Too Hot to Work? A Coffee Chat on Heat, Health and Work in the UAE

Summer is over, and the midday break with it. But the heat is still here. Join the Gulf Sustain Community of Practice in the UAE for an informal afternoon conversation on what rising heat means for the people who work in it, and what employers in the UAE can do before next summer.

Date: Oct 30, 2026 (Friday)
Time: 3:00pm to 5:00pm
Where: KAVE, Warehouse 20, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai
Format: Coffee chat. No panel, no slides, no lanyards
Hosted by: Gulf Sustain Community of Practice on Business and Human Rights (UAE)
Registration: Free, places limited. Register here

About the conversation

22 years ago the UAE introduced a summer midday break designed to protect employees working outdoors, and compliance is reported at above 99% (Gulf News). This is a strong foundation for further interventions on heat stress. However, it is also a rule built around the clock, in a region where the heat no longer keeps to a schedule.

Peak heat stress days in the Arabian Peninsula are now 4°C hotter than in the 1970s (The National). Humid mornings, warm nights, indoor heat in kitchens and warehouses, and the shoulder months either side of the ban all sit outside the rule. Research from the UAE is starting to show that heat affects far more than hydration, reaching sleep, mood, concentration, relationships and mental health (Gulf Medical University, 2024).

Heat stress touches every part of how work is organised: shift patterns, rest, accommodation, transport, pay, supply chains and who feels able to say "I need to stop". This session is a chance to compare notes honestly on all of it.

What we will explore

• What heat does to the body and the mind, and what the latest UAE and regional research tells us
• What good practice looks like beyond the midday break, and what it costs
• The hours nobody measures: nights in accommodation, the commute, indoor heat
• How heat risk travels down supply chains to subcontractors and labour suppliers
• The link between heat, pay and recruitment debt, and why some workers cannot afford to rest
• Where Gulf heat is heading, and what that means for workforce planning
• The wider picture: many workers arrive from communities already under climate stress at home

How it works

This is a conversation, so come ready to talk as well as listen. We have invited a few people who know the subject well, including UAE-based health researchers and practitioners who manage outdoor workforces, to get us started with short reflections.

3:00pm Arrive, grab a coffee, find a seat
3:15pm Welcome and a few short conversation starters
3:45pm Table conversations
4:40pm What we heard: one insight and one unknown from each table
5:00pm Close. Stay on and keep talking

The discussion will be held under the Chatham House Rule. Share what you learn, without attributing it to anyone. Nothing is recorded.

The questions on the table

1. Work organisation: what triggers a stop or slow-down on your sites other than the clock?
2. Accommodation and recovery: how do night-time heat and transport affect next-day risk?
3. Supply chain: how do you know what subcontractors and labour suppliers do?
4. Recruitment and pay: do debt, piece rates or overtime incentives push workers to skip rest?
5. If a worker feels too hot to continue can they stop or speak up without fear of losing pay, overtime or their job?
6. Do recruitment debt, low wages or reliance on overtime make some workers less able to take rest when they need it?
7. Are workers getting enough recovery from heat outside working hours, including in accommodation and during transport?
8. How do companies know that subcontractors and labour suppliers are protecting migrant workers to the same standard as directly employed workers?

Who should come

Anyone whose work involves employees who work in the heat such as health and safety, operations, HR and worker welfare teams; sustainability, ESG and procurement leads; occupational health professionals; researchers and students; and colleagues from government, international organisations and civil society. No expertise required, only curiosity and a willingness to be candid.

About the Community of Practice

The Gulf Sustain Community of Practice is an open learning network on business and human rights in the UAE. It brings together practitioners, researchers, students and public sector colleagues to share what works on responsible business, from worker welfare to supply chains. Gulf Sustain is an initiative of the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB).

Register

Places are limited to keep the conversation small. Register here