We’ve all become incredibly familiar with the various online platforms that have facilitated all of us staying in contact and being able to run organisations and businesses throughout the global pandemic. But as we return to normal, it’s like we’ve almost forgotten how to interact with each other. Staying in has become the new going out and we have become incredibly used to logging in to an online forum rather than meeting and interacting with colleagues. What are we missing online? Is it necessary to get together in person? There is a whole wealth of information and nuances of in-person interaction that are critical to moving any discipline forward especially pharmaceutical microbiology.
The benefits of online
We’re not about to rubbish online webinars, meetings or training because they play a critical role in furthering Pharmig as an organisation. The online format can help with busy schedules in the sense that there is no commute, and you simply log in and log off when you’re done. It’s allowed businesses and organisations like Pharmig to remain operational during the pandemic. The other brilliant payoff of online interaction is they can bring people together geographically who otherwise would find it difficult to interact. That said, let’s look at the benefits of in-person meetings.
Engagement and production are better
Having full visibility of people whose attention you’ve lost can be difficult to manage in an online forum. You’re always striking a balance between the more vocal extrovert team members and the introvert who does not feel comfortable in that forum. There is no opportunity to take the quiet members aside and ask if they have any questions or for them to speak to you in private.
Distractions
Let’s face it we’ve all been there looking at a screen but also gazing around the home thinking “I’ll just put a wash on” or emptying the dishwasher because you can see it. At an in-person meeting, you are fully immersed and engaged.
Teambuilding
An organisation like Pharmig is the sum of its parts. And our team members are flesh and blood people with whom we have an emotional connection. It’s what makes our membership strong. We can feel cut off or disengaged when on our own, meeting up with the team lets you know that you are part of something. A sense of belonging is critical to the success of any organisation.
Our goals
The aims and goals of any organisation are what drive it forward and Pharmig is no different. There is always an agenda for training but it’s the interaction between the membership that sprouts other ideas on developments. Whether we are discussing new ideas, for example. around clean rooms, non-steriles disinfection or contamination control and risk reduction in our labs, sitting with a group of people watching reactions and feeding off the enthusiasm and ideas are so powerful. Therefore in-person meetings and training must happen.
Pharmaceutical microbiology is an ever-evolving discipline, and we rely on the interaction of our members to foster ideas and develop strategies to propel us forward. New ways of working, and ideas sharing are at the core of why our membership started. And truth be told we love each other’s faces and it’s great to see them in the flesh at long last!
So do take a look at our website and see what we have coming up as in-person events which include:
