A 'culture of 恐れる' and too much micromanagement is 主要な to HMRC 延期するs, （人命などを）奪う，主張する insiders

• e-mail

HMRC has 削減（する） 6,000 frontline 顧客 services staff over the last five years.

The 政府's 'making 税金 数字表示式の' 率先, which の中で other things 目的（とする）s to encourage 商売／仕事s and accountants to use online chatbots, will likely 運動 this 人物／姿／数字 even higher.

The 直面する of HMRC has changed 意味ありげに in 最近の years. In 2015, the 税金 office の近くにd 170 税金 offices in favour of 13 new 地域の 中心s.

Over this period, waiting times have ロケット／急騰するd and 顧客 satisfaction has 急落するd. The 普通の／平均（する） 速度(を上げる） of answering calls was 6:39 minutes in 2019-20, but 急に上がるd to 12:22 minutes the next year, によれば a 報告（する）／憶測 by the 委員会 of public accounts.

大混乱: HMRC has come under 解雇する／砲火／射撃 for shutting some of its helplines as waiting times grow longer

But, in reality, plenty of accountants, 商売／仕事 owners and individuals have been in touch with This Is Money to say they have spent hours on the phone to the taxman.

HMRC's most 最近の 年次の 報告（する）／憶測 shows 顧客 satisfaction has dipped from 85.2 per cent in 2020-21 to 82 per cent in 2021-22. It is 現在／一般に at 79.2 per cent, the lowest 率 since 2018.

The 終結 of the 付加価値税 登録 helpline in May and summer 終結 of the self-査定／評価 helpline has その上の infuriated those trying to get through to HMRC.

Headcount 削減（する）s have likely done little to help 事柄s, but insiders have told This Is Money that it is staff retention and 欠如（する） of training at the root of HMRC's 問題／発行するs.

A former 従業員, who was moved from HMRC to another department before retiring, told This Is Money: 'There were lots of people in their 50s and 60s who knew the 職業 and knew how to を取り引きする 顧客s. Then they just got rid of them.?

'They put a lot of lower paid staff on with basic training and saved a lot of money that way. Then they put them on 直す／買収する，八百長をするd 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 契約s over one or two years.'

A 広報担当者 for HMRC said redundancies are 'always a last 訴える手段／行楽地' and 計画／陰謀s are 'not 制限するd to any particular age group'.

They 追加するd: 'We support 同僚s who are unable to move, 含むing 申し込む／申し出ing 柔軟な working 手はず／準備, or h elping them to find another 役割, 含むing in other 政府 departments, before considering voluntary redundancy.'?

The 広報担当者 said all 顧客 service 助言者s are on the same salary and HMRC mostly 新採用するs to 永久の 契約s, rather than 直す／買収する，八百長をするd 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 ones.?

The former 従業員 also 示唆するd that working from home has 悪化させるd 事柄s, with newer staff unable to ask experienced 同僚s for help. This has always been strenuously 否定するd by HMRC.

They said they had received 包括的な training when they started out, working に向かって an 前進するd BTEC 資格 with a period of 現在進行中の learning: 'You start off with simple 事例／患者s and move on to コンビナート／複合体 ones.'

When it comes to training staff now, the taxman said: 'New HMRC staff receive a 包括的な 控訴 of 税金 training before 存在 put on 顧客 service phonelines with the public, which 範囲s from two to ten weeks 扶養家族 on the type and 複雑さ of work.

'Staff also receive on the 職業 learning, 観察するing and taking live calls with an experienced call 助言者; have an 適切な時期 for learning consolidation, and 現在進行中の support and coaching from their 経営者／支配人. They also have 接近 to 税金 支配する 事柄 専門家s if 要求するd.'?

Now it seems 顧客 service 助言者s are bounced around さまざまな enquiries.?

One source with intimate knowledge of how the department operates said: 'You're 選ぶing up the phone to someone who is 完全に and totall y bereft.?

'The next call, seconds later, is someone who's bouncing with 激怒（する）.?

