Hello!
I would like to share some facts about PR at the Central Water Authority. I’ve actually ended my internship some weeks ago.
During the one and a half month that I was there I must say that I was quite amazed to see PR everywhere in the company but still not recognised as such. PR in Mauritius is a new thing and many companies do not really have a department as such.
At the CWA, they have a communication’s officer who is assigned the task of PR officer together with the task of marketing officer.
But I noticed that the internal PR is taken in charge by the Human Resource Department. They are the one to organise training for the employees, induction courses for the new ones and even the award ceremonies to reward some employees.
When I asked the employees why the situation was as such they told me that, the CWA was a monopolistic company and they were regulated by the government and they never had to take care of their image or face any crisis on their own or even design any campaign for communicating with their customers.
According to them the recent ‘boom’ in the PR sector makes it a must for them to have a department as such and they are working on it but given that it is a parastatal body they have to go through various procedures and that’s why it is taking so much time to have a PR department.
To conclude I would like to add that the PR is a must in every company be it in the private, public or parastatal sector. It is high time for the companies to understand that the public relations is a crucial as the financial department.
Cheers.
Ashvani.
4 comments:
Well i have seen observed this situation in most companies especially in Africa, what happens is you will find that any top official in a company is 'capable' and allowed to actually carry out P.R roles whether there is a person for that or not. i think this is mainly due to the fact that employees themselves other than that of P.R department do not know what exactly the role of P.R is or else they would refer certain issues to the department. But you would find there are still companies who would rather have a manager address the media rather than an internal P.R practitioner.
Hi Ashvani,
I agree with you that PR should be a must in all organizations, as the basis of PR is to communicate to the public. Without this aspect, it feels that the company is lacking an important arm.
Under the circumstances of a lack of PR team in the company, it does makes sense for internal communication to be done by the HR team, as they are the ones in charge of human resources issues in the company. While it can be said that the marketing team should take charge of PR during its absence, the marketeer may not have the best capabilities to convey the right message to the audience. In cases when crisis strikes, it may be difficult for him to manage!
I feel that your internship organization should have a PR team on its own, instead of feeling that it can do without when they are regulated by the government. I believe that all organizations must have a PR team to represent and communicate its messages to the public.
Hi Ash!
Since I am also working in a parastatal organization, I can surely understand how your company is operating.
At the CEB it is nearly the same ongoing process which is being carried away.
Yes, and I would surely agree that companies should start incorporating a particular PR Department and make it function in a more effective and specialized manner.
As you said there is a need for companies to have Public Relations officers who are professional in the field and who can better deal and execute PR tasks which may increase company’s profitability as well as sustain its corporate social responsibilities.
As for, the flourishing of businesses rely largely on the company’s social performance and its sustainability in society, therefore bearing this in mind, it is of upmost importance that company’ hire PR practitioners who are skilled and expert in the field to provide strategic solutions to meet organizational goals and objectives.
Having a defined PR Department will definitely enhance both the internal and the external aspects of the company which will surely meet up the needs of the company as well as expectations of clients/customers.
Cheers
Resh
Hi Ashvani,
I completely agreed with you. In contemporary complex business environment, it is extremely important for a company to have a PR department. PR practitioners’ roles should not be underestimated. PR practitioners are a company’s liaison to the outside world and possess with effective communication skills and experience to enhance the company’s reputation. It is a wrong perception of companies that PR role can be undertaken by marketing department or human resources department. They should be separate due to different responsibilities and expertise given.
PR practitioners have a better understanding of the expectation of stakeholders. It is critically important for a company to have a PR department so that effective strategies can be carried out to meet the changing demands and expectation of stakeholders and more importantly effective solutions can be finalised to solve any crisis given with the ability of PR practitioners.
Having a distinct PR department will undoubtedly facilitate the relationship with media as well. PR practitioners understand the media better than any other departments. PR practitioners can also enhance the flow of communication within the company to increase productivity. Hence, a separate PR department is a must for companies.
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