THE PERCEPTION OF MANAGERS ABOUT WORKERS: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Uma Análise Crítica

Abstract

This article investigates the perception of managers at a university hospital under private management regarding the work performed by their subordinates. The research critically analyzes how their contradictory position—simultaneously employees and managers of capital—shapes their managerial concepts and practices. The study is based on the understanding that, although managers are responsible for ensuring productive efficiency and meeting institutional demands, their proximity to workers allows them to directly witness labor conditions and the tensions arising from the capitalist logic. Using the historical-dialectical materialism method, the methodology adopted was qualitative, including semi-structured interviews with three managers, in addition to documentary analysis and a literature review. The hospital analyzed was originally publicly managed and is now under the administration of the Empresa Brasileira de Serviços Hospitalares (Ebserh), situated within the context of organizational transformations in federal university hospitals promoted by the State. The results reveal that, although managers recognize the dedication and commitment of workers, they also identify significant challenges, such as work overload, role deviation, and tensions in interpersonal relationships. Furthermore, they point out the deterioration of labor rights, especially for those contracted under the CLT regime. The study concludes that, despite their intermediary position in the productive structure, managers demonstrate potential to develop a critical stance regarding the conditions imposed on workers, but remain limited by the systemic demands of capital.