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NamasteAi — AI for Masses

HR consultancy · Dubai, UAE

HR consultancy in Dubai that turns people strategy into everyday practice

NamasteAi is an HR consultancy in Dubai for companies across the UAE. From a first employee handbook to a group-wide grading and pay structure, our consultants build people practices that comply with UAE Labour Law, pay fairly against the market and scale as you grow.

Book a consultation Our HR services
  • UAE Labour Law aligned
  • Mainland & free zones
  • Project or retainer

HR consulting services

HR consulting services for UAE employers, from structure to pay

Engage us for a single project or combine services into a complete HR transformation. Each engagement is led by a senior consultant with hands-on experience in UAE and GCC organisations.

Organisational design

Structures, spans of control and reporting lines designed around your strategy — not your history. We map roles, remove duplication and create clear accountabilities as you grow or restructure.

Job grading & evaluation

A transparent, points-based grading framework that places every role on a consistent scale, supports career paths and makes pay decisions defensible.

Compensation & benchmarking

Salary structures, allowances and benefits benchmarked against the UAE and GCC market, with guidance on housing, transport and incentive design.

Performance management

Goal-setting, KPI and competency frameworks, review cycles and calibration that link individual performance to business results.

HR department set-up

Policies, employee handbook, contracts and HR processes aligned with UAE Labour Law, Federal Decree-Law 33 of 2021 — ready for day one.

Talent acquisition strategy

Workforce planning, employer branding, selection methods and recruitment technology that help you hire consistently well.

HR audits & compliance

An independent review of contracts, files, payroll, WPS and visa records to uncover risk before a regulator or tribunal does.

HR data & insights

Dashboards for headcount, turnover, cost-per-hire and engagement that turn HR data into decisions your leadership can act on.

When clients call us

Moments when HR expertise pays for itself

Most of our consultancy work begins at a turning point. If one of these sounds familiar, a short conversation will usually clarify the next step.

Setting up in the UAE

You are opening a mainland or free zone entity and need contracts, policies and payroll processes that work from the first hire.

Scaling quickly

Headcount is growing faster than your structure. Roles overlap, pay decisions feel ad hoc and managers need a framework.

Restructuring or merging

You are integrating teams, redesigning the organisation or reducing roles, and need to do it fairly and lawfully.

Pay equity concerns

Employees question fairness, offers are being declined or you are losing people to competitors on salary.

Compliance worries

Policies pre-date the current labour law, contracts are inconsistent or you are preparing for due diligence.

Emiratisation targets

You need grading, career paths and development plans that help UAE National employees build lasting careers.

HR department set-up kit

Employee handbook
Employment contracts
Organisation chart
Job descriptions
Salary structure
Leave & attendance rules
Onboarding plan
HR process maps

HR policies & UAE labour law

UAE Labour Law compliance essentials for employers

Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 took effect on 2 February 2022 and changed how mainland employers handle contracts, working patterns and end-of-service pay. These are the points we check first in every mainland engagement.

Contract types
Only fixed-term (limited) contracts are permitted, and they can be renewed. The law recognises full-time, part-time, temporary, flexible, remote and job-sharing work models.
Probation
Probation cannot exceed six months and cannot be extended. If the employee continues after probation, that period counts towards service.
End-of-service gratuity
Calculated on basic salary: 21 days' pay for each of the first five years of service, then 30 days' pay for each additional year.
Wage Protection System
Employers registered with MOHRE must pay wages on the due date through WPS, via approved banks, exchange houses or financial institutions.

Source: the UAE Government's guide to employment laws in the private sector. This is general guidance, not legal advice.

DIFC vs mainland

Two employment regimes, one Dubai business

Many Dubai groups run a DIFC holding or financial services entity alongside mainland operating companies. The employment rules are not the same.

DIFC employers follow DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019, the DIFC Employment Law, rather than the federal Labour Law for most employment matters. End-of-service benefits for DIFC employees generally run through the DEWS workplace savings plan instead of a lump-sum gratuity.

ADGM in Abu Dhabi has its own employment regulations too. We keep separate contract and handbook templates for each regime, so a transfer between group entities does not create hidden liabilities.

HR audit checklist

What a thorough HR audit in the UAE should cover. Each item is rated for legal and financial risk.

  • Employment contracts match MOHRE-registered terms and current law
  • Probation, notice and termination practice is consistent and documented
  • Gratuity and leave accruals are calculated on the correct basic salary
  • WPS salary files reconcile with payroll and contracts every month
  • Visa, Emirates ID and work permit records are current for every employee
  • Working hours, overtime and rest days are recorded and paid correctly
  • Emiratisation headcount, pension registration and targets are tracked
  • Personnel files and employee data meet UAE PDPL expectations
  • Policies and handbook reflect how the business actually operates

Deliverables

What you receive from each HR engagement

Every proposal lists named deliverables and a timeline. These are typical ranges for a single-entity company of up to a few hundred employees.

