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Pay As You Go HR, from small projects to data technology transformations, I can support you through it all.

Demystifying HR in the UAE

Working with you to implement HR Basics and infrastructure to enable your business to grow. I offer a hands on, real world, human resources support function with Pay As You Go HR, from small projects to data technology transformations, I can support you through it all. Managing Talent & Culture, Working with you on implementing HR Policy, Processes & Procedures meeting the new UAE Labour Law requirements, Performance management, employee onboarding, , HR management training and support for disciplinary procedures, recruitment skills & Labour Law application in business. I offer HR Support, Guidance and advice for individuals and businesses. I am the founder of Fikrah HR, a UAE-based HR consultancy. With over 20 years of experience in operational Human Resources, I was named one of the top 101 global HR minds in the hotel industry at the World HR Congress in 2019 and 2020. I have and continue to advise a number of local and international organisations, such as Hope AMC, Maximus Gulf, Landmark Hospitality, First Group, Accor Group, Wyndham Hotel Group. I specialise in overseeing the full employee life-cycle, including recruitment, defining job descriptions, onboarding, policies and procedures, performance management and employee engagement. For more information:

http://www.fikrahhr.com,

[email protected]

DM or call on +971 (0) 552899973

02/11/2026

I've been thinking about how much the recruitment process has changed in just a few years.

AI can now help someone tailor their CV to a job description, write a cover letter and apply for dozens of roles in the time it would once have taken to complete a couple of applications.

That sounds like a good thing for job seekers. And in many ways, it is. But there's another side to this.

A recent report by HR Brew https://www.hr-brew.com/stories/world-of-hr-employers-in-the-middle-east-are-drowning-in-ai-generated-job-applications-and-resumes highlighted a growing challenge for employers across the Middle East: the sheer volume of AI-assisted job applications is making it harder for recruiters to identify the right candidates.

According to the research cited in the report, 70% of employers had seen an influx of applications, while 55% of recruiters said the increased volume was making hiring take longer.

And this brings us back to point one.

Technology has made it easier to apply for jobs, but it hasn't necessarily made it easier for employers to find the people they need.

The real risk here is that too many applications may not be relevant to the role, and the candidates who genuinely have the right experience and skills can get lost in the process.

So where does that leave HR?

I don't think the answer is to dismiss every CV that looks polished or assume that using AI makes someone a weaker candidate. People are going to use the tools available to them, and there are legitimate ways to use AI to communicate experience more clearly.

The answer, in my opinion, is to update your recruitment process; assess the person behind the application, rather than simply the quality of the document.

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Is your organisation assessing relevant skills and experience, or are getting distracted by keywords and impressive-sounding descriptions?

And are your screening processes helping you find suitable people, or just helping you process applications more quickly?

If you are looking to update your HR processes and need support, feel free to reach out.

$If you're bringing in a fractional HR partner, what should you expect to see in the first 90 days?Complete HR transforma...$

29/10/2026

If you're bringing in a fractional HR partner, what should you expect to see in the first 90 days?

Complete HR transformation? No…

A folder full of new policies? No…..

List of recommendations that nobody has the time to implement…. Certainly not!

You should expect clarity about what needs attention, a plan for addressing it, and progress on the priorities that matter most to your business.

Here's how I'd approach those first three months.

-> The first 30 days: Understand the business and identify priorities.

Before recommending changes, an HR partner needs to understand how the business operates.

That means looking at the existing HR processes, employment documentation, management structure, workforce challenges and any immediate compliance concerns.

It also means speaking to the people who run the business and, where appropriate, the managers responsible for implementing decisions.

The aim is to distinguish urgent risks from longer-term improvements and understand where the real problems lie.

-> Days 31–60: Agree on the priorities and start addressing them.

Once the initial review is complete, the focus shifts to action.

Depending on the business, that might mean addressing documentation gaps, clarifying roles and responsibilities, improving recruitment processes or introducing a more consistent approach to performance management.

The important thing is to avoid trying to fix everything at once.

Agree on what matters most, who is responsible for each action and what progress should look like.

-> Days 61–90: Establish ownership and build momentum.

By this stage, the business should have a clearer picture of its HR priorities, progress on agreed actions and a practical roadmap for what comes next.

Managers should understand their responsibilities more clearly, and leadership should have better visibility of the people issues that need attention.

Some changes will take longer than 90 days, particularly where the business needs to change established behaviours or ways of working. That's perfectly reasonable.

What matters is that the work has direction and isn't dependent on the HR partner being present every day to keep it moving.

