Establishing a competitive SME does not require only a competitive idea but also the right set of skills through the right team. Employees must be healthy and engaged to meet goals in the right positions and time. HR in SMEs is as important as in large firms, but is not approached as a strategic partner as in large organizations. The paper explores the strategic role of HR in SMEs in the Kingdom of Bahrain by reviewing the literature in other contexts. The study analyzes the implications of the lack of strategic HR partnership. The analysis focuses on the pillars of HR, which range from recruitment, training, and development, employee experience, retention strategies, employee relations, and Compliance. The factors are embedded in a framework to explore the implications of HR practices in SMEs in Bahrain.
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