(This week, PR News editors Phil Hall and Courtney Barnes consider the perils of poor HR practices when it comes to communications.)
PHIL: I once worked
at a PR agency where the receptionist claimed she was fluent in five languages. To the casual observer, however, it appeared English was not among them. In fact, the
communications mess created by this indecipherable receptionist was a mini-PR disaster for us. People who were connected to me via the receptionist would often ask: "Who is that
answering the phone? I couldn't understand a word she said!" Her ability to take messages was equally cryptic - it felt as if she was writing her "While You Were Out" phone
messages in some long-lost hieroglyphic language. Precious time was wasted trying to figure out who called and why. Needless to say, this was an HR situation that became a PR
dilemma.
COURTNEY: Fluency in English is always a plus when you're working in the communications business. But seriously, we spend so much time in this profession focusing on
strategy and execution, but all too often the people aspect of the business is -- literally -- lost in translation. When it comes right down to it, public relations is about
relationships and interaction, and if your agency or corporate practice has a weak foundation in that sense, everything you build on it risks crumbling. It might sound obvious,
but if you -- or your receptionist -- lack people skills, your business know-how isn't going to cut it.
PHIL: We can talk until the cows come home about issues such as measurement, integration, CSR, crisis communications, etc. But sometimes, I think those homebound cows
can do a better job than many PR people. I can run an inventory (all based on personal experiences and observations) about PR people who show up at special events without press
kits, about PR reps who neglect to acknowledge phone calls and e-mails from major media outlets, about PR reps that refuse to pursue media opportunities because they think their
clients are inarticulate or unattractive, and so on. I'd like to think these are isolated aberrations, but I am convinced our industry might want to place a stronger emphasis on
the human resources side of the operations.
COURTNEY: And, as the old adage goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. If your communications practice is lacking in the HR department, everything else
you do is faulty. Make sure that all your hiring processes and succession plans evaluate the relations ability of candidates. While it may seem like the internal nature of HR
won't show through your public facade, any weakness in that area will become evident, especially when it comes to media relations, employee relations and reputation.
PHIL: Don't forget to keep tabs on the people you already have on your team. That comment on the weakest link is appropriate, and people who find themselves with a
staffer who is stalling or wrecking the PR strategy should tell their problem employee the game show catchphrase that made Anne Robinson famous: "You are the weakest link.
Goodbye!"
(Comments? Questions? Share your opinions with the editors: [email protected] and [email protected].)