Coronavirus Layoffs

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anonymous said:
Clearly written by a rep who has personalized this. The cost analysis is IMPERSONAL.

Yes, you have the variables, but the analytics look at the likely decline over time of sales, vs the anticipated growth, and factors in the costs--IF there are any. Severance falls below the line so it's a different tax factor. IF hiring is done, Sign on bonuses are going to be a non issue. Reps will be a dime a dozen so no need to pay bonuses.

Your assumption is re-hire. Samples can be delivered via UPS. You don't need a $135k plus (fully loaded cost) delivery person. What all companies are seeing right now is that sales are NOT being impacted to a degree that the high costs of reps are warranted. There will be a HUGE redistribution of reps after this is over.

Some sectors of JNJ are already talking about a 25-40% reduction in customer facing field forces. The redundancies in roles have been exposed so folks are going to be asked and trained to do more and some of the compliance issues are being considered and addressed. The savings will be enormous.
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Ok. So you've already had plenty of time to do this analysis since the beginning of this crisis if not years before. So what can we expect and when ?
Details please to help us plan for the future?
 






Pharm sector wide any return to the field is likely AFTER Labor Day. And it will be in the new scenario I outlined earlier.

There will not be a return to "normal" as we knew it. The reps will not just be told one day "OK, back in the field". The considerations are too varied- by state, county, region, territory and office. If your DM or RD said to you May 1-"It's a go", you'd laugh. June 1, it'd probably be the same. Very likely we're going to be standing down as we are, for now, with "furloughs" announced around Memorial Day. The COVID situation is too fluid and unresolved. The furloughs will allow the SF to seek unemployment and set the stage for the new structures to be developed.
 






anonymous said:
Pharm sector wide any return to the field is likely AFTER Labor Day. And it will be in the new scenario I outlined earlier.

There will not be a return to "normal" as we knew it. The reps will not just be told one day "OK, back in the field". The considerations are too varied- by state, county, region, territory and office. If your DM or RD said to you May 1-"It's a go", you'd laugh. June 1, it'd probably be the same. Very likely we're going to be standing down as we are, for now, with "furloughs" announced around Memorial Day. The COVID situation is too fluid and unresolved. The furloughs will allow the SF to seek unemployment and set the stage for the new structures to be developed.
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Serious question: After unemployment expires, where does a pharmaceutical sales force go?
 






anonymous said:
Serious question: After unemployment expires, where does a pharmaceutical sales force go?
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Excellent question. Every pharm company is doing this exercise as we speak. It's already happened at the smaller companies and contract organizations (check Sage, IQVIA, etc). Medium and large pharm is next. It's the evolution of the industry.

Look to support sectors. Agencies, data, med comm, med ed, etc. Understand though that you'll be on the other side and the expectations are now you are SERVICING the few remaining pharm companies and reps. In 2009, the sector went from 115k reps to less than 80k. This will be a similar percentage reductions. Looking at a reduction to 50k or less. And that is ALL customer facing. RAMs, rep, MSL, ABM, all in. Efficiency is the word.

Look outside the industry as well. If you're in your 20's, 30s there is no future in this industry. What's next? Time to go back to school?
 


















Gotta say that I'm loving this. All the reps who had their families, neighbors and friends thinking that they had some type of big important job are going to be let go. And even if you have a big 401k, what are you going ot do about your expensive lifestyle? ANd now you have to stay home with the ugly spouse quarantined for a couple of more years.

Glad I took my money, left and started my own business. And it's Corona proof!
 












anonymous said:
Gotta say that I'm loving this. All the reps who had their families, neighbors and friends thinking that they had some type of big important job are going to be let go. And even if you have a big 401k, what are you going ot do about your expensive lifestyle? ANd now you have to stay home with the ugly spouse quarantined for a couple of more years.

Glad I took my money, left and started my own business. And it's Corona proof!
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...but you really haven’t moved on with your life, have you? Or else why would you even have a moment to check Cafe Pharma? Maybe some behavioral therapy would help.
 






Management will be made to understand very quickly after this ends that physicians will not have any time for reps dms, etc. they will be to backed up. And the hospitals are a totally different story.
 






anonymous said:
...but you really haven’t moved on with your life, have you? Or else why would you even have a moment to check Cafe Pharma? Maybe some behavioral therapy would help.
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In some respects that's a fair comment, but the reason for it is due to the bizarre and toxic way this particular "sales industry" operates on all levels.

I could go on and on describing how in detail, but we all know the games that are played, that the games are systemic, and that the games come at a high emotional cost ... even to those who "win" and are able to make it to the finish line and retire.

Other industries don't operate like this. Pharma clearly operates the way it does for a reason. I have my theories as to why, but am certain that all the seemingly nonsensical games take a psychological toll, and do so for a designed purpose.

Not a good one, either.

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Anyone who's been in pharma more than five years knows the reality of that more than anyone.
 






Everything will be very different when this is over and after it is over it will take a long time. No one will want any sales person in a hospital or other healthcare facility, clinic, etc. nor will offices. No one wants a lawsuit, everyone will need to tested and these companies will do what is best for them. If that means more thinning out, less management etc. Enjoy the $ cash for now for doing almost nothing except virtual.
 






anonymous said:
In some respects that's a fair comment, but the reason for it is due to the bizarre and toxic way this particular "sales industry" operates on all levels.

I could go on and on describing how in detail, but we all know the games that are played, that the games are systemic, and that the games come at a high emotional cost ... even to those who "win" and are able to make it to the finish line and retire.

Other industries don't operate like this. Pharma clearly operates the way it does for a reason. I have my theories as to why, but am certain that all the seemingly nonsensical games take a psychological toll, and do so for a designed purpose.

Not a good one, either.

They say there's no such thing as a free lunch. Anyone who's been in pharma more than five years knows the reality of that more than anyone.
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I understand, and agree!
 






You guys are all wrong. When things recover, doctor's offices and hospitals will be begging for reps to come back to feed their staffs and give them a break in their day from complaining patients with anxiety & depression vs the Covid-19 patients that can't speak or breath!
 




































anonymous said:
Look outside the industry as well. If you're in your 20's, 30s there is no future in this industry. What's next? Time to go back to school?
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This. I made p-club and got the hell out of pharma before I turned 26. I didn't go back to school and was able to completely change careers while making more than I ever did in pharma. If you're young and/or willing to teach yourself valuable skills there's no time like the present. There's life after pharma but it takes a ton of work and networking to get there.
 






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