In a bid to "humanise" its reputation, HMRC is seeking to shed its "taxman" label.
In an interview with PRWeek, Poli Stuart-Lacey (HMRC director of comms) expressed her concern over the way many people perceive HMRC.
"People often use the reference 'taxman' when they talk about us and I find that really frustrating, because I don’t in any way relate to that reference.It doesn’t represent the diversity and huge range of capabilities that we’ve got in the department."
In terms of changing perceptions, she thinks that "humanising the face of HMRC" and "personalising what we do" is important.
The image of "an old-fashioned and bureaucratic organisation" does not reflect "the reality of what I see within", she added.
However, she admitted:
She wants HMRC to be perceived as the "modern, diverse, talented, and really committed, dedicated organisation that I can see around me.""The public don’t really know who we are. I think there’s quite a thick wall around HMRC which makes the ‘brown envelope’ represent us."
However, as I noted in February:
"Ironically, for someone involved in communications, she's not very keen on FOI and was part of a group that called for restrictions on freedom of information!"
The issue of the HMRC brand should not be reduced to the functions of the Whitehall department, she said.
Stuart-Lacey added that it is "personal experience" of dealing with HMRC "that defines our brand from many people."
I would agree, hence this site is called "HMRC Is Shite"!
Tax does have to be taxing.
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This is HMRC at it's pathetic best. Ineffective at closing the tax gap - unable to deal with avoidance or evasion, useless at basic tax collecting. They bully staff. Lie. Make false statements in court proceedings. Treat compliant taxpayers with contempt. This is just a load of shite from an HMRC non-job holder ('communications' director) who should perhaps prioritise collecting money and rooting violent bullying out of the Department...and ensuring those who have covered up past unlawful bullying face justice for their vile misconduct in public office.
ReplyDeletePlush Surroundings-Lostplot wouldn't have clue what the real truth is, living in a coffee slurping ivory tower. Wave those jazz hands. Let them eat cake.
ReplyDeleteAnother day, another dose of HMRC madness...
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, thanks for that brain fart HMRC...meanwhile, back on planet earth...
Cake? Seems to ring a bell for some reason, wasn't there some farcical situation involving this person and some form of cakery?
ReplyDelete""The public don’t really know who we are. I think there’s quite a thick wall around HMRC which makes the ‘brown envelope’ represent us."
ReplyDeleteShe of course was mis-quoted here. What she actually said was; "There's actually a big brown thick wall behind which we all sit".
Makes more sense now.
Do the public really care "who we are"? They see the way HMRC behave and aren't particularly interested in "personalising what we do". All they want is a well-educated, skilled workforce able to deal with basic tax queries, pick up the phone, tackle the tax cheats, and all while acting with respect & courtesy and within the law. Accounts of HMRC bullying, leaving HMRC staff suicidal, will hardly help to humanise the face of HMRC. Perhaps the Commuications Director should wake up and smell the coffee, then get a proper job.
ReplyDeleteAfter the torture the dishonest thugs put my family and I through, their reputation is a long way from being repaired.
DeleteI am not shy about calling HMRC's unscrupulous staff out and I simply refer to them as: "disgusting, psychopathic, law-breaking, liars" -cos that's what they are!
PR Polly should put on a headset and sit with the A Grades for six months if she is so concerned.
ReplyDeleteShe doesnt recognise the word "taxman " because like the bulk of HMRC senior management (remember Edward "not involved in individual taxpayer affairs " Troup ? )shes never collected a penny in revenue in her life ,using staff to monitor the internal website to eliminate dissenting comments and spout horseshit about embracing change on the BOF journey which will not change her non job one iota .
ReplyDeleteIs the esteemed hmrcisshite blog still banned in HMRC?
DeleteBit like North Korea in that nasty and violent organisation.
If HMRC aren't "taxmen" (or women) then WTF are they doing? Or do they just sit around eating cake, playing bingo and drinking tea all day? Oh yes, yes they do...
