The Culture Gap: Lessons from HRSE Dubai 2026

At HRSE Dubai 2026, the Middle East's largest HR Festival, workplace culture emerged as one of the most discussed topics among HR and business leaders. Even though many companies invest in defining their values, many organisations continue to face a common challenge: ensuring employees actually experience the culture leaders intend to create.

ICS Learn guest speaker Saima Arfeen explored this issue during her session, The Culture Gap: When What We Say Isn't What People Experience.

The conversation resonated with attendees, highlighting a challenge that extends far beyond HR departments. For anyone working in leadership, management, or people development, the session offered valuable lessons on turning values from words on a wall into meaningful workplace experiences.

What does a culture gap look like?

To define a culture gap Saima explained:

"An organisation might champion openness, trust and collaboration, yet employees may feel uncomfortable challenging decisions, sharing ideas or speaking openly. These inconsistencies often become apparent in everyday interactions, particularly in how leaders make decisions, respond to challenges and recognise certain behaviours."

These gaps aren't always immediately obvious. Employees might become less willing to share feedback, question decisions or contribute new ideas. Over time, this can affect trust, employee engagement and even employee retention.

For HR professionals and managers, recognising these warning signs is an important first step towards understanding where workplace culture might need attention.

How can organisations close the culture gap?

According to Saima, addressing culture gaps starts with leadership. Building a positive workplace culture isn't just about introducing new programmes or rewriting company values.

"Leaders need to reflect on whether their decisions, actions and behaviours genuinely reflect the values they expect others to demonstrate", she explains. 

HR teams also play a crucial role in helping organisations put their values into practice. This could mean incorporating expected behaviours into leadership development, performance reviews and recognition programmes.

It's just as important to create chances for honest employee feedback. If employees' concerns are not heard or addressed, asking for their input does not help much. "Ultimately, trust is built when there is consistency between what an organisation promises, what its leaders demonstrate and what employees actually experience."

A Message That Resonated at HRSE Dubai

One of the key takeaways from Saima's session was that workplace culture isn't solely HR's responsibility.
The discussions at HRSE Dubai highlighted the importance of involving leaders at every level in shaping how employees experience their organisation.

One of the key takeaways from Saima's session was that workplace culture isn't solely HR's responsibility. "Every leader has a role in shaping it, and it's often the small, everyday decisions, conversations and behaviours that have the greatest influence on how employees experience the organisation."

It's an important reminder that while HR teams can help establish the foundations of a positive workplace culture, maintaining it requires commitment from leaders and managers across the business.

A Reflection from HRSE Dubai 2026

"Speaking at HRSE Dubai was a fantastic experience. What I particularly enjoyed was the energy in the room and the opportunity to connect with HR and business professionals who are genuinely passionate about creating better workplace experiences. The engagement and conversations around the session were a reminder of why these discussions matter. I'm grateful to ICS Learn and the HRSE team for the opportunity and look forward to next year's edition!", says Saima.  

For HR professionals, the lessons from her session offer a valuable opportunity to reflect on their own organisations, whether it's by improving communication, reviewing leadership practices or acting on employee feedback.

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