Crisis Communication in Pfizer UK - Essay Example

Pfizer UK Crisis Communication Plan Aim and Objectives Today, we live in what has been called a risk society by Ulrich Beck, professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Munich University, Germany. We at Pfizer try to make the lives of people better by bringing hope through the medications and technology we produce. We do not live apart from the world, however, and we need to understand the times in which we live in order to ensure that we can protect ourselves even as we continue to assist others. According to Beck, “Risk is ambivalence. Being at risk is the way of being and ruling in the world of modernity; being at global risk is the human condition at the beginning of the 21st century” (Beck 2006). In the same way that we do not allow diseases to fester and take their course but seek to contain them and overcome them, we cannot throw up our hands and admit that because risk is all around us, unpredictable, ready to strike at any time, we cannot do anything. That would be a defeatist attitude, which has no place at Pfizer. Even in the face of the unpredictable, whether these turn out to be an earthquake, a terrorist act, a fire, bomb, or a scare arising from the use of one or more of our products, we need to have a plan in place so that we would not get so confused running into one another that we end up worse off than before. With a plan we can salvage whatever damage might have been done and get the situation under control so that we can continue pressing forward at what we do best, helping people enjoy good health. Policy statement on crisis communications Pfizer will react quickly and decisively in the face of any crisis, gathering information as quickly as we can so that we can react in an informed manner to whatever the situation might be. Reacting quickly means that if the crisis is one that is related to our products we will act quickly and forcefully by means of providing all the information we have at hand. This is likely to keep the public’s trust in our company. The CEO and the public relations office have to bee informed at once of any crisis. Successful implementation of this plan rests on the twin shoulders of the CEO and the public relations office. Details of the Crisis While there are many types of crisis, this report focuses on potential crisis arising from a negative outcome in the use of any of Pfizer’s products. Crisis Communications team Any crisis relating to adverse reports surrounding a product will trigger the automatic formation of a crisis communication team comprising the CEO, the head of the Public Relations department, the Vice President and the manager or supervisor in charge of the division affected by the issue. The organization’s in-house counsel, chief of Security, and Internal Safety Officer will also be a part of this communication’s team. This team will decide what plan of action to take based on the situation at the time. Also, the team will decide who ought to act as the spokesperson for the organization. In general, the CEO will elect to be the leader. If not, then another person, the head of the public relations department, will take on that role of being a spokesperson for the company. Pfizer’s company telephone: 01304 616161 The above phone will connect automatically to the CEO’s mobile phone in case there is a major crisis. Pfizer UK Media team: Phone: 0845 300 8033 E-mail: pressofficeUK@pfizer.com A copy of a management list, along with those on the crisis team, ought to be made available to all workers so that in a moment of crisis, they can easily connect with others within the company. Members of the crisis team should also come to an agreement as to who will do what. All senior managers are to make themselves available to the crisis communication team in case there is a need to carry out any sensitive tasks. These will be entrusted to senior managers around. They should make sure that their mobile phones are on and clear in an emergency. In particular, senior managers will be deployed to man the telephones and to deal with incoming calls, either from the media or from other concerned individuals. Such calls should be responded to promptly. These senior executives should practice a script such as the following: “Pfizer UK is still in the process of gathering facts and there is going to be a press conference at 3 pm. Please provide me with your name and contact number and I will get back to you with any additional information.” The crisis communication team will determine how the company will position its message. This will involve telling the whole story, as fast as possible and as truthfully as possible. Any mistakes that have been made will be acknowledged. All members of the crisis communication team will have a demeanor that signals seriousness. In an emergency, the public does not want to see company officials smiling, flirting, or making insulting comments. No one in the company should make an attempt to lie or hide anything. If you are not authorized to speak, however, please do not speak. Positioning Effective positioning requires empathizing with those who have been affected by the ordeal and to communicate in a way that signals sensitivity to their needs, not just the needs of the company. If Pfizer shows that it cares about people, it is possible for the public to give the company the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, if there is a perception that the company is equivocating and trying to run roughshod over the public, our image will be severely affected. As Carey (2009) writes: It may be a difficult fact to face, but the chance that corporate leaders will face one crisis after another has never been greater. How does it happen? Human error, lapses in judgment, failure to react in time, failure to anticipate, mechanical faults. And these crises strike more frequently these days than in the past.