The hidden toll of unfair workplaces
Examining the mediating role of workplace loneliness
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21620185 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mantasha Firoz (0000-0002-8624-5425, Management Development Institute Department of Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management, , Gurgaon), Aamna Khan (0000-0003-2338-1603, Indian Institute of Technology (Indian School of Mines) Department of Management Studies and Industrial Engineering, , Dhanbad), Sudhanshu Maheshwari (0000-0002-6417-2122, Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode Department of Human Resource Management, , Kozhikode), Ashneet Kaur (0000-0002-0288-1783, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research Department of OB/HR, ,Mumbai) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 629-646 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-05 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Conflict Management (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1044-4068 • E-ISSN: 1758-8545 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijcma-04-2025-0121 |
| OpenAlex | W7117688177 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 74 |
Purpose This study aims to investigate how perceived organizational justice affect workplace dynamics, focusing on their cascading effects on workplace loneliness, knowledge hiding and psychological well-being. Drawing on cognitive appraisal theory, this study proposes that perceived organizational justice can trigger negative emotional responses such as loneliness, which in turn may exacerbate defensive behaviors like knowledge hiding and reduce psychological well-being. Design/methodology/approach This study used a two-wave, time-lagged design, which yielded a sample size of 216 full-time employees. The final data was analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. Findings The results revealed a negative association between perceptions of organizational justice and workplace loneliness. Workplace loneliness was positively related to knowledge hiding and negatively related to psychological well-being. The analysis of indirect effects indicated that perceptions of organizational justice negatively affect knowledge hiding through workplace loneliness, while its relationship with psychological well-being was positive. Originality/value By advancing an understanding of the social and emotional mechanisms underlying justice perceptions, this study contributes to the organizational justice literature and provides actionable insights for fostering fair, inclusive and supportive workplaces to mitigate knowledge hiding and enhance employee well-being
Cognition · Economic Justice · Loneliness · Organizational justice · Perceived organizational support · Perception · Procedural justice · Toll · Ethics in Business and Education · Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior · Knowledge Management and Sharing
Emotion And Adaptation
Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB) in Response to Job Stressors and Organizational Justice
Appraisal Theories of Emotion
Development of four self-report measures of job stressors and strain
Knowledge sharing and firm innovation capability
Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors
Why and when do people hide knowledge?
Retaliation in the workplace
Relational Meaning and Discrete Emotions
Extending the challenge-hindrance model of occupational stress
No Employee an Island
On the dimensionality of organizational justice
Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error
Loneliness Matters
As whispers of doubt fill the spaces we share
Exhibiting emotional flexibility to alleviate employee hateful emotions and elevate their justice perceptions
The permeation of loneliness into the workplace
Burnout of Healthcare Workers amid the Covid-19 Pandemic
Culture's Recent Consequences
Job Insecurity and Change Over Time in Health Among Older Men and Women
Balancing cognition and emotion
Knowledge hiding in organizations
Relative Standards and Distributive Justice
The Structure of Social Justice Judgments
Procedural justice and compliance behaviour
Leading by serving
Changing the narrative
Dynamics of a stressful encounter
Patterns of cognitive appraisal in emotion
Does Fairness Matter More to Some than to Others? The Moderating Role of Workplace Status on The Relationship Between Procedural Fairness Perceptions and Job Satisfaction
The role of procedural and distributive justice in organizational behavior
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |