Fostering Healthy Workplace Practices Through Inclusive Leadership Mediated by Perceived Organizational Support in the Mining Industry in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The mining industry is facing a plethora of challenges which are militating against its potential performance despite being regarded as a leading pillar in an extractive-oriented economy. One major issue of concern is unhealthy workplace practices resulting in avoidable accidents taking place. This paper argues that inclusive leadership fosters healthy workplace practices in Zimbabwe’s mining industry. The study was predicated on the belief that inclusive leadership plays an important role in reducing accidents and fostering healthy workplace practices which will enable the mining industry to achieve enormous advantages. Guided by the positivism philosophy and the deductive approach, the study adopted a quantitative research design where a cross-sectional survey was used to collect primary data from 257 participants in the mining industry. The study found that inclusive leadership had a strong positive relationship with healthy workplace practices. The study concluded that inclusive leadership has a strong and direct effect on healthy workplace practices. Leaders who use inclusive leadership impact strongly on the healthy workplace behaviour of employees. It is recommended that leaders should be open, available and accessible to their employees so that employees are free to convey their concerns and share ideas with their leaders that may assist in reducing the rate of accidents and fostering healthy workplace practices.