While the global pandemic has forced most employees to work remotely, it, in many ways, is a continuation and expansion of the trend that started with 9/11 and bubbled up again during the Great Recession of 2008. Also, for Ethics & Compliance (E&C) professionals with global remits, the need to effectively work in an environment that limits direct human contact has been a continuous source of challenge. However, even for those E&C professionals accustomed to remote ways of working, the pandemic has taxed their flexibility and resilience.

Ethics & Compliance functions can step up and lead during this time. Specifically, as the scope of E&C programs spans across the organization, E&C professionals can help bridge communication gaps between business functions. Also, E&C teams can serve as leaders, conveying guidance beyond their role on how to balance family life and work activities to ensure organizations can continue working efficiently and effectively. Further, E&C functions can spearhead ways of addressing other challenges working remotely can pose, such as how to use technology, and the effects of isolation, including a lack of engagement and depression, on employees. Finally, working remotely post-pandemic may become the new norm as companies strive to retain top talent, cut costs, and improve efficiencies.

Experienced leaders from the life sciences industry will discuss their experiences with remote compliance and will examine:

• Best practices to maintain relationships with one's team and internal stakeholders. The "silver lining," if there is one, is this situation presents an excellent opportunity to leverage E&C personnel as the communication hub to manage organic cross-communication for relevant stakeholders while working remotely.
  
  
• How best to leverage current technology for one's home office and what can academia, and even our young adults, teach us?
  
  
• Identify challenges for balancing blended work-life activities, especially when your "normal routine" is upset. "Work/Life" balance takes on a whole new meaning. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, family life and work activities will inevitably interweave as never before (e.g., childcare and at home disruptions). Balancing the two and supporting each other is vital to working efficiently and effectively.
  
  
• How to recognize individual challenges and employee well-being? It is essential to pause and think holistically on how the more significant event is affecting people on a personal level. The move to working remotely can pose challenges such as the proper use of technology, and the resulting isolation and depression due to the virus. What are some strategies and technics for coping in the remote world?
  
  
• Recognize that returning to "normal" means that the future of hybrid of working in-house and remotely likely become more prevalent in the aftermath of the pandemic.