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If you're considering fractional HR support and not sure where to begin, send in your questions, and I will be happy to guide you.

29/10/2026

🎙️ Episode 24 of The HR & CQ Show is now LIVE!

Beyond Emiratisation Targets: What Emirati Talent Really Wants - Live from Ru'ya 2026

What does Emirati talent really want from an employer?

Are organisations doing enough to attract, develop and retain the UAE's future workforce?

For this special episode of The HR & CQ Show, Emma and I did something a little different.

We took our microphones onto the exhibition floor at Ru'ya 2026, speaking directly with Emirati professionals, HR leaders and senior executives to hear their perspectives on Emiratisation, career development and the future of national talent.

And what an interesting set of conversations we had!

We heard from representatives of Seddiqi Holding, Al-Futtaim, Majid Al Futtaim, du, Al Rawabi and Emirates Group, each sharing their experiences, initiatives and perspectives.

Across these conversations, several important themes emerged:

🔹 Attraction is only the beginning. Organisations need to think beyond recruitment targets and create meaningful career opportunities that encourage Emirati talent to stay and grow.

🔹 Career progression matters. Young Emiratis want to understand where their careers can take them, what they can learn and how they can contribute.

🔹 Managers make a difference. Recognition, regular feedback, approachability and genuine conversations about individual ambitions are essential to creating a positive employee experience.

🔹 Culture influences career decisions. From understanding what motivates individuals to recognising the role families can play in career choices, a culturally intelligent approach can make talent strategies more effective.

🔹 Developing national talent is a long-term commitment. We heard some excellent examples of organisations investing in early career awareness, structured development programmes, succession planning and future leadership capability.

But perhaps one of the most important messages came from the Emirati professionals themselves.

They want to contribute. They want to learn. They want opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities and build careers they can be proud of.

And that raises a bigger question for employers:

Are we simply creating opportunities for Emirati talent to join our organisations, or are we creating the environment for them to succeed?

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to speak with us at Ru'ya and share their experiences so openly.

🎧 Episode 24 is available now!

Join us for a slightly different episode of The HR & CQ Show as we bring you conversations directly from the people shaping and experiencing Emiratisation in the UAE.

▶️ Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/

We'd love to hear your thoughts. What's the single most important thing organisations should be doing to strengthen Emiratisation beyond recruitment targets?

28/10/2026

Every HR professional in the UAE should be aware that employees have formal channels through MoHRE to report a range of labour violations.

The list covers 11 areas, including:

-> Fake Emiratisation

-> Forced labour and human trafficking

-> Failure to comply with Emiratisation requirements

-> Sexual harassment

-> Failure to pay end-of-service benefits

-> Requiring employees to work more than two additional hours

-> Breaches of heat-stress protection rules

-> Violations of labour accommodation requirements

-> Employing a worker in breach of regulations

-> Violations of occupational health and safety requirements

-> Failure to grant annual leave, provide payment in lieu or carry leave forward.

From an HR perspective, it isn’t really about the reporting process. It is about what happens before someone reaches that point.

Because ideally, an employee shouldn’t have to go straight to an external authority to get a workplace concern taken seriously.

They should be able to raise it internally. They should know who they can speak to. Their manager should be equipped to have the conversation. And HR should have a process for listening, investigating and, where appropriate, taking action.

Of course, not every concern can or should be resolved internally. There will always be situations where an employee needs to escalate a matter, and having clear external channels is an important protection.

In my opinion, it’s about knowing the difference between having HR and having good HR

Good HR isn't simply about knowing the policies. It isn't about having the right documents sitting in a shared drive. And it certainly isn't about waiting for a formal complaint before becoming involved.

It is about creating an environment where people feel able to say, “Something isn't right. Can we talk about it?”

And knowing that when they do, they will be listened to fairly and taken seriously. That requires more than an employee handbook.

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So yes, employees should know their rights and know where they can go if something goes wrong.

But if you are a business leader looking to build a workplace where people thrive, and compliance isn’t an afterthought, I am a DM away!

27/10/2026

Most managers will tell you they want open communication. But when the conversation turns uncomfortable, performance issues, behaviour feedback, unmet expectations, silence suddenly feels safer.

And that silence is expensive.

Unaddressed issues don’t fade; they fester.

They show up in disengagement, misalignment, and quiet resentment that spreads faster than feedback ever did.

Handling tough conversations isn’t just about courage. It’s about preparation, empathy, and follow-through.

Preparation means doing the groundwork; knowing the facts, clarifying the purpose, and focusing on behaviour, not personality.

