Question: I work in a Dubai-based company under a team lead who I don’t believe has sufficient skills to be a manager. Many others in my team feel the same way, and we have taken our concerns to the management, only to be turned away. I really like my company and profile, so I wish to know if there is any legal way to complain against boss’ incompetency.
Answer: In the UAE, it is the responsibility of an employer to provide a safe and appropriate working environment to an employee in accordance with Article 13(13) of the Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Employment Relations, which states, “The Employer shall provide a safe and appropriate working environment.”
However, there is no specific legal provision that allows an employee to file a legal complaint solely on the basis of a manager’s incompetence or lack of leadership skills. Managerial inefficiency, in itself, does not constitute a legal breach unless it results in conduct that violates provisions of the UAE Employment Law or an employee’s contractual or statutory rights.
A complaint may be actionable against the manager if his conduct amounts to workplace harassment, discrimination, abuse of authority, or creates a hostile work environment, in which case a formal complaint may be raised with the employer and, if unresolved, with the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE).
Article 14 (2) of the UAE Employment Law, which states, “It shall be prohibited to exercise sexual harassment, bullying or any verbal, physical or mental violence against the employee by his employer, manager or colleagues.”
In accordance with the aforesaid, in case your employer has internal grievance procedures, HR escalation channels, or whistleblowing mechanisms through which concerns about management practices may be raised, you may approach and discuss it with them or approach MoHRE if the manager’s conduct violates the law.
Source – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/legal/can-employees-complain-incompetent-manager