As I have noted in this space before, I’m proud of how the Quirk’s staff pivoted to virtual events after the pandemic hit last year, doing two in 2020 and one earlier this year, and how we delivered learning experiences that nearly approximated the in-person events. But the goal was always to get back to in-person as soon as possible.

That has taken longer than we had hoped, thanks to a host of COVID-19-related factors, but at press time in late October, somehow we are two-thirds of the way through a six-week stretch that will see us stage Quirk’s Events in Chicago (September 30-October 1), London (October 13-14) and New York (November 2-3). (And don’t forget the Marketing Research and Insight Excellence awards, held virtually on November 9 at 1 p.m. ET!)

Two aspects of large-scale events that many may not be aware of are the levels of financial commitment and advance planning that they require. Contracts with venues and hotels need to be arranged years in advance and often require substantial monetary outlays on the part of event organizers. Speaker recruitment is a long and deliberate process, as is expo hall sales.

And that’s in the best of times. Throw in a pandemic and you add a whole host of potential potholes on the road to success. Many large corporations are still not requiring (or letting!) their workers to return to the office and have also restricted work-related travel – meaning some client-side researchers can’t potentially speak at or attend a Quirk’s Event.

Our practice during the pandemic has been to follow local regulations for all three 2021 Quirk’s Events. Chicago required attendees to wear masks. London did not. (We have also made proof of vaccination a requirement to attend our events.) New York’s Javits Center, site of our final 2021 event, currently has a mask mandate.

While I was not in Chicago in late September I was in London in mid-October and I can enthusiastically say Quirk’s London was a hit. The energy in London seemed in many ways back to pre-COVID-19 levels. It was so gratifying to see vendor exhibitors, speakers and attendees laughing and chatting, some embracing warmly, others tapping elbows in lieu of handshakes.

Creeping back to normal

In terms of encapsulating any trends or takeaways from London, the researchers who delivered the sessions and with whom I chatted gave the impression that things were creeping back to normal for them. Work levels are still high – such is life for those in a chronically understaffed and underfunded business discipline – but the COVID-19 crush has waned a bit and researchers no longer feel as inundated by requests from internal audiences who had previously ignored them.

But they are still busy. And in fact, Stephanie Rowley, who offers mentoring, coaching and professional development services to research and insights professionals, delivered one of the most eloquent sessions I have ever attended. In it, she cited findings from the annual Opinium/MRS Mental Wellbeing in Research survey showing that many researchers are being overworked and feel that their mental health is being sacrificed on the altar of profitability. 

Worse yet, some research agencies have rolled out employee wellness programs while not taking actual steps to give workers the freedom to take a day off when they need to. Touting the value of mindfulness and deep breathing while ignoring cries for help from struggling employees is not only counterproductive but also cruel. As Rowley argued, these overworked researchers are quitting because of the strain on their lives. If an emotional appeal to a sense of empathy doesn’t work (do you really want your employees to suffer in the name of profit?) then perhaps company owners should look at the bottom-line impact of training and hiring new employees to replace those who quit because of burnout, along with the years of intellectual capital that walk out the door when an employee leaves. Rather than spending money on recruiting and retraining, isn’t it better to invest in the happiness of those who are already on staff?

On a more industry-wide level, marketing research prides itself on its range of professional ethics and codes of conduct, Rowley said, so how about developing standards or guidelines for research companies to maintain a better work/life balance?

Sounds like a healthy idea to me.