Pharma companies are all set to adopt the ‘new normal’ environment. They are training and aligning their sales forces for an exemplar shift. Soon, a medical representative (MR) wearing full protective gear would knock on a clinic’s door, trying to explain the efficacies of his drug brand.
British multinational firm GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals (GSK) is one of the first companies to practice this ‘new normal’. The company, on Friday, initiated a staggered return-to-work for its field force in the ‘green-zones’.
GSK will not deploy their whole sales force on the field. This would be about 15-20 per cent of GSK’s 3,500-strong field force. A company spokesperson said, “Field-based colleagues in the remaining danger zones and all office staff continue to work from home. With most of our workforce being field-staff, GSK is equipping them with the necessary safety and hygiene gears including personal protection equipment.”
Most pharma companies have planned their own set of protocols for the field staff. “Dr Reddy’s has come out with a pretty comprehensive set of guidelines for the staff, both at the field and at home. Sudarshan Jain, secretary-general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance which represents India’s large pharma firms said that we have circulated that among all our member companies and everyone is drafting their plans.”
The basic guidelines for field staff include wearing masks, gloves, face-shields when interacting with external stakeholders (doctors, stockists, chemists). The company will supply the employee with the safety kit (at least two to three months’ supplies). Webinars will be arranged for the entire family of the employee explaining them about the safety measures, self-fever check regularly. Physical visits to doctors will get reduced There will be only one initial visit that would be followed up by virtual and tele calls. MRs have been asked to avoid their regular laptop bags, and carry tablet phones in pouches. Companies are putting a lot of emphasis on employee well-being.
Certainly, DRL’s guidelines insisted on ‘work-life balance’. As per the guidelines, no work beyond stipulated hours and also sticking to proper lunch habits. Regular counselling and yoga sessions for families of the field employees on the cards. There would be some certifications for employees to ensure that they have clearly understood the safety guidelines.
The human resources head of a Mumbai based firm that has a significant presence in acute therapy drugs said that a sick employee is not productive. “All employees are stressed now. For more than a month now the field staff has not got their daily allowances in most of the countries. Now they are straining at the leash and we want to make sure that they do not overdo things in enthusiasm,” the person explained.
The India business head of a large firm said that he did not expect the field force to be fully deployed before a few months as restrictions around meeting doctors is likely to remain. “There can be no hospital visits at all. Even the private practitioners would not be comfortable meeting MRs now. So, things would be normal only when the patient flow to the clinics become normal,” he said.
The official will focus on digital tools, a certain skill-set would be necessary for the field force. “As of now, not many companies are thinking of layoffs just yet. This is because they have saved considerable budget that they would have otherwise spent in conferences and travel of staff,” said a senior officer.
