Remote management, five years on: trust remains key challenge | Business

A study by tech giant Cisco reveals that 77% of professionals believe companies are pushing for a return to the office because they don’t trust employees to be productive remotely—an opinion shared by 81% of the organizations surveyed. Conducted by Valor in April 2025, the survey spanned 21 countries and gathered responses from 21,513 employers and employees at companies of all sizes across more than 15 sectors. In Brazil alone, 1,025 individuals participated.

The most striking finding, according to Amanda Pinheiro, Cisco Latin America’s leader for people and communities, is the persistent lack of trust in remote work productivity. “The statistic is revealing because it suggests that, despite years of experience with this model, trust remains a central and unresolved pillar in hybrid strategies,” she says. “This creates an environment in which return-to-office policies can be seen as punitive or rooted in ‘mistrust’ rather than aimed at enhancing collaboration and reinforcing company culture.”

Hybrid arrangements typically determine how many days per week employees are allowed to work from home versus in the office. The survey also found that 76% of companies still struggle to strike the right balance when offering hybrid options to their teams. A disconnect persists between managers and employees regarding expectations for returning to in-person work. “In Brazil, 80% of companies believe their return-to-office policies are well received, while only 64% of employees agree,” Ms. Pinheiro notes. “This gap is even more challenging because it’s the leaders who must communicate these changes and justify the need for increased ‘time in the office.’”

According to Nelson Veiga, commercial executive director at Allianz Seguros—which has more than 1,800 employees—one of the primary challenges of leading remotely is maintaining connection and alignment. “If not well managed, remote leadership can lead to miscommunication, feelings of isolation, and loss of momentum,” says the executive, who currently oversees 470 hybrid professionals working three days at the office and two from home. Mr. Veiga himself follows a 4×1 schedule—four days in the office and one at home—since joining the insurance company a year ago.

“It’s important to ensure that everyone is clear about objectives, priorities, and deliverables, without relying on face-to-face supervision,” he notes. “This demands a high level of discipline, autonomy, and mutual trust.” With previous experience at major banks such as Bradesco and Santander, Mr. Veiga notes that a key task for today’s leaders is balancing the expectation of physical presence with the flexibility that professionals now seek.

“Leaders need to grant autonomy without losing oversight—and avoid coming across as either too controlling or too absent,” he warns. “It’s essential to promote recognition and ‘visibility,’ ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute and be valued, regardless of where they’re working.”

To overcome the distance that can diminish a sense of closeness, Mr. Veiga’s strategy includes establishing “rituals,” such as weekly check-ins and one-on-one meetings, known as “1:1s.” “Leadership needs to be active, present, and available—to listen, ask questions, and engage with the team’s routines,” he emphasizes. “Clear goals, well-defined KPIs [key performance indicators], and trust in the team are the foundation for maintaining high performance in a hybrid model.”

For managers stepping into leadership roles beyond the office walls, Mr. Veiga advises steering clear of micromanagement. “Excessive control wears down relationships and hurts performance,” he says. “Also, don’t underestimate the importance of face-to-face meetings—they remain essential for strengthening company culture and team bonds.”

At Will Bank, a digital bank with 1,300 fully remote employees, Emílio Mesquita, head of product, says the complexity of remote work has evolved significantly in recent years. “During the shift to working from home, the focus was on making operations viable—from ensuring infrastructure to helping people adjust to new routines,” says the executive, who has been working from home since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. Today, the challenges are more strategic and nuanced. “One of them is consolidating organizational culture in a remote environment,” he explains. “Without the physical elements of an office, culture must emerge from daily interactions, decisions, and practices, requiring intentionality from leadership so that corporate values are actually lived, not just communicated.”

Mr. Mesquita, who joined Will Bank in 2023, leads a fully remote team of 25 professionals, up from just six two years ago. “We need to create and maintain a sense of belonging and integration,” he emphasizes. In physical offices, bonds often form organically—in hallway chats and group lunches, he recalls. “We have to foster interactions that strengthen those bonds. Without that, the ‘team spirit’ can fade over time.”

One of his strategies is to promote “light, non-work-related” conversations and celebratory moments. “And whenever possible, hold in-person meetings,” he advises. From a management standpoint, Mr. Mesquita also prioritizes documenting activities as a means of ensuring alignment and transparency in delivery. “By centralizing decisions and processes in collaborative documents that serve as a ‘single source of truth’ for everyone, we strengthen distributed operations and minimize misunderstandings.”