Empathy means listening to understand, not to defend. And follow-through means turning the conversation into action, so people feel supported, not punished.

The most effective leaders don’t avoid discomfort; they navigate it with structure and care. They know that a difficult conversation done well can build more trust than months of polite avoidance.

HR plays a crucial role here, not to sit in every conversation, but to equip managers with the mindset and tools to have them confidently.

Because the cost of avoidance is real:

-> Confused expectations

-> Eroded trust

-> Declining engagement

And over time, employees stop speaking up, not because they don’t care, but because they don’t believe it will make a difference.

The truth is, tough conversations are leadership in action. They show accountability, respect, and the willingness to grow together instead of apart.

We don’t need more leaders who talk around the problem. We need leaders who can talk through it, calmly, clearly, and with compassion.

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I’m Sarah Brooks, and I help small businesses create workplaces where people thrive and compliance isn’t an afterthought. From crafting HR strategies to updating contracts, implementing policies, and building a culture of success, I make sure your people practices support your business goals.

If you want to avoid costly HR mistakes and set your business up for long-term success, let’s talk.

27/10/2026

What if the key to developing the UAE's future workforce starts long before someone applies for their first job?

When we talk about Emiratisation, the conversation often focuses on recruitment, retention and career development.

But perhaps we need to be looking much earlier in the talent journey.

During our time at Ru'ya 2026, Emma and I had a fascinating conversation with Yousuf Bin Lahej, VP Emiratisation & Government Partnerships at Emirates, about how the organisation is engaging young Emiratis and their families to build awareness of future career opportunities.

One initiative that particularly stood out was their approach to involving parents in career conversations.

From school roadshows to engaging directly with students and their families, Emirates is helping young people understand the breadth of career opportunities available within the aviation industry.

And there's an important Cultural Intelligence lesson here.

For Emirati culture, family can play a significant role in shaping career decisions. Parents are often influential in helping their children consider their future, evaluate opportunities and make important professional choices.

Yet how many organisations consider that cultural dynamic when designing their early careers and Emiratisation strategies?

If we want to attract and develop future talent, we need to understand not only the individuals we're trying to reach, but also the people and influences shaping their decisions.

What I also appreciated about Yousuf's perspective was the connection between developing national talent and the UAE's wider ambitions for the aviation sector.

Because this isn't simply about filling today's vacancies.

It's about helping young Emiratis see the possibilities for their future and giving them the opportunities and development to achieve them.

🎙️ In this clip from Episode 24 of The HR & CQ Show, filmed live at Ru'ya 2026, we explore how Emirates is taking a longer-term approach to building its Emirati talent pipeline.

A big thank you to Yousuf and the Emirates team for sharing their initiatives and insights with us.

Should more organisations be engaging families and schools as part of their future talent strategies?

26/10/2026

You don’t need a full-time HR department to build a people-first business.

What you need is a clear framework, consistent habits, and fractional HR leadership.

Most small organisations want what big companies have: structure, strategy, and support. But they assume “people-first” automatically means expensive.

Well, it doesn’t!

What it does mean is designing your people practices as deliberately as you design your products or services.

1-> Define clear values and behaviours:

Culture isn’t what’s written on the wall; it’s what gets rewarded in daily work. Even a small team can model accountability, transparency, and inclusion.

2-> Implement scalable systems early:

Simple tools for onboarding, feedback, and performance reviews can prevent chaos as you grow. Automation and templates save time and maintain consistency.

3-> Leverage fractional or project-based HR support:

You don’t need a full-time HR Director to set up best-practice policies or lead development programs. Fractional HR gives you senior-level guidance at a fraction of the cost.

4-> Train managers as people leaders:

The way managers communicate, coach, and recognise effort drives engagement far more than any policy ever will. Investing in that capability is non-negotiable, no matter the size of the organisation.

Remember, being people-first isn’t about headcount. It’s about mindset.

The small businesses that grow sustainably are the ones that bake empathy, clarity, and development into their daily operations, not just into their mission statements.

You don’t need corporate budgets to create a great place to work. You just need to lead like your people are your strategy, not your expense.

—----------------
I’m Sarah Brooks, and I help small businesses create workplaces where people thrive and compliance isn’t an afterthought. From crafting HR strategies to updating contracts, implementing policies, and building a culture of success, I make sure your people practices support your business goals.

If you want to avoid costly HR mistakes and set your business up for long-term success, let’s talk.

23/10/2026

Do employees want a manager who manages them, or a leader who works alongside them?

