Working remotely and feeling lonely? – Knowledge hiding and the role of work characteristics

As remote work has become prevalent in recent years, it has brought to light several concerning challenges, such as the issue of knowledge hiding. This study uses social information processing theory to investigate knowledge hiding in remote work. It investigates the antecedents, i.e., job characteristics and consequence, i.e., workplace loneliness of perceived knowledge hiding among knowledge workers. The study investigates the phenomenon from the lens of knowledge seekers. Using PROCESS MACRO, a survey-based field study of 500 mid-level executives was conducted in two phases to test the hypothesised model. The results support the hypothesised framework and reveal a positive relationship between work characteristics, i.e., role and task conflict with knowledge hiding. It further confirms the mediating effect of knowledge hiding between work characteristics and workplace loneliness. This study highlights the challenges knowledge workers face in remote setups and offers implications for future research and practice.