Pharma firms ready to redeploy field force
GSK starts sending staff to field, others form guidelines for ‘new normal'
Medical representatives wearing full protective gear may soon knock on clinicians’ door, trying to explain the efficacy of their drug brand. Pharma firms are training and aligning their sales force for a paradigm shift, as they prepare for the “new normal”. Most firms have come out with their own set of protocols for the field staff.
Soon medical representatives (MRS) wearing protective gear will knock on clinicians’ doors, trying to explain the efficacy of their drug brand. Pharma companies are training and aligning their sales forces for a paradigm shift as they prepare for the new normal.
British multinational firm Glaxosmithkline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals is one of the first companies to deploy its sales force in the field since the coronavirus pandemic broke out. Starting Friday (May 8), the company has initiated a staggered return-to-work for its field force in the “green-zones”. About 1520 per cent of GSK’S 3,500-strong field force is returning to the field.
A company spokesperson said: “Field-based colleagues in the remaining zones and all office staff continue to work from home. With our majority of workforce being field staff, GSK is equipping them with necessary safety and hygiene gear, including personal protection equipment.”
Other companies have also started preparing. Most pharma companies have come out with their own set of protocols for the field staff, largely along the same lines. “Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) has come out with a pretty comprehensive set of guidelines for the staff — both at field and at home. We have circulated that among all our member companies and everyone is drafting their individual plans,” said Sudarshan Jain, secretary general of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which represents India’s large pharma firms.
Some of the basic guidelines include wearing masks, gloves, faceshields when interacting with external stakeholders (doctors, stockists, chemists), supplying the safety kit to employees (at least for two to three months), webinars on safety measures for the entire family of the employee, and self fever checks, among others. Physical visits to doctors will be restricted to only one ini
tial visit and the follow-ups will be done virtually or through tele-calls. MRS have also 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. In fact, some companies’ guidelines insist on achieving ‘work-life balance’, by not working beyond stipulated hours and sticking to proper lunch habits. Regular counselling and yoga sessions for the families of field employees are also on the cards. There would be some certifications (Red Cross etc.) for employees to ensure that they have clearly understood the safety guidelines.
Branded mask and face shields are definitely on the cards, claim multiple companies.
Human resources head of a Mumbai-based firm that has a significant presence in acute therapy drugs said a sick employee is not productive. “All employees are stressed now. For more than a month now, field staffs have not received their daily allowances. Now they are raring to go, and we want to ensure that they do not overdo things in enthusiasm,” the person explained.
India business head of a large firm said he did not expect the field force to be fully deployed before a few months as restrictions around meeting doctors are 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 becomes normal,” he said.
The official also added that with the focus on digital tools, a certain skill-set would be necessary for MRS. This could eventually lead to some rationalisation of the field force.
“As of now, not many companies are thinking of lay-offs just yet. This is because they have saved considerable budget that they would have otherwise spent on conferences and travel. At first, these funds would be redeployed to create digital tools,” said a senior officer.