The pandemic has changed the working lives of many people this year, so when we launched a second Wiley Society Practitioner Survey we wanted to know: how has the pandemic affected practitioners and professionals, specifically? We wanted to get a sense for how the COVID-19 pandemic is directly impacting the work that members of practitioner and professional societies are doing: how the pandemic has changed the way they work, and how their mindsets have shifted both personally and professionally.

Should we just stay virtual?

Earlier in 2020, we heard from members that the move from in-person to online conferences has brought more benefits than we might have imagined–virtual events are more accessible, have lower environmental impact, and save costs for the organization and for attendees. Only 10% say that virtual conferences weren’t a suitable replacement for in-person events. Most believe that the switch to virtual is necessary—at least for right now--and 39% say virtual events are even a nice supplement to the in-person ones.

That’s likely to be because virtual events create much more flexibility. Attendees can choose the sessions they’d most like to attend live, and revisit recordings when it fits their schedule. Interestingly, those working for larger companies, early career members, and female practitioners were the most in favor of the move to virtual. Whether or not those groups make up a large part of your membership, it’s clear that virtual or hybrid formats make attending events that much more accessible for people who are less likely to attend a destination conference.

The real-life impact of COVID-19

It’s no surprise that COVID-19 has had both a practical and emotional impact on people’s lives. 40% say they have missed professional opportunities by not attending in-person conferences. 22% say they have lost access to lab time and space as a result of the pandemic, and these numbers increase for those who are members of three or more societies. Perhaps because those members rely even more than others on the networking opportunities through multiple-society membership. In more concerning news, 8% say they lost their job this year as a direct result of the crisis. Job loss because of the pandemic also accounts for at least 20% of all of those who left a society in the last 12 months.

Even more personally, 40% of responders say that COVID-19 has affected their ability to balance work and life. 35% say that the pandemic has increased their stress and anxiety and decreased their work productivity, which is similar to what we heard in an earlier study in May which indicated that 49% of responders had increased feelings of stress and anxiety and 47% had experienced issues around work/life balance. In 2020, for many people, pandemic-related stressors never really let up.

Are we all feeling the same impact?

Women are feeling more emotional strain from the pandemic, according to our survey, especially when it comes to childcare and household responsibilities. 45% of women say they have experienced increased stress and anxiety, compared to 31% of men. 48% of women say that their work/life balance has been negatively impacted compared to 37% of men. That’s particularly important to consider for societies serving disciplines that are dominated by female practitioners like obstetrics and gynaecology (73% female), clinical medicine (55%), and veterinary medicine (50%).  Across the board, programs that help your members balance work and personal life would be particularly valuable right now.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, of course. Scientific research has already led to a vaccine! We’ll check back in to see whether the impacts of COVID-19 have changed with our 7th Wiley Society Member Survey of the research community in May 2021. Until then, societies that embrace the benefits of virtual engagement and take care of their members, in both their professional and emotional lives, will serve their community well.