I can't comment on DXB nowadays, but it was the happiest ATC unit that I ever worked at when I was there in the eighties.
It's difficult to explain why it was such a happy unit. It was busy (especially when the Dubai Air Wing was still based there) and manned by only seventeen ATCOs working a 5 Watch roster. That meant nine hour shifts without a break but everyone looked on it as normal.
The ATC management was superb - the SATCO, Jim Sawyer (who looked and sounded more like an East End boxer) interfered as little as possible with the operation and was regarded almost as a father figure; his deputy, Larry Matthews was a real one of the lads. Both of them chipped in at the coal face when necessary and were excellent members of the team. Between them they also successfully managed the introduction of SSR, SMR and oversaw the complete refurbishment of the ops rooms (this included replacing the baby-alarm intercom between ADC and APR!).
Other factors which added to the feelgood factor - there was no LCE system, no SRG, no OJTI courses or OJTI checking (everybody just got on with it!). In short we were all treated like big boys (no girls out there in those days) and allowed to get on with the job with no officialdom bearing down on us.
The downside was that new ATCOs were only given a couple of months to prove themselves worthy or they were out. On second thoughts maybe that wasn't a bad system - in the four years that I was there, I can honestly say that I cannot remember any ATC incident (unlike some other units that seem to have them every other week).
The social life out there was excellent - BBQs, deep sea fishing, wadi- bashing etc. and IAL (now SERCo) was a good company to work for with good benefits (but not now I believe).
To sum up it was a great experience at an excellent unit.
PS The second happiest unit that I have worked at was Abu Dhabi
letMfly