By Michelle Hume, M.D., Ph.D.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a paradigm shift in the acceptability of virtual conferences, work meetings, and social gatherings. While many Americans have returned to the office full-time, a significant number still work remotely.

Although large companies such as Goldman Sachs, Meta, and JPMorgan Chase are insisting that employees return to the office, others like Microsoft, Citizens Bank, DoorDash, and BlueCross/Blue Shield offer hybrid jobs, and numerous others conduct hybrid meetings. According to ForbesAdvisor, 98% of workers expressed the desire to work remotely, at least part of the time.

Like businesses, banks and insurers, medical professional organizations and healthcare institutions have been weighing the benefits against the costs of in-person work and meetings. At the height of the pandemic, numerous professional organizations held virtual meetings. Later, some of the same organizations and some healthcare institutions adopted a hybrid format or returned to fully in-person work, with one large survey of healthcare practitioners supporting hybrid or virtual meetings. A large Accenture survey of healthcare practitioners showed that 46% preferred mixed meetings, while 38% preferred virtual meetings. Other surveys of medical conferees support hybrid formats to........

© Psychology Today