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A survey to inform working practices

March 18, 2021

The sudden imposition of remote working in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic affected countless aspects of society. Typically, these changes were introduced quickly, with little time for contemplation or prepa ration. The situation represented a unique opportunity to investigate whether members of the medical communication industry had been able to adapt to their new working environment.

We employed a multifactorial survey to gain an insight into the medical communication community’s experiences with and opinions on remote working. A confidential online survey was developed in English using Google Forms. This tool enables secure and anonymous data collection. Voluntary comple tion was considered to signify consent. The survey was run between May 20 and June 11, 2020. Potential participants were approached by email with a link to the survey through the authors’ professional networks, and the survey was promoted on social media platforms. The aim of the survey, to understand the challenges of home working during pandemic lockdown, was clearly described for potential responders.

The survey included 50 multiple-choice, fixed-response questions and four free-text entry fields. It was designed to be completed in under 10 minutes. The questionnaire was based on an evidence-based model developed by the UK Department for Works and Pensions to examine wellbeing in the workplace. The model’s components included health, relationships, security, environment, and purpose [1]. We also sought a senior physician’s views on assessing anxiety and adapted elements of the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) [2].

Of the 759 respondents, 85% had a positive experience: they enjoyed time at home, liked the freedom, felt secure in their posts, and remained cheerful. Most established a daily routine, coped with an interesting workload and felt valued. However, this was not true for all, 28% of

respondents reported feelings of loneliness and/or isolation. Others noted problems with vigour, rest, and concentration. Some consumed more alcohol and exercised less, while a similar proportion reported the opposite. Most respondents were neutral in respect their personal relationships (45%), with around a quarter noticing a positive effect and a similar proportion the reverse. With regards to finances, 18% were worse off, especially freelancers (37%). Most respondents believed the pandemic would change future working practices [3].

We derived a series of advice for employers.

  • Be flexible. Many responses mentioned flexibility in terms of hours worked and when employees should be working, relaxing strict 9-to-5 rules and 5-day weeks. Those employees who want to continue homeworking should be allowed to, or a hybrid model should be adopted to allow for days in the office for training, briefing, client meetings, and administration. 
  • Trust your employees. Despite little evidence of concern in the survey, many respondents commented on how employers should trust employees to work effectively, honestly, and productively. 
  • Optimise communication across the company. It was generally agreed that employees benefited from regular updates on company performance, transparency and positive updates without the need for ‘propaganda’. Emphasis was placed on the importance of one-to-one sessions with line managers. Some respondents suggested that non-work, social meetings or company huddles could be fun and were good for morale. 
  • Don’t be intrusive. While video meetings were popular, almost an equal number of respondents felt negatively about regular meetings, telephone conversations and instant messaging. Several commented on how they were an inconvenience and interruption to their day. Others viewed these as attempts as micromanagement. 
  • Adopt health and safety policies. Optimise the home working environment. 
  • Offer employees the necessary tools. Employers should provide employees with the equipment they need, or subsidise them for using their own equipment. Utility costs and fees for high-speed internet connections should also be considered.

This study did not specifically look at benefits from an employer’s perspective, but our data may encourage them to adopt homeworking as a means of reducing office costs and increasing productivity. Home working will only be a win-win situation if we avoid isolation and take everyone with us on this journey. 

References

  1. UK Department for Works and Pensions. Workplace wellbeing questionnaire: methodology. 2018 [cited 2020 April 3]. Available from: https://whatworkswellbeing.org/ resources/workplace-wellbeing-questionnaire-methodology/
  2. Spitzer RL, Kroenke K, Williams JBW, Löwe B. A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: the GAD-7. Arch Intern Med. 2006;166(10):1092–7
  3. Hardman et al. Challenges of working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey to inform working practices. Medical Writing 2021; Volume 30, Issue 1

About the author

Tim Hardman
Managing Director
View profile
Dr Tim Hardman is Managing Director of Niche Science & Technology Ltd., a bespoke services CRO based in the UK. He is also Chairman of the Association of Human Pharmacology in the Pharmaceutical Industry, the representative industry body for early for early phase clinical studies in the UK, and President of the sister organisation the European Federation for Exploratory Medicines Development. Dr Hardman is a keen scientist and an occasional commentator on all aspects of medicine, business and the process of drug development.

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