Its April and its tax time - you know, the time of the year when procrastinators say "oh ____ (insert favorite expletive)". I know, the IRS is not your most beloved of U.S. institutions right about now but I thought I would take the opportunity to share something positive about the IRS with you (and yes, there is a connection to human resources).
Nina Olsen is director of the little known Taxpayer Advocate Service and charged with helping taxpayers in disputes with the IRS - yes, you read that right - they actually work on your behalf and they are funded by the U.S. government - go figure! Here's the HR connection: according to Businessweek article The People vs The IRS, Ms. Olsen is attempting a change of culture within the IRS. As Olsen states (referring to taxpayers who contact the IRS), "Don't think of these people as widgets". Lesson one. Lest anyone forget the basic foundations of human resources, Olsen's statement reminds us that we are dealing with people. People that have unique life experiences, unique work experiences, and unique strengths. I'm going to give you another quote from Olsen and we are going to play a game we have played before on The HRR: word replacing. Replace the word "taxpayers" with "employees" and replace "IRS" with your organization's name: "For the majority of taxpayers, the IRS has become faceless, nameless, with no accountability and no liability".
If saying that sentence above made you feel a bit uneasy - good. Lesson two: human resources is a partner in the success of the organization. Say it out loud. Human resources is not to be considered "a necessary evil". People are our business and people can make the difference between an organization's successful rise and growth or the freefall of all that shareholders hold dear. Last quote for you from Olsen (just to bring it all home): "No business could stay in business behaving the way the IRS does towards its people". Now go out there and make sure this last statement does not apply to your organization.
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