Leading with inclusion: driving frontline employee proactive behaviors for service excellence

Purpose Despite increasing interest in Inclusive Leadership (IL), its influence on frontline employees' proactive behaviours in diverse service environments like the United Arab Emirates (UAE) remains underexplored. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study investigates how IL promotes employees' Willingness to Report Customer Complaints (WRC) and engage in Extra-role Customer Service (ERS), with Psychological Safety (PS) mediating these relationships and Social Well-being (SW) moderating their effects. Design/methodology/approach Data from 403 frontline employees in various service organisations was collected via convenience sampling and analysed using SmartPLS 3.3. Meanwhile, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed to test the research hypotheses. Findings IL enhances PS by fostering open communication, valuing diverse perspectives, and ensuring fair treatment. This encourages frontline employees to go beyond their duties in customer service and report issues to management for service improvement. Feeling psychologically safe makes employees more engaged in enhancing service quality. Moreover, SW strengthens these effects, making employees even more proactive. Practical implications Managers should adopt IL by being open, accessible, and fair, thereby strengthening PS and encouraging proactive behaviours. They must create a safe space where employees can voice concerns, share ideas, and learn from mistakes without fear of punishment. Enhancing SW through team activities, mentorship, and peer-support networks further motivates employees to improve service quality. Originality/value This study addresses two critical frontline behaviours, proactive customer service and WRC, within a single framework. It highlights how IL fosters PS, which in turn drives these behaviours, with SW strengthening these effects. By examining these dynamics in the UAE's diverse service sector, this study fills a key gap in Middle Eastern research and provides actionable insights for management.