Home office na pandemia de covid-19 e seus efeitos sobre a saúde mental dos trabalhadores no contexto organizacional brasileiro

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of the emergency adoption of home office during the COVID-19 pandemic on workers’ mental health in the Brazilian organizational context. The research adopted a qualitative approach, a descriptive design, and bibliographic procedures, with a purposive selection of studies and thematic content analysis. The general objective was to analyze, based on scientific literature, the effects of this work modality on workers' mental health. Specifically, the study sought to identify the main factors associated with remote work that affected mental health during the pandemic; to describe its positive and negative effects on psychological well-being—including stress, anxiety, workload, and work-life balance; and to analyze organizational challenges related to people management, particularly regarding emotional support, communication, and the boundaries between work and personal life. The theoretical framework was based on the contributions of Kugelmass (1996) and Hill and Fellows (2014) regarding telework and work organization, Mello (2016) concerning the boundaries between professional and personal life, and Cunha (2019) addressing people management and well-being in organizational contexts. The literature review included scientific publications and institutional documents available in open-access databases and repositories on remote work, management, and mental health. The results show that home office ensured the continuity of many activities and provided some flexibility in professional routines. However, when implemented without adequate planning, it intensified work overload, difficulty disconnecting from work, conflicts between professional and personal life, and psychological distress. These effects varied according to material conditions, family responsibilities, gender inequalities, and the support provided by organizations. The study concluded that remote work can be a viable alternative, but its sustainable adoption requires management policies capable of balancing performance, working-hour boundaries, and care for workers’ mental health. As a continuation of this research, empirical studies on the effects of remote work and hybrid work models in the post-pandemic period are recommended