（Carey 2009) In communicating the company’s position it is critical to be mindful of possible ramifications, including those relating to legal, financial, public relations, administration, etc). if possible, then, the company’s in-house counsel should play a role in the crisis communication or at least decisions should be run past this person. The designated spokesperson, likely, the CEO should remember that what is communicated firs or last are apt to be the most easily remembered. Care, therefore, should go into the crafting of the message. The head of the public relations department could serve as the backup spokesperson. If there are technical issues to explain for which the first and second crisis related spokespeople are unable to speak with authority, then appropriate experts should be brought on board and made a part of the crisis communication team. Spokespersons for the company need to ensure that they are comfortable before a camera and that they are respectful of reporters and other media personnel. Confidence and the ability to deflect questions are highly essential qualities. Stakeholder analysis and prioritisation Pfizer’s business is extensive, with many tentacles. Not surprisingly, the company’s stakeholders are numerous. In a product-related problem, the priority will be to provide assurance to patients and their advocacy groups and the general public. In addition, other stakeholders that are important include health care professionals in the community, non-governmental organizations, think tanks and the government itself. Patient Advocacy groups The general public is of great importance to Pfizer but the vast majority of people do not engage actively with the company even if they are regular customers of Pfizer’s products. Making sure that the general public as well any advocacy groups are notified quickly in case of trouble, is very important. Patient advocacy groups are usually more active than the general public and need to be appeased quickly lest they let their anger boil over, thus damaging the company through potential negative comments. Rather than shunning patient advocacy groups, Pfizer should embrace them and make them an important part of the company’s outreach programs. Pfizer has a long track record of working collaboratively with patient advocacy groups, the leaders of whom should be on speed dial on our mobile telephones. If we contact them ourselves before a problem becomes public, they are much more likely to be soft in their approach. The Public Relations Chief will take responsibility for notifying our advocacy groups. Health Technology Assessment Bodies Health Technology Assessment Bodies (HTAs), who have the responsibility of reviewing medical treatments include such bodies as the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) and the All-Wales Medicines Strategy Group (AWMSG). We routinely ensure that these bodies have adequate information about all our products. Should there be an emergency relating to any of our products, the CEO will be responsible for notifying the heads of these bodies and outlining to them what Pfizer has decided to do about it. Without positive endorsement from these bodies it is impossible to put a product on the market. It only makes sense that we recognize them as the important entity that they are and apprise them of any adverse news as soon as possible. Non-Governmental Organisations A number of health-related non-governmental organizations in the UK engage with our company on an on-going basis. We support some of these groups through the Pfizer UK Foundation and believe that they should be kept up-to-date both with regards to positive elements in the company and any serious challenges the company might face in the way of crisis. The Public Relations head will take the responsibility of notifying the various NGOs we work with regarding the status of any crisis. Community and Hospital Healthcare Professionals Community and hospital healthcare professionals use our products on a daily basis. Because of our close working relationship with them and because of the large number of such organizations, it is impractical, in an emergency, to place individual calls. We will initiate an urgent fax to all these groups in the event of a serious crisis and let them know what to do if the situation affects any products that they might be using. Think Tanks As important as Think Tanks are, we do not include them on the priority list of organizations to contact in case of emergency. This is because Think Tanks are in the business of taking their time to make detailed analysis. Rushing off information to them in the heat of a crisis is unlikely to do them much good while at the same time it might take valuable time away from our company. As such, information would be made available to Think Tanks through our Public Relations arm, only if they make a request. In the normal course of business, we are happy to send information to Think Tanks that we think might be of interest to them. In an emergency, we shall forward such information to them only upon written or oral request. The Government Crisis situations sometimes require