Strategies to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic in the UAE

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the playing field and overall operations for organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the world at large. In this chapter, the authors explore the biggest human resource (HR)-related challenges that firms in the UAE have faced as a result of COVID-19. The chapter outlines the skills and competencies required by professionals to overcome the challenges they have experienced. This groundbreaking chapter also undertakes an analysis of the extent to which COVID-19 and the lockdown have influenced the ability of human resource departments to achieve their key strategic objectives. It has been found that skills are among the most important competencies that professionals must possess today to keep pace with recent developments and in order to navigate the “new normal.” The chapter concludes with a review of the competitive survival strategies that UAE organizations are applying in order to remain sustainable during and post COVID-19.