TELEWORK TRENDS: ANALYZING PUBLIC MANAGERS' EXPERIENCES IN BRAZIL AND PORTUGAL

Telework is established as a people management model for organizing work. Its application was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic, predominantly adopted by public organizations to maintain and continue their operations. This research aims to analyze the perception of managers regarding teams under telework arrangements in public organizations in Brazil and Portugal. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 Brazilian and 21 Portuguese managers from public organizations experienced in telework. The analyses were conducted using content analysis techniques. The results revealed that Brazilian and Portuguese managers have convergent perceptions of telework, highlighting modernization, health benefits, cost reduction, and preference for the hybrid model. Managers from both countries recognize improvements in workers' performance and quality of life, although they faced challenges in communication and adapting activities to remote work, especially during the pandemic. In Brazil, managers reported difficulties in getting staff to return to in-person work and focused on adjustments in training, recruitment, and performance evaluation. In Portugal, managers reported a lack of infrastructure for remote work and focused on adjusting schedules and using telework to retain workers. In conclusion, the research contributes by highlighting novel practices such as intentional in-person work and leader trust as a key factor for telework success.