HMRC needs an editor

 

I was initially happy when I heard about HMRC's equality objectives; I was glad to have our nation's tax authority come out in firm support of a more inclusive society.

 

“We are focused on making HMRC a modern, highly-efficient and more inclusive organisation, with a more professionalised and engaged workforce which better reflects the diversity of the society it serves. We continue to transform in size and shape and have committed ourselves to delivering further improvements to how we meet these key objectives.”

 

Okay...

 

"We are committed to improving our understanding of the needs of our customers and employees. A better understanding of the needs of our employees will enable the provision of support so that they may give their best."

 

Wait, what? What are you saying HMRC? My head spins. It’s all there: Modern, highly efficient, inclusive, professionalised, engaged, diversity, transform, key objectives. Somewhere a management consultant has reached nirvana after reading this paper. 

 

Basically, HMRC wants to create a workplace where everyone feels welcome to work. Awesome! So why not just come out and say it? Surely a document that’s about inclusivity should be, you know, inclusive? That is, not cloaked in management speak.

 

I reiterate: I’m a fan of what HMRC is attempting to do here. It deserves applause, and reading their equality objectives should make me feel warm inside.

 

Instead, all I took from the paper was that HMRC is on a journey to empower and engage their professionalised and diversified staff by reaching out and taking their people to the next level. To monitor progress, HMRC will circle back and analyse its People Survey to identify and address pain points.

 

You still with me, guys? 

 

I’ll speak like a normal person again now. You might wonder, if I agree with HMRC’s ideals why am I being hard on them? It’s simple, I see management speak and corporate jargon as an inadvertent admission of guilt.

 

Jargon is used to disguise a job that hasn't been done properly. It shrouds important truths in clouds of corporate nonsense. Why not be crystal clear? Why not just say it like you mean it? Because then it's easier to evade. Having the courage of your convictions is hard.

 

The tax authority wants to reflect “the diversity of the society it serves”. That's great. But maybe next time hire a skilled editor to strip away the jargon safety blanket.