Lado A e lado B do teletrabalho: uma análise da percepção dos servidores públicos durante e após a COVID-19

Abstract

With technological progress constantly evolving, new working methods are emerging, including teleworking, which has gained significant prominence and dissemination, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. During this period, people were required to carry out their work activities from their homes, aiming to contain the spread of the virus. From this, public management learned about this modality of work also after the pandemic period. However, since this is a recent topic in public management and with few studies, this research seeks to understand: How has teleworking evolved in the public service during and after the Covid-19 pandemic? To answer this question, qualitative research was carried out based on a case study at the Dean of Planning (PROPLAN) at the Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB). Data collection took place through open semistructured interviews and document analysis, with 11 interviewees in the year 2023. Among the results, the advantages of teleworking were found to be flexible schedules, better quality of life, autonomy to organize tasks, improved productivity, reduced costs for the university and the server, greater family interaction, less stress when traveling, less interruptions, lower absenteeism, work-life balance and reduced pollution. The disadvantages of teleworking include work-family conflict, lack of specific training, social isolation and uncontrolled workload. Changes in employees’ remote work activities are divided between before, during and after Covid-19. In short, initially (before the pandemic was declared), few organizations adopted teleworking. During the pandemic, remote work was implemented forcedly, without prior planning, requiring quick adaptation to the use of social networks and meeting platforms. After the end of the pandemic, teleworking was maintained through adherence to the Management and Performance Program (PGD), using systems such as Polare to monitor goals and results. Legal changes in telecommuting within the public sector through decrees, normative instructions, and ordinances during and after COVID-19 evolved towards a more results-oriented public administration. The role of ICTs was essential for this evolution of teleworking during and after Covid-19, as without technology it would not have been possible to carry it out. Furthermore, issues such as the use of AI to facilitate work and speed up processes were discussed. Another issue addressed was data security, which must comply with laws. It is essential to continually invest in cybersecurity to ensure information protection. Some of the suggestions for improvement include continuous monitoring through follow-up and feedback, investment in training, collaboration from those involved in telecommuting, and adaptations of the control system used.