Typical HR consultancy engagements, deliverables and durations
EngagementKey deliverablesTypical duration
HR audit Risk-rated findings report, compliance gap list and prioritised action plan 2–4 weeks
HR department set-up Handbook, contract templates, org chart, job descriptions, HR calendar and process maps 4–8 weeks
Job grading & salary benchmarking Job evaluation results, grade structure, salary ranges and allowance policy 6–10 weeks
Organisational design Current- and future-state structures, role mapping and transition plan 6–12 weeks
Performance management KPI and competency framework, review forms, calendar and manager guide 4–8 weeks
HR advisory retainer Agreed days per month, policy updates and employee-relations advice Monthly

Planning a grading exercise? Score a few roles first with our free job evaluation and grading tool to see how the method works. When the new structure is agreed, our AI applicant tracking software helps you hire into it consistently.

How we work

A consulting approach built for implementation

Reports that sit on a shelf help nobody. Our four-step method keeps your leaders involved and ends with changes that are working in practice.

  1. 01

    Diagnose

    Interviews, document review and data analysis to understand how your people processes work today and where the gaps are.

  2. 02

    Design

    We co-create structures, frameworks and policies with your leadership, tested against UAE law and market practice.

  3. 03

    Implement

    Roll-out plans, manager briefings, templates and system configuration so the new approach is actually used.

  4. 04

    Embed & measure

    Training, follow-up reviews and HR metrics that show whether the change is working — and what to adjust.

Related services

Advice that links to delivery

Because NamasteAi also recruits, coaches and implements HR systems, our recommendations come with a practical route to action.

Executive search Once the structure is right, we find the leaders to run it — with retained, confidential search. HRMS & ERP systems Move grading, payroll and performance data into SAP, Oracle, Dynamics 365, Odoo or Zoho. Emiratisation Build compliant, meaningful career paths for UAE National talent.

FAQ

HR consulting in the UAE: common questions

Straight answers on scope, compliance and how an engagement with our HR consultants works.

Still have questions?

Our consultants answer within one business day.

Ask our team

An HR consultancy gives you senior people-management expertise without building it all in-house. At NamasteAi we design organisation structures, grade jobs, benchmark salaries, set up HR departments, write policies and contracts, run HR audits and build talent acquisition strategies — all aligned with UAE labour law and the realities of the local market.

Yes. Policies, handbooks and employment contracts for mainland companies are aligned with Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations and its implementing regulations, including working hours, leave, end-of-service gratuity and termination. For DIFC, ADGM and other free zone entities, we align documents with the employment rules that apply in that zone.

Not for most employment matters. DIFC has its own employment legislation, DIFC Law No. 2 of 2019, and end-of-service benefits for DIFC employees are generally handled through the DEWS workplace savings plan rather than a gratuity payment. Groups with both DIFC and mainland entities therefore need two sets of contracts and policies, which we draft side by side.

Yes — this is one of our most requested services. We set up the essentials: organisation chart, job descriptions, grading and salary structure, employee handbook, contract templates, onboarding process, leave and attendance rules, WPS payroll readiness and an HR calendar. You can then run HR in-house, or keep us on as an outsourced HR partner.

We evaluate each role against consistent factors such as knowledge, problem-solving and accountability, then place roles into grades. Each grade is linked to a salary range informed by current UAE and GCC market data, including housing, transport and other allowances. You can test the grading approach first with our free job evaluation tool.

An HR audit reviews your contracts, policies, personnel files, payroll and WPS processes, visa and work permit records, Emiratisation position and HR practices against legal requirements and good practice. You receive a risk-rated report with a prioritised action plan, so you know what to fix first and what can wait.

It depends on scope and company size. A focused HR audit typically takes two to four weeks, an HR department set-up four to eight weeks and a full job grading and salary benchmarking exercise six to ten weeks. We confirm the timeline, deliverables and fees in a written proposal before any work begins.

Both. Many clients start with a defined project — such as an HR audit, grading exercise or handbook — and then move to a monthly retainer for ongoing HR advisory support. Retainers suit growing companies that need senior HR judgement a few days a month rather than a full-time HR director.

Talk to an HR consultant

Let's strengthen your people foundations

Share what you are working on — a new entity, a grading exercise, a policy refresh or an HR audit — and we will suggest a clear, fixed-scope way forward.

  • Free initial consultation with a senior consultant
  • Written proposal with scope, timeline and fees
  • Response within one business day
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