Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in Dubai have specific HR and payroll pain points- whether it is strict adherence to Wage Protection System (WPS) or bilingual user interfaces and smooth integration with local regulations. A proper selection process of the HR and Payroll ERP may simplify the processes, raise the level of employee satisfaction, and enable growth. And now, an expert-picked list of the best solutions specifically designed to fit Dubai SMB market in general:
- gulfHR
The reason why it glows:
gulfHR is designed to support the GCC region was designed to support both Arabic and English, as well as, provide WPS compliance and features such as visa tracking, on boarding, and employee lifecycle workflows.
Ideal for:
SMBs desiring a localised, compliant and modular system that is rapidly adoptable in Dubai.
- Bayzat
What is remarkable:
Bayzat is HR, payroll, and benefits management software developed in the UAE. It offers an integrated WPS, document management, employee self-service and even health insurance comparisons.
Best for:
SMBs wanting a user-friendly, end-to-end platform with robust UAE labor law compliance-offering built-in benefits tools.
- Zoho Payroll & Zoho People
Payroll power:
Zoho Payroll makes WPS salary payments, end-of-service benefits and creates compliant SIF files automatic. It seamlessly works with Zoho People creating a shared HRMS experience. It is cheap and effective as it costs approximately AED 7-11 per employee per month.
HRMS strength:
Zoho People has customizable workflows, time tracking, performance management, and self-service experience all of which suits very well SMBs that require flexibility and affordability.
Best for:
Startups or SMBs that are already integrated within the Zoho ecosystem (or intend to be), and are looking to affordability and flexibility in HR and payroll.
- GreytHR
The reason why it works:
GreytHR is a cloud-based HRMS used in the Middle East, which automates payroll (including GOSI and gratuity calculations), leave management, attendance, and ESS. It is relatively affordable and easy to interact with.
Ideal for:
Cost-sensitive SMBs who require basic HR + payroll, but require the compliance to be built in locally.
- ZenHR
Regional focus:
Crafted to suit the MENA region, ZenHR is bilingual, multi-currency payroll, performance management, and regional labor law compliant. It makes it easy to onboard, engage and appraise employees.
Also noteworthy:
It involves automatic salary functions such as deductions and vacation adjusted pay through ESS mobile application.
Best for:
SMBs who are interested in a regionally sensitive, bilingual platform with balanced HR and payroll features.
Enterprise-lite strength:
Sowaan’s Best ERP Dubai provides modular HR and payroll, with strong WPS compliance, Arabic/English capability, versatile reporting, and compatibility with such leading ERP systems as Oracle or SAP.
Best for:
Increasing mid-market companies or small-to-medium businesses that require scalable, customizable, and ERP-interoperable applications.
- DS Payroll 365
To Dynamics users:
DS Payroll 365 is a native integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 (F&O or Business Central) and supports visa tracking, WPS, gratuity, multi-country payroll, and detailed pay structure.
Ideal for:
SMBs who have already invested in Dynamics that want an add-on which is native, compliant and payroll-centric.
- Humantiz & Akrivia HCM
Humantiz:
Dubai-based tool that is skilled in automating payroll, multi-country support, flexible pay structures, gratuity and compliance management. More than 25,000 salary slips on a monthly basis.
Akrivia HCM:
Provides multi-entity payroll, WPS and HRA compliance, variable pay cycle and global payroll functions across subsidiaries.
Best for:
SMBs having global framework or seen-to-be expansion, that have to manage regional and multi-entity payroll administration.
Final Thoughts
The SMB HR & Payroll ERP market in Dubai is filled with solutions- whether it is local, nimble solutions such as GulfHR and Bayzat or comprehensive integrations such as Paylite and DS Payroll 365 to suit the needs of the ERP focused firms. No matter what type of functionality you require whether it be budget-friendly, bilingual or able to scale to multi-entity operations there is a solution that fits.
To choose the best:
Explain what is important to you:
Local compliance, budgeting, expansion or ERP integration?
Demo and test WPS workflows.
Support and training--particularly such tools as gulfHR, Bayzat, SowaanERP, or GreytHR that are provided locally with support based in the UAE.
The proper platform will allow your SMB to take HR efficiency, compliance, and release valuable time to dedicate to growth and innovation within the dynamic business environment of Dubai.