{"id":35564,"date":"2026-09-21T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/niet-gecategoriseerd\/how-does-working-from-home-affect-the-way-knowledge-is-shared\/"},"modified":"2026-09-21T08:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T06:00:26","slug":"how-does-working-from-home-affect-the-way-knowledge-is-shared","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pegamento.nl\/en\/contact-center\/how-does-working-from-home-affect-the-way-knowledge-is-shared\/","title":{"rendered":"How does working from home affect the way knowledge is shared?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Working from home has fundamentally changed the way we collaborate. What was once taken for granted\u2014such as popping into a colleague\u2019s office for a quick question or listening in on a conversation with an experienced employee\u2014is no longer a given in a hybrid work environment. For years, it was precisely those informal moments that drove knowledge sharing in the workplace<\/strong>. Now that working from home has become a structural part of how many organizations operate, the question is no longer whether knowledge management affects remote work, but how an organization can ensure that knowledge isn\u2019t lost.<\/p>\n

This is particularly urgent for customer service teams. When employees work in different locations, even small gaps in knowledge can quickly have a major impact on the quality of customer interactions. In this article, we explore how working from home affects knowledge sharing and what concrete steps you can take to effectively safeguard knowledge, even when working remotely.<\/p>\n

Informal knowledge transfer disappears when working from home<\/h2>\n

Much of the knowledge within organizations is not documented. It resides in the minds of experienced employees, in the way someone handles a difficult conversation, or in the unwritten rules that determine how a department really operates. This so-called tacit knowledge<\/em> is traditionally passed on through informal interactions: at the coffee machine, during a group lunch, or simply by sitting next to one another.<\/p>\n

When working from home, those moments largely disappear. New employees are less likely to run into an experienced colleague who can help them get started. Routines that used to be passed down organically are quietly disappearing. As a result, knowledge becomes increasingly concentrated among individuals, without the organization even realizing it. This is precisely the greatest risk when it comes to informal knowledge transfer while working from home<\/strong>: it remains invisible until someone leaves or is unable to work.<\/p>\n

How Digital Tools Structure Knowledge Sharing<\/h2>\n

Digital tools offer a partial solution to the loss of informal knowledge transfer. Collaboration platforms, internal wikis, and knowledge bases make it possible to document information and make it accessible, regardless of where someone works. But a tool is only effective if it is supported by a culture that encourages knowledge sharing.<\/p>\n

From a practical standpoint, it helps to make a clear distinction between different types of knowledge storage. Process knowledge\u2014such as how to log a complaint\u2014is well-suited for a structured knowledge base for customer contact<\/a>. Experiential knowledge\u2014such as how to handle an emotional conversation\u2014requires different formats: short videos featuring experienced colleagues, peer review sessions, or annotated conversation recordings. By consciously choosing which type of knowledge to capture and how, you can prevent a knowledge base from becoming a digital filing cabinet that no one ever opens again.<\/p>\n

Asynchronous Communication as a Vehicle for Knowledge<\/h3>\n

An often-overlooked benefit of working from home is that much of the communication takes place asynchronously. Messages, notes, and shared documents automatically leave a trail. If organized properly, this can be a valuable source of knowledge. Teams that are mindful of how they document information in chats and project environments are unconsciously building a knowledge archive that new employees can consult later.<\/p>\n

Risks of Knowledge Silos in Hybrid Teams<\/h2>\n

When knowledge sharing is not actively organized remotely, \u201cknowledge silos\u201d emerge: small groups of employees or departments that possess specific information that does not reach the rest of the organization. In hybrid teams, where some employees work in the office and others work from home, this risk is particularly high.<\/p>\n

Employees who are physically present more often generally have greater access to informal knowledge flows. They overhear conversations, pick up on cues, and become involved in decisions more quickly. Remote workers miss out on this and gradually fall behind. This not only creates a knowledge gap but also a sense of inequality that can undermine collaboration. For customer service teams, this is particularly harmful: if employees don\u2019t have the same information, they\u2019ll give customers inconsistent answers, which erodes trust.<\/p>\n

Practical Approaches to Structural Knowledge Retention<\/h2>\n

Knowledge preservation starts with awareness: What knowledge is critical to your organization\u2019s continuity, and how vulnerable is that knowledge right now? Based on that insight, you can take targeted measures.<\/p>\n