Employee support during conflict has moved from theoretical policy to immediate necessity. Research shows that workers with family, cultural, or national ties to conflict zones experience elevated levels of anxiety, sleep disruption, and difficulty concentrating at work by a lot. UAE-based psychologists have described constant exposure to conflict news as among the most significant sources of stress in the current environment.
Supporting your employees during times of regional conflict isn’t just compassionate leadership. It’s now a legal requirement under Federal Mental Health Law No. 10 of 2023, which came into force on 30 May 2024.
This article provides practical steps for recognising when employees are struggling and meeting your legal obligations. You’ll learn how to communicate during crisis periods and activate mental health resources that are already available through your benefits programme.
Understanding how conflict impacts your workforce
The psychological toll of distant conflict
The effect extends beyond those with direct connections to conflict zones. Constant exposure to conflict news creates what clinicians call “vicarious trauma” and “compassion fatigue” across entire teams. This phenomenon affects approximately 10 million people who experience conflict at work each year, and 85% of employees report some form of workplace conflict.
Your brain notices conflict as a threat and triggers a fight, flight, or freeze response. The hypothalamus activates an alarm system that prompts your adrenal glands to release stress hormones, especially cortisol and adrenaline. Adrenaline increases heart rate and blood pressure. Cortisol floods glucose into your bloodstream and suppresses non-essential functions like digestion and reproduction. This response protects you when danger is immediate, but chronic activation causes serious damage.
Cortisol levels stay elevated without relief when stress remains unresolved. Your body develops glucocorticoid receptor resistance with these sustained levels, keeping stress mediators high and compromising your immune system. This chronic state triggers inflammation throughout your body and directly contributes to cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, anxiety, and depression. Workplace conflict affected the mental health of 75% of employees.
Common signs employees are struggling
Warning signs fall into distinct patterns you can observe:
- Appearance changes: Noticeable fatigue, weight fluctuations, declining personal hygiene, or fidgety and restless movements
- Behavioral changes: Increased absenteeism, arriving late and leaving early, withdrawal from colleagues, reduced communication, missing deadlines, or complaints of headaches and sleep problems
- Productivity decline: Difficulty concentrating, more frequent errors, lower quality work, or inability to complete tasks that were manageable before
- Emotional indicators: Visible distress or tearfulness, irritability, unusual quietness, being overwhelmed easily, or expressing hopelessness
- Interpersonal tension: Especially when colleagues from different national backgrounds become defensive or avoid social interactions
Research shows that 81.6% of workers experiencing conflict reported “attacks on the person”, while 92.1% reported “attacks on the work situation”. These figures reveal how pervasive the effect becomes.
How crisis magnifies existing health conditions
The UAE workforce already carries a high burden of stress-related and chronic conditions. Heart disease risks, diabetes, musculoskeletal issues, and burnout drive the majority of absences and insurance claims. Crisis periods magnify all of these conditions. A spike in anxiety today can accelerate the deterioration of a chronic condition that was manageable last month.
Chronic stress raises blood pressure, increases heart rate irregularities and heightens inflammation throughout your body. This inflammation weakens immune response and makes employees more susceptible to illness. Prolonged cortisol exposure can damage brain tissue and contribute to structural changes associated with chronic stress. The digestive system suffers through acid reflux, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Musculoskeletal symptoms emerge, such as neck and shoulder tension, jaw clenching, and tension headaches that can trigger migraines in susceptible individuals.
Supporting your employees during times of regional conflict requires understanding these interconnected physical and psychological responses. The crisis doesn’t show up as an obvious mental health claim but as a spike in emergency room visits, GP appointments, and specialist referrals.
Your legal obligations under UAE mental health law
Federal Mental Health Law No. 10 of 2023 explained
Federal Mental Health Law No. 10 of 2023 came into force on 30 May 2024. It replaced outdated 1981 legislation. The law applies in the UAE, with the exception of the financial free zones ADGM and DIFC.
The law defines a psychiatric patient as anyone diagnosed with disturbances in thinking, mood, behaviour, perception, memory, or other mental abilities. These disturbances lead to defects in social, employment, or educational functions or cause psychological suffering. This definition is broad and covers common conditions in reality, such as depression and general anxiety disorders. Supporting your employees during times of regional conflict falls directly under this legal framework, given its scope.
Non-discrimination and confidentiality requirements
Article 9(5) prohibits employers from restricting employment or terminating services due to mental health conditions. You cannot dismiss an employee suffering from a psychiatric disorder without getting a report from a special medical committee and complying with other UAE laws.
