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• Objective: COVID-19 has mandated remote working across many geographies. We assessed the impact on MedComms work and company culture within one agency network.
• Methods: Employees completed an anonymous internet-based survey, indicating agreement/disagreement with statements that various aspects of their work were negatively affected by the previous 20 months of COVID-19-mandated remote working.
• Results: Approximately 600 surveys were emailed; 194 responses were evaluable. 75% of respondents did not work remotely pre-COVID-19 and medical/scientific roles (45%) were most frequently reported. Irrespective of previous work location, COVID-19-imposed remote working negatively impacted employees’ work–life balance, although most work aspects probed showed no clear impact or were less negatively affected (e.g. career development and communication) (Table). Preferred future working environments were hybrid (56%), remote (35%), office (7%), or unsure (3%).
• Conclusions: This survey provides valuable insights into the impact of COVID-19-mandated remote work environments on MedComms employees. A follow-up survey is planned to gain a deeper understanding of how to best support employees through changing work circumstances.

Table. Negative impact of remote working during COVID-19 on MedComms industry employees^a 

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When the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, the global work landscape changed dramatically.

We assessed the impact of the transition to remote work on aspects of staff work and company culture within one global medical communications agency network with a survey (December 6-17, 2021)

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• We conducted a quantitative anonymous online survey of medical communications agency staff via SurveyMonkey^® between December 6, 2021, and December 17, 2021
• Employees indicated their agreement/disagreement with eight statements that assessed whether various aspects of their work were negatively impacted in the previous 20 months by COVID-19-mandated remote working
• We also asked respondents for their preferred post-pandemic working environment (remote, in-office, hybrid model, or unsure)
• Data were analyzed for all respondents and for respondents stratified by:
  • Job position (medical/scientific, client services, editorial, or other)
  • Length of employment (≤6 months, >6 months–1 year, 1–5 years, or >5 years)
  • Work location prior to March 2020 (remote or not remote)
• All data provided are descriptive statistics

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Demographics

• ~600 surveys emailed; 194 responses evaluable
• Most respondents had a medical/scientific role, 1–5 years of experience in the industry, and worked in an office pre-pandemic 

Figure 1. Demographics of survey responders 

Impact of COVID-19-imposed remote working

• Creativity/innovation and career development were largely unaffected
• Work–life balance was most strongly impacted
• Degree of impact on different work aspects were mostly consistent across demographic groups

Figure 2. Impact of COVID-mandated remote work (percentage agreement)

• The greatest negative impacts reported in demographic subgroups were
  • Staff new to medical communications (≤1 year in industry); on developing and maintaining work relationships
  • More experienced staff (>1 year in industry); on team/company morale
  • Staff with their current employer before March 2020

Figure 3. Differences between demographic subgroups were identified in the following areas:

Future medical communications work environment

• Although work–life balance was impacted the most by working remotely, only 7% of all respondents and 9% of respondents who worked in an office pre-COVID-19 wanted to return to an office position full-time in the future
• Overall, most staff indicated that they would prefer a future hybrid work model
  • 30% (13/44) of staff working remotely pre-COVID-19
  • 63% (92/146) of staff working in the office pre-COVID-19

Pre-COVID-19 work location and preferred future working model

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Figure 5. Percent agreement with negative impact of COVID-19-mandated remote work by respondent functional role in the medical communications industry

Figure 6. Percent agreement with negative impact of COVID-19-mandated remote work by respondent time in the medical communications industry

Figure 7. Percent agreement with negative impact of COVID-19-mandated remote work by respondent time with current employer

Figure 8. Percent agreement with negative impact of COVID-19-mandated remote work by respondent pre-COVID-19 work location

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• All assessed topics were impacted to some degree by mandatory remote working
  
  • Work–life balance and length of working hours were most affected
  • Learning/career development and creativity/innovation were largely unaffected
• Results were generally consistent across employee role, time working in the industry, time with current employer, and work location prior to COVID-19
• A hybrid environment was most preferred for future work
  • These data reflect similar results observed in large surveys of American workers across industries^1,2

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• Employee well-being and equality, regardless of working environment, need to be carefully considered by employers; this focus is critical to the long-term sustainability of agency staff and working practices
• Interestingly, learning/development and creativity/innovation were largely maintained during COVID-19-mandated remote working, emphasizing the benefits of a pro-learning and creative culture
• The term "hybrid model" was not defined in our survey; further research is needed to optimize sustainability and balance the employee benefits and downsides associated with remote and in-office working
• Employers should actively assess and address employee concerns related to work–life balance