The work has been various transformations and is influenced by socio-historical context experienced. The work environment and the way people relate to it can contribute to the promotion or deterioration of psychic health. Considering that university managers experience enormous challenges in the management of public universities, the present study has as a general objective to apprehend how professors-managers perceive their work context and its influence on mental health. It is a qualitative research, of a descriptive type, which used the case study. Heads of Department were defined as participants. The data collect was carried out through two online focus groups with six participants, totaling 12 managers. The data were analyzed using the content analysis (BARDIN, 2011). First, it was intended to understand how the experience of being a university manager has been. For that, it was necessary to know the way of arrival to management, understand that it involves a performance that involves different actuations (teaching, research, extension and management). In addition, this experience was portrayed through a positive and negative assessment of being in this professional performance. Then, the facilitators and difficult aspects of work were defined the participants' perception. The facilitators are: Training and development; Institutional Support; Computerized systems; Collaboration of the vice, the secretariat and other managers; Planning; Improvements in work processes; and the organization of time. The difficult aspects are: Communication with the units; Limited resources and absence of understanding by professors; Worker deficit; Computerized systems; Absence of preparation and knowledge about management; Violence and disrespect; Conflictive environment; Difficulty reconciling and mediating interests; Purchasing system and use of financial resources; Difficulties in organizing time; Productivity and Overload; Management discontinuity; and, Norms and laws - Bureaucracy. The next stage was to investigate the aspects perceived as potential generators of suffering, emotional distress and malaise. Among them are: Conflicts; Excessive charging for productivity and overload;  Different actuations; Organization of time, personal life and work; Work rhythms; Absence of legal support; Violence and disrespect; Lack of resources; and Norms and laws - Bureaucracy. Finally, the participants presented suggestions for improvements such as: Institutional support; Communication with the units; Legal Support; Better distribution of workers; Training and development of bosses; Clarifications to professors and systematic monitoring of PROGESP; Reflection and involvement of workers; Know the expected attributions and competences; Improvements in work processes; and Strategies for reconciling actuations. The study provided a diagnosis on the perception of Department Heads, as well as providing a diagnostic model through online focus groups. The suggestions presented may collaborate to improve actions related to university management.