Why Day 1 matters: Legal non-compliance in GCC HR isn’t just embarrassing — it’s expensive and sometimes criminal. Day 1 gives you a working knowledge of the employment law frameworks across Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, with specific focus on the provisions that most HR professionals get wrong. You will leave Day 1 able to answer the questions that previously sent you to Google.

• Saudi Labour Law — working hours, contracts, termination, end-of-service gratuity, GOSI obligations, and Nitaqat (Saudisation) bands explained
• UAE Labour Law Federal Decree-Law 33 (2021) — the new provisions, contract types, non-compete clauses, and what changed
• Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman — key provisions and where to find jurisdiction-specific guidance
• Work permits and visa management — the HR team’s obligations in the process
• Nationalisation programmes: Saudisation, Emiratisation (Nafis), and equivalents — how to hit targets without sacrificing quality
• Disciplinary and termination procedures — what’s legally required and what exposes you to tribunal claims

Why Day 2 matters: Hiring the wrong person is the most expensive mistake an organisation makes. Day 2 gives you a structured, defensible recruitment process — from workforce planning through to offer — with a specific focus on sourcing channels and candidate assessment methods that work in GCC and African markets.

• Workforce planning and headcount forecasting — aligning hiring to business needs before the urgent requests land
• Writing job descriptions and person specifications that actually attract the right candidates
• Sourcing in GCC and African markets: LinkedIn, Bayt.com, Naukrigulf, Wuzzuf, local job boards, university partnerships, and direct headhunting
• Competency-based structured interviewing — questions, scoring, and how to reduce unconscious bias in the process
• Background checks and reference processes in the GCC — what you can ask, what you can’t, and how to do it properly
• Offer management and negotiation — how to close candidates without overpaying
• Onboarding for multicultural workforces — building early engagement with diverse new hires

Session includes: interview practice with real candidate scenarios, scoring exercise

Why Day 3 matters: Most employee relations problems escalate because there was no clear process. Day 3 gives you the policy framework and the handling skills to deal with grievances, poor performance, and disciplinary situations — confidently, legally, and fairly. Role-play practice is a core part of this day.

• Essential HR policies every GCC organisation needs: disciplinary, grievance, code of conduct, data protection, leave management
• Writing and communicating policies in multicultural environments — making rules land across diverse language and cultural backgrounds
• Handling employee grievances: the process, the documentation, the conversation — including role-play with real scenarios
• Managing poor performance: PIPs, coaching conversations, documentation standards, and how to avoid unfair dismissal claims
• Disciplinary procedures: issuing warnings, conducting investigations, and managing the hearing process under GCC labour law
• Termination procedures: resignation acceptance, redundancy, termination for cause — what’s required legally in each case
• Managing conflicts between staff from different cultural backgrounds — the HR professional’s role

Session includes: live role-play — handling a grievance, conducting a disciplinary hearing

Why Day 4 matters: Performance management systems in GCC organisations are consistently rated as the most dysfunctional HR process — by both managers and employees. Day 4 shows you why most PM systems fail and what the evidence says actually works. You’ll also build a practical L&D framework for your organisation.

• Why most performance appraisals demoralise rather than motivate — and what to do differently
• Goal-setting frameworks: SMART, OKR, Balanced Scorecard — when to use each
• The feedback conversation: how to give specific, behaviour-focused feedback that leads to change
• Identifying high-potential employees and building succession plans
• Training needs analysis (TNA) — a systematic method for identifying L&D gaps across your organisation
• Building a 12-month L&D calendar on a limited budget — the GCC HR reality
• Kirkpatrick’s four levels of training evaluation — how to demonstrate L&D ROI to leadership

Why Day 5 matters: HR professionals who can present data and speak the language of business have infinitely more influence than those who can’t. Day 5 builds your strategic and analytical capability — and makes sure you leave with a concrete plan for changing something real in your organisation within 90 days.

• The HR business partner model — what it means to be a strategic partner rather than an administrator
• The 8 HR metrics that matter: turnover rate, time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, absenteeism, engagement scores, training ROI, offer acceptance rate, internal promotion rate
• Building an HR metrics dashboard in Excel — practical, not theoretical
• Presenting HR data to non-HR stakeholders — translating people data into business language
• Building an HR function in a growing organisation — what to prioritise and in what order
• Participant presentations: 5-minute HR improvement proposals with peer feedback
• 90-day personal HR action plan — what will change in your organisation when you get back