Smarter Working in public services: the HMRC experience so far
Read the full report
This report assesses how far Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has adopted Smarter Working principles to become more efficient and effective. It looks at how the Department is changing its working culture, transforming its use of space and implementing new technology, to become more flexible, productive and collaborative. This paper is sponsored by BT.
Smarter Working is about using technology, property and leadership to give workers more flexibility over how, when and where they work. Using the ongoing transformation of HMRC, Reform research demonstrates how Smarter Working is empowering staff, improving productivity and promoting collaboration between teams. The progress HMRC has made demonstrates the potential for reform within large-scale public-sector organisations.
Commenting on the report, Jon Thompson, Permanent Secretary of HMRC, said “This report shows HMRC is already making excellent progress in becoming a Smart Working organisation. We’re improving the service that we give to taxpayers and the experience for our people working in HMRC.”
The report calls for Smarter Working to prompt a paradigm shift in Whitehall leadership, away from a hierarchical, top-down structure to culture of collaboration, staff empowerment and flexibility. Going forward, Smarter Working could help to break down the traditional silos of government, improve public-service delivery and help ensure that the Civil Service achieves maximum value for every pound spent.
Watch the full video below for a quick overview of the report: