Facing Job Loss in the UAE: How Can My Friend Navigate Her Contract Ending Soon?

Dear All!

One of my friends is working in an IT software company in the HR department in the UAE. There, she has signed a contract for 3 years, which is the normal formality to obtain a company visa in the UAE. She joined the company in July, but her company visa started 6 months later. Before that, it was a visit visa. When she joined the company, there was no HR department. She recruited many people in the company for different positions, including the HR manager. Even her boss was happy. Now, her visa is expiring at the year-end, and the boss has started ignoring her. Her HR manager told her that the boss is planning to remove her in July as she is completing 3 years while the contract is ending at the year-end. She has no job in hand. Can you guys please suggest something for her in this case?

Will be thankful to all.

Options I can think of:

- Face it as it comes
- Explore other job options in the UAE
- Return to the home country — I would assume it as India. There are plenty of opportunities there. If she needs assistance, I can offer help.

All said, if the present employers want to continue, they will do so, or explore the options mentioned above.

Dear Shilpi,

Ask your friend to talk to her boss's superior or any personnel who has authority to renew or end the contracts. Ask her to take with her all the certificates of appreciation or achievement letters. If there are no certificates given by the company, ask her to prepare a summary of everything she has accomplished in the last three years since joining. Let her present her performance in front of the authority and convince them that she has always been an asset to the company. Then, let her ask questions to the authority, stating that if the company feels she should leave when the contract ends, she will comply.

There may be a situation where it is possible that your friend's boss might not have presented her performance to the higher authorities and instead, he might have taken all the credit. It is now the time to show your courage and inform the higher authorities of her worthiness. If the decision turns out to be negative, then you won't have any other option. Also, ask her to consider renewing her visa if possible and inform the company that her visa can be extended, allowing her to continue serving the organization. Provide them with all the options from your side and await the outcome.

That's what you can do. Offer them a good fight regardless of the result.

I hope this advice may be of help to you.

Thank you, Purnima, for your suggestion. I feel that you are absolutely right. There may be a situation where it is possible that your friend's boss might not have presented her performance to the higher authorities; instead, he might have taken all the credit.

However, the thing is that my friend is a good friend of her immediate boss (HR Manager), and as her immediate boss told her about the firing and also asked her not to tell the MD that he informed her. So, here it's a kind of emotional situation. I also feel that it might be possible that the immediate boss is doing all this to save his job, as the company is very small and can't afford two HR people. I'm really confused about this situation, and it's really difficult to get a job in the UAE. The job market is really down, and the only chance to get a job is if somebody refers you.

Please suggest.

Shilpi,
It's a clear trap. Can't you see? There is no friendship or favoritism between professional people, so don't be emotional. The instance where the HR manager is asking your friend not to update the MD about the situation clearly states that he wants to save his job and sacrifice your friend's job. Ask her to be straightforward and highlight her own performance with proofs.

What Purnima says is absolutely true. Face what comes in your way. Do not think emotionally and save your HR manager. If you think you need a further extension, go and meet the right person in the company. I think it will work, or worst-case scenario, be prepared to come back to your beloved country. It's an absolutely great place to work today.

Suhas

Hi, advise your friend to get out of the hellhole called UAE. Let her not complicate matters. One of my earlier bosses, whose contract was ending, talked to his employers about his extension. The crooks did not extend. Adding insult to injury, they tore a piece of paper in his passport for which he had to face considerable difficulty for coming out and entering India.

From an individual perspective, I would rather be unemployed than work in a pigsty.

Greetings,

I suggest that your friend return to India at the end of the contract and then come back to the UAE with a new job. The fact that the boss has not acknowledged her efforts makes it evident that the chances of growth in her current role are bleak. Instead of focusing on finding a way to fight through the situation, it's best that she concentrates on securing a new job. Even if this doesn't happen immediately, she will still benefit from it. As you mentioned, the current organization may not require two HR professionals, leading to minimal growth opportunities in her current position.

Regards,
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