Engagement in the teleworking context: challenges and leadership performance

Purpose Community college institutions (ICES) experienced a transition movement during the pandemic, with the expansion of teleworking in the area of education. In addition, administrative areas also changed into this work format. This strategy was innovative in these organizations, and engaging the employees who have remained in this modality is a challenge. The objective of the study is to analyze challenges and actions of ICES administrative managers in the state of Rio Grande do Sul/Brazil to engage their teams into teleworking. Design/methodology/approach The research is descriptive, with a qualitative approach and it was conducted through interview studies. The units of analysis were eight managers from technical administrative areas of six ICES. The interviews and data analysis took place based on pre-defined categories, based on theory. Findings Actions were identified to promote employee engagement in teleworking, with welcoming and outreaching activities. Communication has become a fundamental element for emotional management to take place, and the effective rapport of the leader, in the virtual space, is essential in the process. Originality/value Originality of the study lies in the fact that, for these organizations, remote work in the administrative area is an innovation in processes. Reflecting on the performance of leaders in teleworking can be useful for outlining team management strategies and even expanding the theory on leadership, which is relevant in contemporary organizational studies. Studying team engagement is a theoretical gap, especially in the context of teleworking.