Pfizer shakes up corporate affairs function; Bloomberg confident newsroom will grow despite job cuts

Greetings, comms pros! Let’s take a look at a few news stories from the past week and see what we can learn from them.

1. Pfizer restructures as corporate affairs chief departs

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla shared the news that chief corporate affairs officer Sally Susman and CCO Ed Haranga will depart the organization by the end of the year as part of a larger restructuring effort. The pharmaceutical powerhouse won’t replace Susman in her chief corporate affairs officer role, but would instead look to vice president of corporate affairs Amy Rose to run organizational comms going forward.

Under Sally’s courageous leadership, The Pfizer Foundation addressed complex global health challenges and empowered Pfizer colleagues to make an impact where they live and work. She notably helped launch Accord for a Healthier World, expanding access to medicines and quality healthcare to close the health equity gap. Sally will remain on the board of The Pfizer Foundation.

It has been my joy to know and work with Sally for many years. She is an advisor, confidant, mentor, advocate, and author, but to me she is also a very dear friend.

Bourla’s note about Susman is complimentary of her years at the company and takes care to ensure a smooth transition in leadership. While the total overhaul isn’t addressed in his publicly available note, the tone it takes is worth unpacking.

When a lot of your major leaders are departing the company at the same time, leaders need to communicate stability and a path forward first and foremost. Noting multiple times that Susman is going to stick around for a while to help see Pfizer through the transition serves as more than just breaking news to the rest of the company — it lays the groundwork for future communications that are grounded in continuity and stability. That’s key, especially when some employees might be feeling a bit antsy about their future prospects amid so many big departures.

In times of major change, communicators and leaders alike should have a set of tools and processes they rely on. Circulating documents on key messages, timelines of important dates and FAQs can help ease disconcerted minds. Change happens — but when it does, leaders need to be prepared and overcommunicate what’s next as best they can.

2. Bloomberg gives in-depth layoff announcement to staffers

No communicator wants to break the news of layoffs. But when they happen, it’s best to share the news in as detailed a fashion as possible.

Earlier this week, Bloomberg Editor in Chief John Micklethwait circulated a lengthy memo to his colleagues, providing both reasoning for the newsroom adjustments but also the names and positions of journalists who would be stepping into new roles. The memo was obtained by Business Insider and also stated that while cuts were being made, the moves weren’t about cost cutting and instead a restructure of resources. The newsroom is expected to grow by the end of the year.

As part of all these changes, we have sadly had to say goodbye to some colleagues. That too is part of how a newsroom evolves and gets stronger. To those who worry that this is driven by cost cutting, I will point out that we will end this year with a bigger newsroom than we started it. We have a responsibility not only to deliver the best content we can to our customers but also to create that content as efficiently as possible.

Micklethwait’s memo covers the structure and leadership of each affected team in a way that leaves no doubts about who’s reporting where in the future. In addition, the commitment to hiring by the end of the year is likely little consolation to those losing their jobs, but it functions as a way to instill confidence in remaining employees that the operation is stable.

3. Report: Managers are increasingly letting AI make decisions for them, with comms implications

A report from ResumeBuilder suggested that managers are adopting AI quickly — and even letting it take over some of their decision-making processes. A few of the major stats in the report included:

• 65% managers rely on AI to make decisions about their people who report to them.
• 43% of managers reported allowing AI to make decisions without any human input.
• 67% reported having no formal training on how to manage people with AI’s help.

Earlier this week, we ran a piece on how Google is implementing AI technology to help managers sharpen both their managerial skills and their communications with reports. But those programs work so well because there are guidelines and resources for managers to use AI with the explicit intent of being better coaches and communicators. Organizations need to communicate with their managers to ensure that if they’re using AI, they’re doing it in a way that’s reflective of a people-first culture. That comes from instituting and frequently communicating AI guidelines. If you don’t have an AI use document for managers, now might be the time to put one together and circulate it.

4. How about some good news?

• $138 million in 300-year-old pirate treasure was found off the Madagascar coast.
• NASA discovered an interstellar comet moving through our solar system.
• Flint, Michigan completed its long-awaited lead water pipe replacement project.
• Ragan Training is great for communications pros to find inspiration and resources.
• You should be rewarded for your work. Find out how to earn an award here! Our Video, Visual and Virtual Awards and PR Daily Awards close to entries this month.

Have a great weekend comms all-stars!

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications. In his spare time he enjoys Philly sports and trivia.