ReplyDeleteHow about 'tax-cunts' Poli? If that is your real name.
ReplyDeleteAnd they renamed "Law Enforcement" to "Criminal Investigations" to "FIS". The Criminal Investigators do enforce the law, but dumbing down as ever.
ReplyDeletePity their own internal affairs equivalent doen't!
DeleteQ. How can you tell when an HMRC manager is lying?
A. Their lips are moving.
It beggars belief that this corrupt and failing organisation is not under a broad ranging criminal and civil invetigation.
Ignoring the pachyderm again...? And again, and again, and ?
What's Poli short for? Comedy answers below please.
ReplyDeleteA Norwegian Blue?
ReplyDeletepolitics -poly means many and tics means parasites
ReplyDeleteHMRC employee review from indeed.co.uk : "my manager is a nasty repugnant manager who is self egostical ego centric person who likes to emotionally torture and bully people."
ReplyDeleteWith so many HMRC staff saying similar such things, I wouldn't have thought it matters whether HMRC have a "taxman label", there are much bigger issues affecting how HMRC are viewed by the public...
6 reports in 6 years criticising the CPS and Police for Disclosure failings!
ReplyDeleteCPS departing head, whoever, criticised personally in latest report, surprise, surprise!
Does anyone really expect HMRC to disclose either legally and or morally, any information that it holds on individual staff who are suspected of breaking law (electronically/cloud held, paper record, phone/mobile records, diary entries etc)? No, neither do I.
It will have to be torn from their cold dead hands.
I have evidence of HMRC attempting to pervert the course of justice. They made the mistake of changing the story far too many times and while they attempted to with-hold personal through SARs they made the 'mistake' (as they would see it) of releasing documents with differing accounts of the same events written by the same Senior Officer manager. There are people at HMRC who could be in big trouble for their misconduct. They are an affront to the decent, HONEST majority who have worked for HMRC and the public who pay their wages.
ReplyDelete"...personal data..."
ReplyDeleteNext they will be texting you saying you have a tax rebate....which of course the HMRC NEVER do....or maybe they do !!! Could not make this shit up.....corporate communications (brown noses) and digital ambassadors (more brown noses) start this pilot without informing the front line staff !!! Total imbeciles !!
ReplyDeleteNothing to do with corporate comms or digital ambassadors, you're right about the brown nosing.
DeleteThis would be from some bods in digital transformation who've never done any front line work, correct again about them being total imbeciles !!!
Another initiative about as welcome as lipstick on a donkey. Shite merchants all and their ilk.
ReplyDeleteThese regular comments about HMRC's conduct to its own employees would be all the more effective if made to a national newspaper, ideally by a named individual with the doucmentation to prove what ****s HMRC higher management are.
ReplyDeleteI had a small run-in with HMRC VAT that convinced me of the veracity of the statement. They broke all their own rules; I now understand it's not allowed to telephone a taxpayer to ask questions. From a mobile number, too. FFS.
Obviously, spill the beans long after you have a secure payoff, retire or take a new job outside government. Otherwise you'll be victimised just like NHS whistleblowers (Private Eye ad nauseam.)
Newspapers, M.P.'s, G.P.'s, Margaret Hodge, Commons Select Committee, NAO, not sure what more can be considered, its a bit like the 3 monkeys or The Emperors New Clothes and nobody dare mention the obvious.
DeleteThe issues of HMRC's misconduct, past & present, will only be resolved when they are subject to a fully independent investigation with disciplinary and legal sanctions against INDIVIDUAL OFFICERS following the findings.
DeleteFrom experience, HMRC's internal grievance investigations are nothing short of a corrupt waste of everyone's time, not least the victims.
The people who are grievance 'investigators' tend to be bullies themselves, they have a terible attitude and are usually very poor performers with their 'day job', and see taking on the role of helping HMRC cover up harmful misconduct as a way of brown nosing management for promotions.
