I am delighted to report that HMRC has been declared a "paragon".
It seems that, according to a report from the public-service-focused think tank Reform, HMRC's recent progress in embracing new technology, introducing new hubs and offering staff flexible-working opportunities offers a blueprint for other Whitehall departments, .
According to Public Technology, HMRC's implementation of “smarter working” principles has seen 25,000 of the department’s close-on 70,000 staff receive tablet computers so that they can work wherever they are, at a time of their choice.
HMRC is also at the forefront of the government Hubs Programme, and is targeting the consolidation of its operations to 13 regional hubs by 2027 – a huge scaling down from the 600 offices it had in 2005 and the 144 it operated in the last financial year.
The Reform report notes that HMRC’s new Croydon hub, which opened in September last year, offers different types of workspaces – such as shared spaces for collaboration, quiet zones for intense work, and videoconferencing so that staff can participate in meetings without being in the building.
Report co-author Daniel El-Gamry said the experience of HMRC showed that it was vital for staff needs rather than new technology to be in the driving seat.
“User-centred design is crucial because it embeds a culture of empathy with the employees’ actual needs, identifying their routine work challenges to create relevant solutions,” he said. “Therefore, rather than technological change being driven from the top, it is tailored around the needs of individual staff members.”The report said initiatives such as HMRC’s distribution of tablets gave staff “more authority and autonomy” on how and when they worked.
HMRC permanent secretary Jon Thompson said the report showed the department was making “excellent progress” towards becoming a smart working organisation.
“We’re improving the service that we give to taxpayers and the experience for our people working in HMRC.”Hat tip to Thompson, he actually avoided the use of the "C" word and referred to us as "taxpayers"!
The report also noted that HMRC was still 50% over the Cabinet Office’s target for space allocation per staff member – which it said was six square metres, according to the government’s The State of the Estate in 2016–17 report.
Well then, everything appears to be prefect!
Tax does have to be taxing.
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