The impact of Covid-19 on leadership and occupational health in remote work environments

Abstract

Given the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of remote work, this conceptual study proposes integrating OHS leadership competences into responsible leadership education. This study teaches executives how to enhance employee well-being in distributed work contexts to help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). PRISMA was used to conduct a systematic literature review for transparency and rigour. The review used Web of Science, Scopus, and Sabinet scholarly sources. Qualitative thematic analysis with Atlas.ti identified key themes and research gaps in occupational health and safety, responsible leadership, and remote work. Leadership education and responsible leadership are linked to sustainable development and organisational sustainability. Leadership education still lacks occupational health and safety standards, especially for remote and hybrid work contexts exacerbated by the COVID-19 epidemic. Socio-economic vulnerabilities, violence, and climate change increase occupational risks and health inequities in Africa, highlighting this shortcoming. The suggested approach focusses adapting leadership education to remote work dynamics and including occupational health and safety competences. Online adult education is growing rapidly, offering a chance to adapt leadership development to Africa's socio-cultural and economic conditions. The framework helps train leaders who safeguard health, promote ethical governance, and boost worker resilience in emerging workplaces.This study introduces a new interdisciplinary paradigm that merges leadership education and occupational health, a neglected area of research. In the post-COVID-19 setting, OHS leadership is vital to responsible leadership education, filling a vacuum in scholarship and practice. The framework helps educators, legislators, and leaders create safer, fairer, and more sustainable workplaces.

Keywords: {'name': 'Leadership education; Responsible leadership; Occupational health and safety; Sustainable development goals; Remote work.'}

Authors & affiliations

Elriza Esterhuyzen
University of South Africa (UNISA)

Leonie Louw
University of South Africa (UNISA)

Tshepo Mabotja
University of South Africa (UNISA)

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