These corrupt people see their task as constructing a false narrative to excuse HMRC of any responsibility for the harm caused to victims. They ignore all the strong evidence from the complainant while putting significant weight behind insignificant opinions of management and fabricated documents which lack any credibility to those with an average IQ. They take no responsibility for the reputational damage this causes to HMRC, they accept no responsibility for the distrust it breeds among the HMRC workforce and they could not care less that their corrupt cover ups causing untold harm to victims; their only motive is their promotion. There are various words used to describe self-centered, dishonest people who lack empathy...
An independent investigation is long overdue!!!
RE: HMRC bullying misconduct
DeleteIt may help to understand that most bullies have some form of Narcissistic Personality Disorder and/or Psychopathy. If you are a victim of bullies, you owe it to yourself to read about these conditions and see if it applies to the person or persons doing the bullying - it might help you find a solution, and understand best how to deal with such people.
The employment solicitor who dealt with my case against HMRC said that in several years of practicing, he had never come up against an employer which had such a cold and inhumane attitude to an employee, particular one who had been a 'model employee' and had long service.
ReplyDeleteI read of the involvment of M.p.s, Margaret Hodge, Parliament and am not surprised they have made no affect on improving HMRCs conduct. It would seem that HMRC are somehow untouchable and above the law!!!
For all HMRC staff suffering mental health due to bullying and harassment, do take the time to look at www.time-to-change.org.uk which is a valuable resource to help in your recovery.
ReplyDeleteDear Prime Minister, Daily Mail, BBC etc,
ReplyDeletePlease read the various accounts about HMRC conduct towards staff and taxpayers. There is plenty of information out there. Take note of everything from HMRC's violent bullying, poor service, data breaches, dishonesty etc and please ensure an independent, wide-ranging, investigation is instituted to restore a little trust in this failing, incompetent (dis)organisation.
Kind Regards,
A Former HMRC Officer (who was left suicidal and suffering PTSD)
No matter the 'label', it is clear to all that HMRC has a serious image problem. As others have observed there is regular commentary about various issues relating to conduct.
ReplyDeleteAnd for anyone considering working for HMRC, the message from some former employees is: "be warned".
Looking at HMRC employee reviews on indeed.co.uk, here is what two of them have said in the last week:
"HMRC is led by a corporate team that seems set on the idea that the entire staff are robots. All decision making has been stripped away from the lower echelons of the organisation, and when these people are promoted, they still haven't learned decision making.
"The cowardly leadership also refuses to advocate for the staff to receive anything remotely resembling a fair pay rise, despite three years of continually closing the tax gap and achieving our organisational objectives. As a result only people trapped and demotivated stay in the organisation and the vast majority of the sites have a highly toxic culture."
AND ANOTHER:
"DRT Nottingham
Management chain reactive not proactive
Civil Service Code not compiled with
Dis-organised and chaotic and work beyond your remit consistently delegated from higher grades
Complete opposite of transparent and open
Communication and trust between management and workers not there
favouritism, bullying, lack of consistency, unapproachable management, knee jerk reactions, treated like children, victimisation, unfairness and unreasonableness in management commonplace.
I would advice don't come here unless you have absolutely no choice.
There is no confidentiality.
Turn over is unusually high."
The theme of bullying, distrust, toxicity and cowardice is consistent through numerous accounts. No wonder the taxpaying public of the UK are getting such sloppy service from the tax department.
HMRC destroy peoples lives.
ReplyDeleteStaff and tax payers.
Nasty, little people who run it.
They have no conscience.
Quite disturbing bunch in all honesty.
Untrustworthy and dangerous.
Avoid all contact with them.
Rename these shameless , non-thinkers robots.
I've always wondered how HMRC management and staff engaged in violent bullying, and those cowards in HR who are complicit in the cover ups, manage to sleep at night?
DeleteWax lyrical to justify a non job. Just about sums up the rat hole. Celebrate "Save the Penguin" week so they can get an 'award'. Shite.
ReplyDelete