LAST week under this column, we published an article ‘How best to practise PR after Golden Jubilee.’ In the stated article, it was discussed that the way Public Relations (PR) is practised in our country has negatively affected more job creation and poverty reduction.
It was stated that if PR practitioners, employers and Zambia Public Relations Association (ZAPRA) can all be in professional PR gear, more organisations can increase their respective sales and profits through attracting more support from relevant stakeholders.
It was argued that that such an approach to PR practice can create more PR jobs and reduce high poverty levels in our country.
It was also stated that even non-profit organisations such as political parties should embrace professional PR practice; and not propaganda as professional PR attracts trust and more votes from electorate.
From such an article our esteemed readers made various observations and suggestion which have been highlighted in this article.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to show some of the administrative issues that negatively affect the growth of professional PR in Zambia; and in the process suggest some of the critical issues to consider if PR is to effectively serve its purpose and contribute effectively to more job creation and poverty alleviation in this country.
Most PR practitioners have expressed concern that PR departments both in public and private sector are small units with one or two officers. They observed that such a structure of a PR department doesn’t leave room for further professional PR studies and career advancement in the same department.
It was noted that in the private sector, the highest position one can find is that of a PR manager. ‘Why is it that we don’t have positions like ‘Chief or Director of Public Relations’ when we have such positions in other departments of other professional fields in this country?’ one civil servant working as a PRO asked.
In separate interviews, the PR practitioners who spoke on anonymity for fear of some negative repercussions on their current jobs said government departments are the worst hit by restrictive professional PR department structures.
“The structure of PR departments in this country are too restrictive for professional PR advancement,” said one of the PR practitioners from one of the government ministries.
“Look at me! “He continued while holding his chest with his right hand. “If I am not careful, I will retire as a PRO in that ministry because I cannot be promoted further than PRO as a PR professional;’ he observed.
It was proposed that with growing competition among public and private organisations; and the need for such organisations to attract more customers, clients and other stakeholders to support each organisation and government ministries and departments for high quality socio-economic service delivery to the masses, there is need for private and public institutions to establish more PR departments and increase on professional PR staffing in such departments and ministries.
One PR practitioner based in Lusaka said if government created PR departments in each ministry with adequate PR professional staff, more PR related jobs would be created.
He noted that with growing number of colleges and universities offering PR training in the country and online training accessible by most Zambians, many people in Zambia have been trained and are still being trained in PR.
Adding to such a point, another Lusaka-based PR practitioner said many learning institutions are now offering PR training at Diploma, undergraduate and postgraduate levels; adding that graduates from such institutions at whatever levels might find it more difficult to find PR related jobs if the current status quo relating to PR department structures in both public and private sectors are allowed to continue.
One of the PR graduates said it was frustrating to graduate in PR; but to realise that no vacancies exist in such a field just because some organisations; including some government ministries and departments don’t appreciate the role of PR in an organisation.
The graduate also observed that the limited PR department structures negatively affect job creations in PR related functions.
It was further observed that most of the PR positions are at junior levels in each organisation; including in the public service. It was reported that when one acquires higher academic and or professional qualifications while in the PR department, one is usually transferred from such PR section because such a unit has no senior positions to be promoted to.
One PRO from a certain government ministry said: ‘For example, I am the PRO for that government department. And if I am not careful, I will retire in that position as a PRO without any other promotion. If I want to be promoted or they want to promote me, they will transfer me to another department like human resource management, procurement, accounts, etc where there are many other senior positions up to director level. But this will be against my PR career progressions!’ the PRO observed.
It was observed that the current PR units’ structures in both private and public sector, are too restrictive to allow PR practitioners to rise through the ranks in their field of study; and therefore force PR practitioners to unnecessarily move to other fields of study for them to be promoted to departments where more senior positions exist according to one’s academic and professional qualifications.
Consequently, it was reported that the current PR departments in both private and public sectors are killing the PR profession in the country while many other countries are now resorting to PR profession for attracting more stakeholders and support to an organisation.
Some PR practitioners noted that the demand for PR as a professional is growing as competition and demand for high quality services grows.
As a result, it was suggested that PR departments should have positions from PR officer to director levels so that PR practitioners can rise to such levels as they further their academic and professional qualifications with their respective PR experience and skills.
It was observed that with growing demand from the public for government to deliver more quality socio-economic services to the masses, the position of chief government spokesperson is supposed to be a PR professional one which is supposed to be held by a seasoned PR practitioner who has worked in the civil service for many years. It was further suggested that, better still, the secretary to the cabinet was the right position to executive chief government spokesperson’s related functions.
Such PR practitioners noted that putting a politician regardless of his or her academic and professional background as a chief government spokesperson further erodes the purpose of PR in an organisation; and worsens the already diluted role of PR in most organisations.
The concerned observers noted that if government was supporting professional PR and more job creation in the country, it should be the first one to promote or review of PR departments’ structures in government’s ministries and departments. It was noted that if government does this, it would set a professional PR tone to all organisations in the country to emulate the government ministries’ professional PR practice.
The concerned PR practitioners in separate interviews said Zambia shouldn’t remain behind in developing professional PR practice as many countries world over are now busy appreciating the important role PR plays in every organisation.
The author is a PR Trainer and Consultant.
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