I've been working here at EK for eight months and enjoy it. So far at least I have been treated well, the flying has been good, and the crews have been cool to fly and layover with. I don't have kids however, so I moved into an apartment right away. The guys with kids are still waiting on villas and that is a sore point with them(and their wives).
Dubai is pretty westernized but for me it can be annoying with the construction and the lack of planning by the government. But you can buy booze here so that helps.
PPrune has a lot of info but I think a lot of those posters have some serious issues. While its good to hear the downside of EK so you can make an informed decision, the posters over there will go absolutely rabid if someone makes a positive post about Emirates.
I'm no kool-aid drinker. I've been flying for the airlines too long for that. But I enjoy working here so far and while EK isn't perfect its better than anything I did in the U.S.(I flew for a major). Just my personal view.