In the UAE’s dynamic and competitive employment landscape, a paycheck alone no longer seals the deal. Employers across the country are stepping up with deeply personal benefits — from long-term education funds for employees’ children to personalised gifts that celebrate life milestones — in a bid to win hearts, boost loyalty, and build workplaces where people want to stay.
🌟 Beyond Compensation: A Human-Centered Shift
This shift reflects a broader move in the Gulf region toward people-first policies. In place of transactional perks, employers are investing in initiatives that speak to what truly matters to their people — their families, mental well-being, and a sense of belonging.
Take International Diplomatic Supplies (IDS), for example — a company now known as much for its logistics excellence as its pioneering employee support policies.
🏢 IDS: Putting People Before Profits
At IDS, care starts with consistency. The company offers everything from housing and furniture for blue-collar staff to tuition support and long-term education trusts for employees’ children. It even covers multiple annual flights home, allowing families to stay close despite borders.
“The owners may set the direction, but our team delivers the results,” says Patrick Doyle, Chief Executive at IDS. “We understand the long-term worries our staff face. Helping with those isn’t charity — it’s smart business.”
💼 Securing Their Children’s Future
One standout initiative is IDS’s college fund trust, where money is allocated for each employee’s child, to be released when the child turns 18 — secured, future-proof, and independent of company changes.
“As long as the employee remains with IDS, their child’s future is guaranteed,” Doyle adds. “It’s a promise that outlives the business cycle.”
🇦🇪 Empowering Frontline Workers
But it doesn’t stop there. IDS has taken a bold step in relocating warehouse workers’ families to Dubai — a life-altering move for many.
“One of our workers turned up at my house on his son’s first birthday with flowers — just to say thank you,” Doyle recalls. “That moment said more about morale than any metric ever could.”
🎁 The Rise of Emotionally Intelligent Gifting
While companies like IDS invest in long-term life changes, others are embracing emotional value through corporate gifting — and doing it with flair.
“Gifting in the UAE is evolving,” notes Shuja Jashanmal, Group CEO of Jashanmal National Company. “It’s no longer about logos on pens. It’s about personalisation, elegance, and cultural nuance.”
From engraved items to custom gift boxes and digital gift cards, gifts now function as tools of engagement and brand storytelling.
“Flexibility and convenience matter,” adds Jashanmal. “But the real win is when the gift feels personal.”
🥂 Personal Touches at Innovations Group
At Innovations Group, the focus is on recognising the whole person, not just the role. Their gifting strategy marks professional and personal milestones alike — weddings, birthdays, new babies — with items employees actually value.
“No cookie-cutter gifts here,” says Ridhima Dudi, Marketing Manager. “We choose based on personality, not just occasion. That’s how you make someone feel seen.”
📊 Aligning with the UAE’s Progressive Labour Vision
These employee-first trends reflect deeper currents in the UAE’s labour landscape — including progressive laws and forward-looking corporate strategies.
“Today, flexible work, private health insurance, and wellness programs are becoming standard,” says Faraz Ahmed, an HR consultant. “The UAE is pioneering a more humane, tech-savvy work culture.”
He points to the rise of AI-driven HR tools, mental health support, and hybrid work models as part of a larger shift toward well-being as a metric of success.
“A healthy workforce is a high-performing one,” Ahmed notes. “And UAE companies are starting to connect those dots — fast.”
🔚 The Gulf Talk Take: Workplaces with Purpose
At The Gulf Talk, we see this as more than a trend — it’s a transformation. As Gulf economies diversify and digitalise, companies are realising that human capital is the most sustainable capital.
Whether it’s a tuition fund in a trust or a well-timed personalised gift, these thoughtful gestures signal a new kind of leadership — one that values people not just as employees, but as partners in growth.
