'Recruiting competent people, a challenge'

Ramani KANGARAARACHCHI

Human resource is the scantiest of resources available and is very crucial for industries like pharma. The company has to work across different places and cultures and the employee soft-skills play a very crucial role in this, as they need to communicate and negotiate accordingly.

Besides, every company today is trying to get revenue by managing people and skills successfully. A person in pharma industry should be very productive. It is a requirement in the industry since the trend is going to change soon.

This is the fourth of the series of articles titled HR Leader on HR Heads in companies to educate readers on different aspects of HR in different industries and new developments in HR.

Daily News Business features Swiss Biogenics Limited HR Head Bernard Silva this week.

The company is a subsidiary of Sunshine Holdings. An old boy of St Benedict's College Colombo 13, Silva holds a MBA majoring HR from the European Continental University USA and a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing from Chartered Institute of Marketing and Diploma in HR from UK. He counts over 16 years managerial experience and prior to joining SBL he was attached to the MJF Group.

Here are excerpts of the interview.

Q: What made you to select HR as your career path?

A: I never planned to become a HR person. My practical work experience in different organizations automatically dragged me into it. But I enjoy my work being a fatherly figure to all my employees.

Q: What is the nature of your company?

A: Swiss Biogenics Limited (SBL) is the largest private sector player in the Sri Lankan pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and surgical accessories sector. Established in 1967, the company has grown to become a national player, marketing over 700 products from over 40 multinational pharmaceutical and medical equipment companies, to more than 1,200 general practitioners, specialists, surgeons and associated healthcare professionals.

The company's distribution chain covers the entire country, supplying over 1,600 pharmacies and chemists through six regional distribution centers. SBL has worked in partnership with leading pharmaceutical manufacturers from USA to India for over three decades.

A dedicated team of professionals who have collectively grown the business several fold since inception and made the company an employer of choice in the local pharmaceuticals sector lead the company with most of them having served for over 25 years.

Marketing and sales are the main pillars. Therefore we have very competent people to generate prescriptions through meeting doctors. They work round the clock islandwide.

Q What are your HR challenges?

A: Recruiting competent people is a challenge. This is a very professional job. Therefore we recruited degree holders earlier and then we came down to Advanced Level with ability to speak in English. They are given two weeks training and then sent to the field. They get an attractive salary and are provided with a vehicle. If they don't meet doctors no business. But the new generation is not very serious about their job and they vanish after three to four months. This is another challenge. We have to keep recruiting new people continuously. But those who remain for one year don't leave after that. We follow the 'lazer gun approach ' in training people.

Our education system is not job focused and they do not get proper guidance. Therefore we conduct free career guidance programs and English classes in different towns to create market value.

Q: What are the company's most valuable assets?

A: The twin strengths of the company are its Marketing and Sales Departments. Led by dedicated, professionally trained staff these two departments are the company's most valuable assets. The company employs over 300 personnel islandwide.

Q: What are the essential HR requirements that the industry needs?

A: Any good manager would need soft-skills to grow and develop competencies in any industry. Good listening skills, mutual empathy with colleagues, presenting ideas, working across cultures and time management, all these aspects have always been important in a corporate set up. Soft-skills like negotiating conflicts, understanding and growth capabilities are some of the essential requirements in the pharma industry.

Q: How do you recognize and reward competent people?

A: We have a performance based culture. Employees are reviewed annually and bi-annually. Employees, who are good at soft-skills can manage and take work pressure and the stress of deadlines. In the process, they are also able to boost the morale of fellow employees. Good, intelligent, and smart people, who are adaptable to any environment are always instrumental to the growth of a company. They adapt to the culture of the organization and help through good communication skills, conflict management and transactional analysis.

Q: What are your HR strategies?

A: SBL maintains a comprehensive Doctor Data Base (DDB) of more than 2500 of the most potential doctors. In view of SBL's wide range of products, all fields of specialty are well covered which enables the company to develop and maintain a close and good rapport with all the specialists. This relationship becomes useful when new products are introduced or to expand the user base. Each MR covers a minimum of 240 doctors and 100 chemists once a month. They call on selected important doctors at least twice a month.

SBL has developed a Marketing Information System to get complete feedback on the company's promotional activities, as well as to track and monitor the output and performance of every MR in each market covered by him.

SBL invests heavily in clinical meetings, CME programs, scientific updates, symposia and health camps thus developing a close rapport with the medical profession.

Since effective promotion plays a key role in the ultimate success of each product, SBL places great emphasis on product promotion and the principals are professionally assisted and guided in developing suitable marketing plans, strategies for their range of products.

Proper utilization of literature, samples and gift items are closely monitored at all levels.

Depending on the inputs from each company, the General Manager (Marketing) and Deputy Marketing Managers develop a detailed promotional plan for a cycle of two to three months. This is done based on market information and feedback from the field force. Principals are also assisted in the design and communication of product visual aids, based on the local needs.

Q: How do you manage the sales network?

A: The Sales and Distribution department is headed by the Sales Manager. The company's Sales Department consists of Sales Representatives, managed by Distribution center Managers and headed by Area Sales Managers. The Sales Department ensures the availability of the company's entire range of products across the country, with the Sales Representatives replenishing stocks at over 300 pharmacies every day.

Over 1,600 chemists are covered on a regular basis. Major towns are visited twice a month and outlets in Colombo are covered once a week.

Sales representatives itineraries are developed in accordance with that of the medical representatives to ensure timely and adequate supply of stock.

Q: What was the impact of the recession?

A: There was no impact at all on our industry.