government agencies to take the lead. If this is the case, Pfizer’s crisis communication team will work closely with government officers, both to consider government suggestions and to provide information about what the company is doing under the circumstances. The nature of our business requires us to be in almost continual communication with government politicians and civil servants. In times of crisis, our first priority will be to deal with government emergency services with oversight of the particular situation at hand. The company will accept any government directives and relay them throughout the company by the CEO where necessary. Pharmacists Our company has the fax numbers of all the pharmacies that carry our products. In the event of an emergency related to any of our products, we will send faxes to all affected pharmacies and may sure that they get information about what to do, along with periodic updates. This will be handled by the CEO as well to underscore the importance of this constituency to our company. The Public It is a matter of great pride to our company that “Every day 2.7 million people in the UK take a Pfizer medicine. We provide treatments for many common illnesses, like cardio-vascular disease, as well as for rarer conditions, such as certain cancers which only affect small numbers of people” (Pfizer UK http://www.pfizer.co.uk/Pages/Home.aspx). In an emergency, we have to rely on the public airwaves and the company’s website podcasts and videocasts to disseminate information to the public. This is critical because in times of crisis, it is easy for rumours to spread. Pfizer will be forceful in getting information to the public and will send out only information that is true as we know it. Emergency contact list Media contact list Name Title Contact info Dr Hank McKinnell CEO XXX XXXX XXXX John Young Managing Dirctor XXXX XXXX XXXX Pfizer Press Office 01737 332332 News conference protocols Interview Protocols The spot selected for the news conference will be away from the company’s premises and the area designated as the war room of the crisis communication team. Pfizer is very strict about having only designated people speak to the press. This is to avoid having unauthorized information or misinformation seeping into the media for which the company has to spend additional time explaining. Members of the crisis communication team will not speak off the record. They will always be on record, which means that if you are not sure about the value of saying something, you should not say it.　Members of the crisis communication team should do a dry run, and try to practice answering tough questions, doing a post-mortem to ensure that answers that fell short are fleshed out. “The Communications/Public Relations staff should prepare questions and answers for the practice sessions. These questions and answers should be for internal use only and not for distribution outside the organization”（Freeo). Prepared Statements Prior to the news conference, a prepared statement will be released. This will allow Pfizer to maintain control of the situation rather than leaving room for speculation on the part of the media and the public. Prepared statements can be made available to radio and television stations as well. Pfizer News Release An alleged poisoning involving Pfizer drugs at Brixton involving two young children occurred today at １０ am. The incident is under investigation and more information is forthcoming. Methods of Communication updates Record keeping protocols Some of the staff from the public relations department should be designated as record keepers who will record the activities, speech acts, responses, and the unfolding saga from beginning to end. This will be an internal document from which the company can learn in case of similar future occurrences. Also, the company should have someone at the Pfizer media office at all times ready to send out information to stakeholders who have a need to know one thing or the other. Crisis communications review and evaluation procedures The crisis communication team should monitor all responses to their communication and add supplementary information where they deem this necessary. The image of the company is very important. We do not want to be caught lying, however, so always choose your words carefully and understand that our company is guided by a sense of caring and the need to create products that make a positive difference in the lives of people. With this as our guiding principle, the public and other stakeholders can understand that even where we have made a mistake we intend to carry on and to do better next time. Bibliography Hodges, Eric. Crisis Communications and the CEO’s role. Disaster Recovery Journal. http://www.drj.com/index (Retrieved April 6, 2008) Beck, Ulrich. ‘Living in the World Risk Society.’ Lecture, Feb 15, 2006. ‘http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/sociology/pdf/Beck-LivingintheWorldRiskSociety-Feb2006.pdf (Retrieved April 7, 2009) Carey, W.P. “Crisis Communication: Now more than ever.” January 28, 2009. http://knowledge.wpcarey.asu.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1741 (Retrieved April 6, 2001) Freeo, Sandra Clawson. ‘Crisis Communication Plan: A PR Blueprint.’ http://www3.niu.edu/newsplace/crisis.html (Retrieved April 7, 2009). LeClaire, Jennifer. http://www.technewsworld.com/story/54178.html TechNewsWorld (Retrieved April 6, 2009) ‘The Masters of Disaster.’ July 31, 2006. www.businessweek.com (Retrieved April 10, 2009). Read More