It's an interesting question, particularly when we consider what the next generation of talent expects from workplace leadership.

During our time at Ru'ya 2026, Emma and I had the pleasure of speaking with Mira Mohammad, a young Emirati veterinarian working at Al Rawabi Dairy.

We asked her a simple question:
“What would a great manager look like to you?”

Her answer was refreshingly straightforward.

Someone who doesn't simply see themselves as the manager, but as part of the team.

Someone approachable, who makes time for their people, builds relationships and creates an environment where everyone feels comfortable communicating.

What we particularly liked about Mira's response was that she wasn't asking for anything extraordinary.

She was describing the kind of everyday leadership behaviours that can make a significant difference to every employee's experience.

Of course, managers still need to provide direction, establish expectations and hold people accountable. But none of that needs to come at the expense of being approachable, supportive and genuinely interested in their people.

And perhaps that's an important reminder for organisations investing in attracting and retaining Emirati talent.

The employee experience isn't determined by HR policies and development programmes alone. It's also shaped by the relationship employees have with their managers every day.

🎙️ In this third clip from Episode 24 of The HR & CQ Show, filmed live at Ru'ya 2026, we hear directly from Mira about the leadership approach she values.

A big thank you to Mira and the team at Al Rawabi Dairy for sharing their perspectives with us.

What do you think makes a great manager: authority, approachability or the ability to balance both?

22/10/2026

We often assume leadership is about vision, but vision without communication is just imagination.

You can have the best strategy, the strongest values, and the clearest goals, but if people can’t understand them, they can’t act on them.

Clarity, not authority, is what earns trust.

Leadership communication isn’t about how much you say; it’s about whether your words make sense when you’re not in the room.

The simplest truth about leadership is this: People don’t follow titles. They follow understanding.

When leaders speak vaguely, teams fill the silence with assumptions. When they speak clearly, people align faster and perform better, not because they were told to, but because they get it.

Great communication isn’t about having all the answers.

It’s about giving direction without creating confusion. It’s the difference between motivating effort and multiplying frustration.

As HR leaders, we see this every day: culture, engagement, and performance all trace back to the same thing: how clearly leaders connect what they expect with what they express.

So maybe the next leadership competency shouldn’t just be influence or emotional intelligence.
It should be clarity under pressure, the ability to make complexity simple and direction actionable.

Because if people can’t repeat what you said in their own words, they haven’t understood it, and you haven’t really led it.

Communication isn’t soft. It’s structural. It’s how strategy turns into behaviour, and how trust turns into results.

If you can’t talk it, you can’t lead it. And in every great organisation, clarity always beats charisma.

—----------------
I’m Sarah Brooks, and I help small businesses create workplaces where people thrive and compliance isn’t an afterthought. From crafting HR strategies to updating contracts, implementing policies, and building a culture of success, I make sure your people practices support your business goals.

If you want to avoid costly HR mistakes and set your business up for long-term success, let’s talk.

21/10/2026

If your organisation is celebrating Pinktober with pink ribbons, pink cupcakes and a group photo for LinkedIn, I have a question.

What are your employees actually taking away from it?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And organisations can do much more than change their office colour scheme for a day.

Here are a few practical ideas for HR teams:

1-> Organise an awareness session.

Bring in a qualified healthcare professional to explain breast cancer risk factors, warning signs, the importance of early detection and when to seek medical advice. Allow employees to ask questions in a comfortable, respectful setting.

2-> Make screening more accessible.

Partner with a reputable healthcare provider to offer employees access to screening appointments at a discounted rate, or subsidise the cost where possible. Share information about eligibility and available services, and give employees time and flexibility to attend appointments.

3-> Make it more than a one-day campaign.

Use the month to share reliable information, encourage conversations about preventive healthcare and remind employees to follow appropriate screening guidance based on their age, medical history and individual risk.

4-> Include men in the conversation.

Yes, men can develop breast cancer too. It's less common than in women, but it does happen. Awareness shouldn't be limited to female employees, and men should know that changes in breast tissue or the chest area warrant medical attention.

5-> Respect privacy.

Health awareness should never become pressure to disclose a diagnosis, share personal experiences or participate in public activities. Give employees access to information and support without making anyone feel exposed.

I appreciate that HR teams have limited budgets, competing priorities and plenty of awareness days to consider. And that's exactly why we should think carefully about what we organise and what we want it to achieve.

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A meaningful campaign doesn't have to be expensive. One informative session, a trusted healthcare partnership or a practical screening initiative can be more useful than an elaborate event with little lasting impact.

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