The law does not yet define how or where this special medical committee will be formed. The Implementing Regulations should clarify this process and are expected within a year of the law’s publication. You should have employees examined by medical specialists before proceeding with any termination related to mental health until then.
Article 9(9) requires strict confidentiality of employee mental health information in addition to employment protections. This safeguards privacy and dignity in the workplace. This confidentiality obligation extends to all information about an employee’s psychiatric condition.
The law imposes penalties between AED 50,000 and AED 200,000, plus potential imprisonment. The legislation does not link these penalties to employer breaches, making specific consequences for non-compliance unclear. The forthcoming Implementing Regulations should provide further guidance on enforcement mechanisms.
Practical compliance steps during conflict periods
You must assess whether you hold any information suggesting an employee suffers from a psychiatric disorder before addressing performance or disciplinary issues. Please obtain a medical committee report if such information exists and evaluate whether reasonable adjustments can accommodate the employee’s situation.
Employee support becomes more critical during conflict periods. Develop monitoring mechanisms that include regular policy reviews and audits. Train managers on mental health awareness and provide reasonable accommodations for employees with mental health conditions.
UAE Labor Law intersections
The Mental Health Law creates tension with existing UAE Labor Law provisions. The Labor Law generally makes termination possible where an employee has exhausted sick leave entitlement without requiring medical committee approval. How these provisions settle remains unclear. The current legal framework requires you to work through both sets of requirements until the Implementing Regulations provide clarity.
The protection now granted to employees will affect your termination process. You should establish protocols for determining whether an employee qualifies as a psychiatric patient and for liaising with medical committees to obtain the reports that are needed.
Supporting your employees during times of regional conflict: Communication strategies
The principles of effective crisis communication
Transparent communication builds credibility with your workforce at the time crisis strikes. Honesty about current effects and what might happen, paired with clear response plans, enables employees to make informed decisions and maintain confidence in leadership. Transparency requires you to admit the times you don’t have all the answers rather than conceal negative information.
Empathy acknowledges the emotional toll crises inflict. You cannot know how regional conflict affects each worker on a personal level, given that family connections and cultural ties vary widely. Being willing to show empathy means you listen to employee concerns, prove their feelings right, and offer reassurance. This creates connection and solidarity.
Trustworthiness defines the employer-employee relationship during uncertainty. Deliver accurate information, follow through on commitments, and act with integrity to maintain trust throughout the crisis period. Research on crisis management indicates that employees want organisations to respond to issues and events they care about. The internal messaging to your workforce must balance stark reality with the promise of a better future and reassure workers that competent, caring leaders guide them.
What managers should say and how to say it
Effective leaders recognise disagreements and create appropriate boundaries while supporting their employees. They remind teams about organisational values and shared goals. They stress how important working together is, whatever individual beliefs about external events might be.
Train your managers to communicate with empathy by understanding team members’ concerns and providing personalised support through one-on-one checkups. These conversations should show genuine care for each employee’s wellbeing. Managers must set the tone with their own actions and show respect, objectivity, and open-mindedness while avoiding political views at inappropriate times.
Handling difficult conversations and check-ins
Active listening strengthens your relationship with employees by demonstrating they have something worthwhile to say. This skill requires you to engage with the speaker to understand their message and emotions rather than plan your next response.
Express your sincere desire to understand. If you’re involved in any tension, admit responsibility for your contribution. Frame statements from your perspective using “I” language. Instead of “You never listen,” say, “I feel frustrated at the time my ideas aren’t thought over”. This lets you express feelings without placing blame or triggering defensiveness.
Run effective one-on-ones throughout the crisis. This allows managers to understand how employees are feeling and how you can better support them. Employees need these meetings to be a safe space where they can provide feedback and discuss concerns privately.
Setting boundaries on workplace discussions
Set clear boundaries for conflict-related discussions in the workplace. Please define acceptable practices and share these guidelines with all employees. Some organisations block such conversations in their work channels. Others allow space for personal expression with guardrails in place.
Promote kindness, tolerance, and respect. Remind employees never to assume others believe the same thing they do. Respect employee privacy and their right to keep personal beliefs private without pressure to disclose views or participate in discussions. If discussions lead to conflicts, address them promptly and fairly by reminding employees of company policies and enforce them without hesitation.
