A UAE employer's 2026 guide to handling redundancy and layoffs lawfully: valid reasons, fair selection, notice, gratuity and arbitrary-dismissal risk.

The UAE HR compliance calendar 2026: WPS, Emiratisation, visa and insurance renewals, corporate tax and seasonal deadlines every employer must hit.

A practical UAE employee grievance handling guide for employers: build a fair process, run clean investigations, reduce MOHRE escalation and legal risk.

A UAE employer's guide to inclusively hiring People of Determination in 2026 — laws, accommodation, recruitment steps and the business value of inclusion.

Free zone vs mainland employment in the UAE: compare law, visas, WPS, end-of-service and Emiratisation so employers hire in the right structure in 2026.

A founder's step-by-step guide to hiring your first employee in the UAE in 2026: work permit, visa, contract, WPS payroll and health insurance, done right.

How to design a UAE salary structure in 2026: basic vs gross pay, housing and transport allowances, and why gratuity is calculated on basic salary.

A 2026 employer guide to the UAE job offer letter: how the MOHRE standard offer works, what it must contain, and why it must match your contract.

UAE work injury and workplace safety: employer obligations for 2026 — duty of care, treatment, pay during recovery, compensation and reporting.

A fair, lawful PIP guide for UAE managers: design SMART objectives, run check-ins, document properly and handle underperformance with confidence.

An employer's guide to UAE notice period and resignation rules in 2026: statutory 30–90 days, probation, pay-in-lieu, garden leave and final settlement.

UAE employee health insurance is a mandatory employer obligation in 2026. Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Northern Emirates rules, cover and penalties explained.