Duty of Care in Crisis: Corporate Safety Protocols and Expatriate Employee Retention in the UAE During the 2026 Gulf Conflict
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The escalation of the 2026 Gulf conflict—characterized by sophisticated technological threats, drone defence alerts, and maritime airspace disruptions—has fundamentally challenged the regional stability traditionally used to attract international talent to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Given that expatriates constitute approximately 90% of the UAE workforce, multinational corporations (MNCs) face a critical vulnerability regarding expatriate "brain drain" during active crises. This study examines the evolving role of corporate Duty of Care protocols and evaluates how specific safety measures correlate with expatriate employee retention. Utilizing a mixed- methods concurrent triangulation design, the research analyses quantitative survey data from professional-tier expatriates (N=350) and qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with senior Human Resource executives (n=24) across diverse industry sectors in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. The quantitative findings reveal a powerful negative correlation between Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and an employee’s intention to leave (β=-0.54, p<0.001). Under high-threat conditions, particularly following the sudden collapse of the June truce in July 2026, standard compensation packages lost their predictive power for retention. Instead, the efficacy of specific safety interventions varied heavily by sector mobility: high-mobility sectors (Finance, Tech) anchored talent through hybrid/remote flexibility (β=-0.62), whereas fixed infrastructure and physical execution sectors relied on tangible upgrades like on-site shelters (β=-0.58 and β=- 0.64, respectively) and war-risk hazard surcharges (β=-0.47 and β=-0.55). Qualitative themes highlight a profound "rollercoaster effect" on employee anxiety following the July escalation, necessitating real-time corporate agility and adaptive, encrypted communication networks. Ultimately, this study provides a real-time strategic playbook for international human resource management, proving that structural agility, transparent communication, and sector-specific physical safety frameworks are the definitive anchors for preserving elite global talent in volatile geopolitical environments.
Keywords
2026 Gulf Conflict, Crisis Management, Duty Of Care, Expatriate Retention, Perceived Organizational Support (pos), United Arab Emirates (uae)