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Life inside the beleaguered HMRC Life inside the beleaguered HMRC
(about 2 hours later)
Morale within the department is poor, employees complainThe news that the details of 25 million recipients of Child Benefit payments have gone missing has shone a spotlight on HM Revenue and Customs, formed in 2005 following a merger between HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue. Morale within the department is poor, employees complainA former employee of under-fire HM Revenue and Customs service contacted the BBC News website to describe life inside its offices.
The government has targeted job cuts of 12,500 from the 100,000-strong workforce, and unions have staged a series of strikes in protest. The news that the details of 25 million recipients of Child Benefit payments have gone missing has shone a spotlight on HMRC.
HMRC is governed by a board made up of a chair, eight other executive directors and five non-executive directors. The agency collects and administers direct and indirect taxes; and pays and administers Child Benefit, Child Trust Fund and Tax Credits. It is also responsible for environmental taxes, enforcing the National Minimum Wage and recovery of student loans.
Critics complained that the merger of two distinct organisations, with very different cultures and legal powers, was always going to be a difficult task. Formed in 2005 following a merger between HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue, it has proved controversial since its inception.
As junior officials of HMRC are blamed for the Child Benefit blunder, a former employee of the service who contacted the BBC news website describes life inside its offices: But now it faces intense criticism after junior officials were blamed for sending computer discs with personal details of all UK families through the post - only for the discs to disappear.
I wasn't surprised in the least when I heard the news. 'Pillar to post'
The problems with Child Benefit are only the tip of the iceberg. Speaking anonymously - as he has signed the Official Secrets Act - one worker who recently left HMRC after more than 10 years' service told the BBC News website that he was not surprised to hear of the blunder.
Morale is non-existent. Mistakes happen continuously. Rooms full of unopened post are not uncommon. "I wasn't surprised in the least when I heard the news," he said.
There is no trust between management and staff. "The problems with Child Benefit are only the tip of the iceberg.
You are like a number. It is utterly demoralising. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes because you won't be held accountable Ex-HMRC worker
'Cut corners' "Morale is non-existent. Mistakes happen continuously. Rooms full of unopened post are not uncommon."
I had to get out because I couldn't deal with the low pay, the inefficiency, the bad atmosphere any more. HMRC declined to comment on his remarks.
Something like this was going to happen sooner or later Following the 2005 merger, the agency is governed by a board made up of a chair, eight other executive directors and five non-executive directors.
When the merger was introduced, job duplication meant that many experienced people were made redundant. So we lost many of our best people. Critics and unions complained that combining two distinct organisations, with very different cultures and legal powers, was always going to be a difficult task.
Others were moved from pillar to post, and the experience was hit morale even harder. The government has targeted job cuts of 12,500 from the 100,000-strong workforce.
The lowest paid were all laid off, and all of their workloads were added to everyone else's. Unions staged a series of strikes in protest.
A system called 'lean processing' was introduced, which meant that jobs were divided up into their individual parts - every aspect was dealt with separately, and no-one has overall ownership or responsibility for the task. "When the merger was introduced, job duplication meant that many experienced people were made redundant," the anonymous ex-employee said.
Arbitrary individual hourly targets meant that people cut corners. It doesn't matter if you make mistakes because you won't be held accountable. "So we lost many of our best people.
I've spoken to some of my former colleagues about the Child Benefit blunder, and they are utterly apathetic. It's just one thing on top of another. "Others were moved from pillar to post, and the experience hit morale even harder.
People hate it, but after 20 years or whatever they feel they can't get a job in the private sector. "The lowest paid were all laid off, and all of their workloads were added to everyone else's."
Something like this was going to happen sooner or later. He complained that after a system called 'lean processing' was introduced, jobs were divided up into their individual parts - every aspect was dealt with separately, and no-one has overall ownership or responsibility for the task, he said.
"Arbitrary individual hourly targets meant that people cut corners," he added. "It doesn't matter if you make mistakes because you won't be held accountable.
"There is no trust between management and staff.
"You are like a number. It is utterly demoralising."
'Sooner or later'
Eventually, he said, he felt he had to get out because of low pay.
"I've spoken to some of my former colleagues about the Child Benefit blunder, and they are utterly apathetic," he said. "It's just one thing on top of another.
"People hate it, but after 20 years or whatever they feel they can't get a job in the private sector.
"Something like this was going to happen sooner or later."
On its website, the agency says: "Work is still continuing on our office restructuring programme."