Question: I have a peculiar complaint — my boss shouts at me, often in front of other colleagues. He does the same with others as well. He also makes calls beyond office hours, asking us to do work. We are desperate to keep our jobs, so we don’t really say anything back. But is there a legal option for us to pursue that will help us keep our jobs while also ensuring our dignity? I would like to know if we can file a complaint anonymously. We work in a mainland Dubai company.
Answer: In the UAE, it is an obligation of an employer to provide a safe and appropriate working environment to an employee. This is 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.”
Article 14(2) of the Employment Law explicitly prohibits various forms of harassment, including sexual, verbal, physical, and psychological harassment. These forms of harassment may come from employers, superiors, colleagues, or anyone with whom the affected employee works. The said provision reads as, “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.”
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Furthermore, if your employer is being disrespectful and is using demeaning language or shouting at you in the presence of others, he is liable for the punishment of imprisonment for at least 6 months or a fine of up to Dh5,000. This is in accordance with Article 427 of the Federal Law No. 31 of 2021, On the Issuance of the Crimes and Penalties Law, which states:
Article 427: “A penalty of punished imprisonment for a period not exceeding (6) six months or a fine not exceeding Dh5,000 shall be imposed if the libel or slander is committed on the telephone or directly against the victim in the presence of others.”
Additionally, an employee may consider terminating his or her employment relations without serving a notice period upon filing an employment complaint with the Ministry of Human Resource & Emiratisation. This is in accordance with Article 45(2) of the Employment Law, which states, “The employee may quit work without notice and reserve all his entitlements at the end of the service if the employee is subject to assault, violence or harassment at the workplace by the employer, or his legal representative, provided that the employee reports such act to the concerned authorities and the Ministry within (5) five working days from the date on which he is able to report.”
Based on the aforementioned provisions of law, if your employer verbally abuses you or shouts at you, you may consider filing a complaint against your employer with the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (Mohre) and, thereafter, may consider resigning from your employment without serving notice within 5 days after registering the complaint with MoHRE.