'The next call is the most コンビナート／複合体 enquiry, which means you're having to go through the 手動式のs to find the answer.'?

And the problems are only 始める，決める to 悪化する その上の as HMRC の近くにs the 付加価値税 登録 helpline, 押し進めるing queries online or to the main 付加価値税 line.?

類似して, any self-査定／評価 queries were 押し進めるd online over the summer after the 税金 office 一時的に の近くにd the helpline. It has since 再開するd.?

Insiders have 述べるd an 'oppressive' work 環境

A rep for the PCS union, which 代表するs 労働者s in all 政府 departments, told This Is Money: 'One of the big 問題／発行するs is that HMRC has got is the fact that it's unable to 保持する its staff, which then means that 圧力 passes の上に the public.'

HMRC does not publish - and did not 供給する when asked - the staff retention 率 for its 顧客 services 助言者s.

Its 最新の 年次の 報告（する）／憶測 showed there was an 8.7 per cent turnover 率 in HMRC, which 含むs those who have left 完全に, transferred to other departments or retired.

The union 代表者／国会議員 said: 'These [顧客 service] members do really コンビナート／複合体 職業s.?

'I'd go so far as to say that their 職業 is probably one of the most difficult and yet you can go and work at McDonald's and earn more, with いっそう少なく hassle and いっそう少なく micromanagement, いっそう少なく 失望／欲求不満 存在 vented at them from the public. We don't 非難する them.'

Micromanagement and a 'culture of 恐れる'

One of the 長，指導者 （民事の）告訴s from the PCS union is （人命などを）奪う，主張するs of micromanagement in the 顧客 services department, whereby 助言者s are 推定する／予想するd to put codes into the computer system to account for every minute of the day.

'If you need time to finish a call, you have to put in a code. If you want to go to the 洗面所, you have to put a code in. If you're in a 会合 you have to put a code in. Every minute of your time in work is scrutinised,' a 代表者／国会議員 said.

'The way it's put is that HMRC can 計画（する） for the number of people they need at any given time on a particular line of work. But the reality is that 経営者／支配人s are scrutinisng and 尋問 'where have you been? Why aren't you taking another call?' It's very oppressive.'

If a 顧客 service 助言者 is continually on a break, 経営者／支配人s will often send through messages asking: 'where are you? You've been in that code for 20 minutes', によれば one insider.

HMRC may argue that this level of oversight is 必須の for 福利事業 義務s,?someone familiar with the department's 顧客 services 操作／手術s （人命などを）奪う，主張する that 管理／経営 have build charts 監視するing staff 固守.

'We've seen databases whereby people's check in and out times have been 記録，記録的な／記録するd, their breaks are 存在 記録，記録的な／記録するd. If they flick to red, that automatically means ma nagers are looking at them with even more scrutiny,' they 追加するd.?

Asked if there was a culture of 恐れる at the 税金 office, an insider said: 'In 顧客 services, 絶対.'

When these （人命などを）奪う，主張するs were to put to HMRC, a spokesperson said: 'Last year, we received more than three million calls on three things that can easily be done digitally - resetting an online password, getting a 税金 code, and getting a 国家の 保険 number. These calls コースを変える our 専門家 助言者s, 減ずるing their capacity to help those who need one-to-one support.

'While we encourage more 顧客s to use our 高度に-率d online services, we must also work to 配達する the highest possible 基準s under 現在の circumstances.?

'To do that, we use 基準 顧客 service practices in our call centres while, of course, 支持するing the 福利事業 of 同僚s and 確実にするing everyone is 扱う／治療するd with 尊敬（する）・点.'

The union 代表者／国会議員 said: 'If our members were just 許すd to do the 職業 they're paid for… I think HMRC would be even more 生産力のある than they are now. It's that thing of you scratch my 支援する and I'll scratch yours. It just leads to good 約束.'

Are you a 失望させるd HMRC 従業員 or a 商売／仕事 owner who has been left in the dark? Email editor@thisismoney.co.uk with HMRC in the 支配する line?