Daily Doc: PM: Dealing with employee demoralization at PM
Daily Doc: Dealing with employee demoralization at PM
Title: ISSUES BRIEFING
PM
Bates #: 2501213594/3602
September 17, 2000
Have you ever wondered what would be like to be a Philip Morris (PM) employee and have to admit as much at parties when other guests ask you what you do for a living? If you think it would be pretty hard, you'd be right. This document makes it clear that Philip Morris management realizes it isn't easy to be an employee of the world's biggest manufacturer of a deadly product. Here, they outline the need for a program that will "reassure and comfort" PM employees and help them deal with the demoralizing aspects of their employment.
In this document, it becomes clear that PM is (or was) in complete denial about the devastating effects of their products. They cling to the notion that people dying from tobacco use is little more than a "popular belief" that, "unfortunately for the tobacco industry," most people "believe to be irrefutably true." They do, however, acknowledge that because of this glitch,
"...public tolerance of tobacco companies' commercial activities has declined to a point where both smokers and companies are in danger of becoming social pariahs."In this document, PM admits that they've tried to deal with the health issue by using "high-level lobbying," by "focussing amongst other things on economic criteria," and that their "Corporate Affairs professionals have sought to switch the debate from health to social issues...for instance, to the issue of individual and commercial freedoms....." However, apparently none of this helped their employees deal with their feelings about working for PM, and even PM knows that a demoralized employee is a less productive employee.
Documents like this show us the value of continuing to relentlessly expose Philip Morris for what it is--a ruthless transnational corporation that daily trades human lives for profits-- and not what it would rather we perceive it as--a socially conscious company that is a boon to mankind.
After reading this, one could easily believe that such "feel good" ad campaigns as PM is currently putting on (PM feeds the hungry, gives to domestic violence shelters, etc.) are as much for the benefit of their own employees as to try boost their public image.
CITATION
Title: ISSUES BRIEFING
Type of Document: Speech, presentation
Author: N/A
Recipient: N/A
Date: 00000000 (undated)
Site: Philip Morris document site http://www.pmdocs.com/
Page Count 9
Bates No. 2501213594/3602.
URL: (on Tobacco Documents Online): http://my.tobaccodocuments.org/tdo/view.cfm?CitID=1139066&GetListArrayIdx=169&ShowImages=yes
Litigation Usage: N/A
Found Using Search Criteria: "Speech" (which, incidentally, is a very fertile search criteria!)
QUOTES
Philip Morris is one of the most successful companies in the world today...This record provides employees with a great deal of pride in the company they work for...
However, there is probably one area where many employees will have some degree of reticence about the company they work for and that is the product itself -- tobacco and the alarming claims made about it and about the companies which market tobacco products.
Public awareness of the health and social issues surrounding smoking is very high. This is mainly due to what they see and hear in the media.
Most members of the public will be familiar with the following claims made by critics of smoking:
--Smoking is dangerous to health and causes cancer and other diseases. --Environmental tobacco smoke...is dangerous to non-smokers and causes cancer.
Unfortunately for the tobacco industry, most people are not only familiar with these statements but also believe them to be irrefutably true. As a result of these popular beliefs, public tolerance of smoking and tobacco companies' commercial activities have declined to a point where both smokers and companies are in danger of becoming social pariahs. The generally hostile atmosphere has been one of the anti-smoking activists' most powerful weapons for forcing the introduction of legislation and restrictions. ...
Counter-action by tobacco companies has for the most part taken the shape of high-level lobbying focussing amongst other things on economic criteria and the effect such legislation would have on the economy of a country. More recently, with some success, Corporate Affairs professionals have sought to switch the debate from health to social issues...for instance, to the issue of individual and commercial freedoms.....
...A well-constructed, carefully implemented communcations programme on these issues demonstrating to employees that the case against smoking is not "open and shut" that what they read and hear in the paper about the ...mortal dangers of ETS, about hundreds of thousands of deaths is not necessarily gospel truth would have a number of beneficial effects:
1. Education
2. Reassurance and comfort
3. Motivation
...If the job is done well, then instead of being completely in the dark with no idea of his company's position on smoking issues the employee's attitude would change for the better. Instead of knowing nothing the reaction we should aim to engender in our employees may be something like this:
"These are complex issues but since joining PM I've learnt that there is another side to the story."
...A full briefing on the social and health issues surrounding smoking would be beneficial for both the sales force confidence and for helping them to handle objections in a more professional, informed manner. The principle was to turn a problem into an opportunity and use the smoking debate to give PM a "competitive advantage."
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Anne Landman, Regional Program Coordinator
American Lung Association of Colorado, West Region Office
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-2120
afoxland@gj.net
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