Surveillance or global standard? Dispute over SAP by MSD

MSD Korea announced new SAP guideline that monitors event with two or more participants and removes pre-notification

Sales “Unacceptable,” skepticism on management grows

Management "Implementing global CP guideline in effective in APAC from May 1"

The employees of MSD Korea are strongly opposing against the management planning to implement tightened self-assurance program (SAP) guideline.

 

The company’s sales department is infuriated with the Korean management adhering to the global standard, regardless of the employees constantly demanding for flexible amendment.

 

According to the pharmaceutical industry sources on June 8, MSD Korea has recently introduced the new SAP to its employees.

 

Two key changes have been made; first, the subject for SAP would be expanded from ‘a product presentation of five or more persons’ to ‘two or more persons.’ As a result, all product presentation, except for one-on-one, would be subject for SAP.

 

And the three-hour pre-notification of accompanying SAP agent issued to the monitored sales person would be removed.

 

However, to minimize the disturbance, the monitored sales person would be notified via a phone call 45 minutes prior to the scheduled meeting.

 

The new SAP guideline would come in effect from June 30.

 

New SAP guideline announced by MSD Korea

If a healthcare provider cancels meeting right before the time, despite the pre-notified SAP, prospective product presentations for the healthcare provider may get limited.

 

The company’s sales employees are resisting the changes.

 

Although the employees urged for more adaptable and localized guidelines, the SAP was rather strengthened and started restricting the sales activity.

 

In other words, when a scheduled event is canceled, the damage would directly penalize the responsible sales employee.

 

SAP is a compliance program (CP) MSD Korea enforces.

 

Since the financial profit expenditure report system was mandated, the company implemented the CP to monitor employees complying with the business ethics code.

 

With an external agent (‘coordinator’) accompanying to an event for healthcare provider account, the company monitors the sales employee providing appropriate venue, food and beverage and sharing appropriate conversations during product presentation.

 

The program started off with a good objective, but it sparked a dispute between the management and employees last year.

 

The employees reproached as the program invasively watched over employees and a third party listening to the conversation between the healthcare provider and employee during the product presentation raised an issue of invasion of privacy.

 

Some employees received a note of warning from the management, because of what a healthcare provider said during the presentation.

 

Regardless, the company management claims the changes in SAP is unavoidable due to the global standards.

 

MSD Korea official explained, “SAP is applied to every small-scale meeting, consisting of two to 25 persons, convened by all global branches of MSD,” and “from the beginning, the SAP was applied to all events with two or more persons and no pre-notification.

 

But it only got be expanded throughout APAC region from May 1.” The official added, “Monitoring a canceled event is not to penalize the employee, but to analyze the cause from different angles and to proactively seek improvements.” Summing up the management’s stance, the new changes are their effort to actually match the exceptional standard the SAP had in Korea so far to the global level of standard.

 

The company elaborated the details internally, but the employees refuted that it was “an unacceptable explanation.” Apparently, some employees have started questioning the management’s leadership.

 

A sales person at MSD Korea pointed out, “The company lays down unfavorable global guideline to the employees, and applies localized standard in areas the employees want the global standard to be applied.” Another sales person criticized, “The management of MSD Korea disregards the domestic situation but rather blindly accepts the order to follow the global standard.

 

Flexibly and reasonably improving irrational guidelines is also a key role the management has to play.” The industry also shakes its head on MSD Korea’s SAP.

 

Most of multinational pharmaceutical companies skip on SAP but reinforces CP training instead.

 

An industry insider noted, “Even if the company follows the global guideline, flexible standard fitting to Korean environment should be used,” and “the company should also try to fathom the difficulties the employees feel on job and reflect needed changes accordingly.”