Activating your mental health benefits and resources
What your group medical insurance actually covers
Group medical insurance in the UAE has expanded mental health coverage by a lot. Most enhanced plans now include psychiatric consultations, therapy sessions, counselling, diagnostic tests, medications, and hospitalisations for mental health conditions. Covered disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorders, and psychotic disorders.
Coverage details vary between providers and plans. Basic mental health coverage starts at Dh950. Detailed plans that offer wide-ranging options begin at Dh3,000. Some insurers treat mental illnesses on par with physical ones and provide comparable coverage scopes that include hospitalisations, therapy sessions, pharmaceuticals, and related services. But certain providers may exclude doctor consultations for psychological conditions while maintaining coverage for hospitalisation and room rent.
Review your specific policy terms before supporting your employees during times of regional conflict. Check for limitations on therapy session numbers, pre-authorisation requirements, and coverage for pre-existing mental health conditions.
How to make benefits information available
Research reveals that 85% of employees report confusion about their benefits. This confusion becomes dangerous during crises when workers need support most. Your benefits information cannot sit behind firewalls that require special VPN access or complicated login procedures.
Provide talking points to managers about where employees can access help and how to use benefits that are available. Make information available through multiple access points: QR codes, mobile apps, break-room posters and physical postcards. Keep EAP and crisis numbers visible in workplaces, especially in private spaces like bathrooms where people process emotions and in public areas.
How can we help you? At Expat Wealth At Work, our role isn’t just to advise on insurance policies. We help you protect your people. During a period of regional conflict, that means providing practical, usable guidance, not just at renewal time. If you want to talk through how to support your team during this period, we are here. Get in touch.
Free UAE mental health resources to share
The UAE offers many free, confidential mental health services. The National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing operates 800-HOPE (800 4673), available 8am to 8pm daily. Abu Dhabi’s 800-SAKINA (800-725462) provides 24/7 psychological first aid in Arabic and English.
Medico Arabia offers free 24/7 trauma-informed support at +971 56 900 5443 and +971 50 159 0070. American Hospital Dubai maintains a mental health hotline at +971 4 377 4686. The Taalouf family counselling line (800623) connects callers with specialist consultants.
When to escalate beyond internal support
Crisis helplines through your EAP act as entry points, not endpoints. They provide immediate support and connect employees to longer-term resources covered by your benefits, such as counselling, financial coaching, or workplace accommodation guidance. Escalate to professional mental health services through your insurance provider’s network when employees show persistent distress despite using internal resources.
Taking action: Your step-by-step implementation plan
Acknowledge the situation internally
Address the crisis with your workforce in a transparent and timely manner. Employees recognise manufactured statements that contradict organisational values. Acknowledgement demonstrates responsible leadership in tune with employee needs and prevents rumour mills from circulating internally. Communicate what you know and commit to keeping people informed as situations develop, even if you cannot share complete details.
Brief your managers on their role
Train managers on mental health awareness and present them the key information about available support before any crisis conversations. Prepare them for difficult conversations using a trauma-informed, empathetic approach. Managers should understand their responsibility to conduct regular check-ins that focus on employee wellbeing rather than diving straight into work updates. Ensure they can distinguish between situations requiring immediate escalation and those manageable through internal support.
Communicate available support with clarity
Make mental health resources visible through multiple channels your employees already use. Promote EAP services and counselling options via company email, intranet platforms, and messaging systems. Set up dedicated channels for crisis updates.
Maintain regular personal contact
Establish weekly check-in routines early in the crisis. Two-way dialogue remains essential because employees often provide useful observations and solutions. Active listening builds trust and reduces frustration caused by feeling powerless.
Monitor and adjust your approach
Collect employee feedback through pulse surveys to track sentiment and identify pain points with immediate effect. Conduct debriefing sessions to determine what worked and what didn’t. Please update your response according to these findings and continuously refine protocols.
Final Thoughts
Supporting your employees at the time of regional conflict is now a legal requirement and we need to address it as a business priority. You have the framework: understanding how conflict affects your workforce, meeting your obligations under Federal Mental Health Law No. 10 of 2023, communicating with empathy, and activating the mental health resources within your benefits programme.
Implementation is where the real work begins. Expat Wealth At Work helps you protect your people during periods of regional conflict with practical guidance that goes beyond standard renewal conversations. Please develop your action plan today and brief your managers. Make support resources visible in every channel your teams use. Your workforce depends on leaders who respond when crisis strikes decisively.
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