Public relations - Working within an organization (In-House)

For a century, public relations departments have served companies and organizations. George Westinghouse is reported to have created the first in-house department in 1889 when he hired two men to publicize his pet project, alternating current electricity. Their work was relatively simple when compared to the mélange of physical, sociological and psychological elements that contemporary departments employ. Eventually Westinghouse won out over Thomas A. Edison's direct current system, and his method became the standard in the United States . Westinghouse's public relations department concept has also grown into a basic part of today's electronic world.

Today, public relations is expanding from its traditional functions, enlarged over the years, to exercise its influence on the highest levels of management. A department usually is divided into specialized sections that have a coordinator or manager. The head executive of a public relations or similarly named department usually has one of the three titles: manager, director or vice president.

Appointing in-house PR practitioners is becoming common-place among large companies aware of the PR importance, of the need to communicate effectively and creatively with the public and their own workforce.

The advantages of doing so are obvious. The in-house PR practitioners work full-time for the organization and are available to the organization at any time they are needed. In-house PR practitioners usually only have one client: their employer. Thus there can be no conflict of interest between one account and another and the chance of the same person working on a specific area of business for the whole time is increased.

By being involved day-to-day in the company's operations, practitioners can be totally familiar with all developments taking place and all the areas lending them to promotion. An in-house department will be able to act as organizations spokesperson, which is less common for external people.

Also, skilled in-house practitioners can contribute a great deal to the way a company is perceived by the media and public, especially if allowed to become actively involved at the policy-making stage when decisions are taken that affect the company's image and character.

The practitioners of an in-house public relations unit are the staff of the organization which employs them and thus have a personal stake in their employer's success. They may also be thought more able to be trusted with sensitive information about the organization which would not usually be available to outsiders.

Working in a public relations department can be invigorating and can offer practitioners a sense of accomplishment as they help the organization achieve its objectives. The advantages of employment in a corporate setting are : getting good salaries, extensive health insurance and benefits, the opportunity to work with a group of professional peers and extensive resources. The disadvantages can be: a laborious approval process before production or dissemination of information, lack of understanding by management of the public relations function, lack of advancement opportunities in a small department and involvement in routine activities that change little over a period of time.

Although the general trend is for public relations to expand its role and influence in the corporation, it is also true that corporate downsizing and mergers are resulting in public relations staff cutbacks. Public relations firms are the major beneficiaries of corporate retrenchment and the major growth area in public relations employment is in this area.

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