Survey of radiologists on work from home: Using the results to plan a hybrid work model

Abstract

Background The COVID-19 pandemic saw many radiology departments worldwide adopting work from home (WFH) practices for social distancing and operational resilience. This paper explores the attitudes and perceptions of radiologists on WFH in Singapore. Methods A survey was conducted amongst radiologists at a large tertiary hospital in Singapore from 1 August 2022 to 1 September 2022. Topics included whether they met pre-requisites for WFH, the preferred frequency of WFH, equitability, and perceived impact on joy at work, resident training, and talent recruitment and retention. Results were analysed for significant associations with respondent demographics. Results There was an 88% response rate (49/56). 78% met pre-requisites for WFH. Most radiologists preferred a hybrid arrangement of WFH up to 2 days a week (70%) with 15-20% of their team WFH at any one time. Majority of radiologists wished to WFH when providing out-of-hours coverage (76%). There was perceived positive impact of WFH on individual joy at work (mean rating: 4.1), team joy at work (mean rating: 3.5) and talent recruitment and retention (mean rating: 4.0). Perceived impact on radiology resident training was negative to neutral (mean rating: 2.8). Free-text responses revealed concerns about equitability, WFH setup, training, and collegial relationships. Statistically significant differences in responses were found between genders and radiologists who met pre-requisites versus those who didn’t. Conclusion Our radiologists prefer a hybrid WFH model and anticipate it will increase joy at work and talent recruitment and retention. A hybrid WFH model may help address and mitigate some of the potential negative effects of WFH.