People Under Pressure: An HR View of the UAE Workforce Response to Crisis

Fikrah HR Managing Director Sarah Brooks shares frontline insights on how employers and employees are reacting to rising uncertainty following the February 28, 2026, regional escalation.

To assess the impact of the escalation of Iran-linked attacks on February 28, 2026, on the UAE labor market, Entrepreneur Middle East also spoke with Sarah Brooks, founder of UAE-based HR consultancy Fikrah HR to understand the evolving sentiment among business owners and employees. 

When asked how business owners and employees have been responding to mounting pressure, Brooks sums it up in one word: cautious. “On the one hand, it is buoyant, with plenty of candidates searching for roles, either as recent arrivals to the region, those who were already searching prior to the current situation, or those doing so due to decisions made in response to it. It’s reminiscent of the labor market during and post-COVID19.” 

She expects that conditions within specific sectors, as well as the maturity and size of individual businesses, will dictate hiring trends at present and in the near future. “Unfortunately, smaller entities and those in industries with a higher level of impact, for example food and beverage, retail, and hospitalit are not hiring; they are managing their head counts carefully and, in some cases, reducing them where they can,” Brooks says. 

“This has led to uncertainty and anxiety among both those in employment, with “will I be next?” thoughts, and those searching, who are concerned about finding a suitable position that can support them.”

With businesses across the UAE increasingly turning to salary cuts and layoffs to preserve continuity, Brooks warns that such measures are often a knee-jerk reaction driven by immediate cash flow concerns. While not entirely unjustified, she points out that these approaches are not the only option, with alternative strategies available that can help companies protect both their operations and their people.

“They ought to be reaching out to suppliers, landlords, banks, and so on, and trying to negotiate better terms and payment rates,” Brooks says. “Review products, services, and pricing- what’s selling and what’s not? Where are the biggest profit margins, and can those product or service sales be increased? Is there anything not creating genuine value in the business? What are the mandatory must-haves?

“Don’t skimp on the things that will carry you through—marketing, for example. If you don’t maintain visibility with your customers, you will have to start from scratch again.

“Review your payments and subscriptions—can they be revised, and are they actually needed?

“And finally, have conversations with your team about all of this and more. Keep them in the loop about how the business is genuinely performing at all times, not just in times of need. Celebrate when the business is doing well, and acknowledge when it’s not, then put action plans in place to improve it.

“Put yourself in their shoes- would you accept what you are proposing? Honestly, if the answer is ‘no,’ then revisit it. Ask the team; often, they can come up with solutions and ideas that they will support.”

As both employers and employees across the UAE have been through a phase of rising stress driven by both workplace pressures and broader safety concerns, Brooks believes the post–February 28 environment could ultimately push workplace culture toward becoming more consultative, compassionate, and empathetic.

“There is an air of uncertainty and a sense of being in limbo, with many feeling somewhat disengaged,” Brooks explains.

“Many can’t travel due to flight restrictions but would want to, either temporarily or permanently. They are also torn between the reason they moved to the UAE, for a better life and standard of living, even in the current circumstances, and moving home, where they would feel safer but not generate the same level of income and would face significant compromises to their living standards.

“Then there are those who have truly made the UAE home and don’t want to leave but are feeling pressure from family, friends, and colleagues that they should. It’s a very challenging time all around. 

“Access to mental health hotlines and government support will go a long way in alleviating some of this. Companies also need to step up and support this internally by providing information and space for people to discuss and review their situation, options, and decisions. Hopefully, the changes implemented will be long-term and will greatly benefit companies well into the future.”

In the end, Brooks warns that the market risks repeating the same missteps seen during COVID-19—and cautions that this is not a test it can afford to fail twice.

“For many companies, there is little to no financial planning in terms of ensuring annual leave and gratuity accrual provisions are made or safeguarded, not to mention a lack of reasonable cash flow management to ensure they have the capacity to meet employee salary obligations in such circumstances,” she says. 

“Additionally, they fail to recognize the benefits of communication and transparency with their employees. If they had taken the time, before such situations, to educate and share business financials, even at a high level, it would have made the current challenges easier to understand and accommodate, and the team would likely be more empathetic and supportive of necessary changes.”

Brooks points to one key lesson to be acted on after this crisis, calling on business owners to adopt stronger financial discipline and more robust forward planning.

“I can’t speak for business owners as to their specific needs; however, I would suggest they require financial support and guidance—both in navigating these challenges ahead of time and in managing them now. This includes structured education on financial management, ensuring buffers are in place to maintain payments, guidance on approaching negotiations, and possibly some form of financial support,” Brooks concludes.