QUESTIONS FOR IRS COMMISSIONER EVERSON
Your tenure at the IRS has brought fundamental change to the way the agency operates. During our last meeting with you, you expressed the need for the Employee Organizations to prepare their members for change and changing job priorities. You mentioned that the IRS will be entering a period of "accelerated change". Can you define "accelerated change"?
Changes in the American economy, including globalization and rapid technological advances, require us to continually streamline and adapt our business processes so they insure top quality customer service to the American taxpayer and to fairly and efficiently enforce the law. As part of this review, every employee needs to assure that he or she takes advantage of all learning and developmental opportunities to prepare for the future workplace opportunities and challenges. The changes we must respond to are accelerating as technological advances interact with new opportunities to build a global economy. And of course, there are every increasing pressures to operate more efficiently by reducing overhead and streamlining processes.
1. What directives could be put in place to ensure that managers treat employees who file complaints with respect and dignity until the case is completed? Since you can't discuss individual cases are you able to provide statistical information such as how many were filed? Whether the numbers are increasing or decreasing? What is the break down of the type of cases being filed? (are they based on race, sexual harassment, etc.) If they are rising how is that being addressed and does it cause you concern?
The IRS has taken a number of proactive steps to ensure that managers do not retaliate against employees who file complaints, including directives from the Secretary of the Treasury and myself. Also, as part of our mandatory briefings, we emphasize that managers must assure non-retaliation when an employee files a complaint.
I am pleased to note that the numbers of employment discrimination pre-complaints and complaints have noticeably declined over the past two years. From FY05 to FY06, IRS pre-complaints decreased from 1070 to 804 or 25%, and IRS formal complaints decreased from 535 to 398 or 26%.
For FY06, the top three bases for formal complaints were Reprisal, Race, and Age, and the top three issues were Terms/Condition of Employment, Harassment (Non Sexual), and Evaluation/Appraisal.
The fact that complaints are decreasing may in part be attributed to effective alternative dispute resolution practices, the EEOD FS Talk First program and better communication between managers and employees to resolve conflicts before they become complaints. These contributing factors illustrate some of the actions we have taken to create and maintain a fair and equitable workplace environment for all employees.
2. The HRIF is available for employees to pursue educational opportunities that will enable them to improve their career skills. Will the availability of the HRIF continue and are there any other similar initiatives on the drawing board?
The Human Resources Investment Fund (HRIF) is the current vehicle for administering tuition assistance to IRS employees. Tuition assistance is viewed as a way for our employees to develop their professional skills and reach career goals within the Service. In the last few years, the HRIF Program has been used primarily to assist employees who are at risk of losing their jobs due to workforce transitions. I have supported this effort.
TIGTA recently conducted a review of this area and concluded that the overhead administrative costs were too high. We have since reduced costs, and will see further reductions as we implement some automation this fiscal year. I am not sure what the future will bring but have challenged the Human Capital Office to ensure we are being wise stewards of taxpayer dollars in this area.
The IRS has been considering outsourcing portion of the collection process. What impact will this have on collection employees?
The assignment of work to collection agencies will have no impact on collection employees. We are only assigning cases that the Service would not be able to work due to staffing limitations.
For the most recent information: http://sbse.web.irs.gov/Collection/Programs/PDC/default.htm
4. ASPIRE, CFIRE, HIRE, and AIM-IRS have developed conference schedules that we understand meets with the Commissioner's request. For FY06, CFIRE and ASPIRE are holding their conferences in the same city and same time period. AIM-IRS and HIRE are holding conferences every other year. For Employee Organizations holding a conference in a given year, can we expect to see an increase in funded SF182s? In addition, executive participation is extremely important to the conference and participants. Can we expect an increase in executive participation along with the executives who already provide their support?
I support the response organizations have shown for the conference schedules. The number of funded attendees in any given year will depend on the total training budget. Early estimates of FY 2007 indicate that training budgets should be about the same as FY 2006. (We do not anticipate any change in the one half of 1% ceiling.)
Executive support will continue and when conferences are held in Washington, DC or in a nearby city like Baltimore, Headquarters executive participation can increase due to the ease of traveling to nearby locations.
5. Some progress has been made for minorities in the Internal Revenue Service but the trend appears to be going back to the way it was before. There are fewer minorities in the executive and senior manager levels. What role do you see the recognized employee organizations playing in the future to help bring some balance to the make up the difference of minority employees at those levels? Can we see the break down of the last couple of years of the Race, National Origin of employees at the executive and senior manager levels and whether they are increasing or decreasing? If they are decreasing what is being done to make this more representative of the organization?
I don't agree with the statement made here. The Service continues to increase its minority representation in the Senior Executive Service. Over the last five years minority representation has risen from 18% to 25%.
Minority representation at the Senior Manager Level also continues to rise. FY 2006 2nd Quarter data reflect that nearly 27% of Senior Manager positions are currently held by minorities, up 7% from 2001.
6. The Employee Organizations have assisted the IRS in meeting some of its program goals such as Taxpayer Outreach with VITA volunteers, and providing consulting services on IRS publications that have been translated into Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese. We believe our services help to create and maintain a positive and supportive image to our diverse taxpayers. As we plan for the future in support of the IRS and our employees, how does the Commissioner view our presence, and how can we provide improved impact to the IRS?
Employee Organizations members have been very supportive in providing assistance to our diverse taxpayer population. Employees have been used as interpreters for face to face meetings as well as reviewing written documents for translation. These are all invaluable services to our taxpayers and employees. Of continuing importance to the Service are VITA participation and the contributions this work has made. Your continued support in this area is greatly appreciated.
7. A major problem facing the agency is succession planning. Due to pay compression the financial rewards sometimes aren't sufficient to cause someone to accept relocation. Has the agency considered an alternative reward or incentive system?
This question addresses two different areas: alternative ways to address pay compression and succession planning.
Let me first address whether we have considered alternative pay systems to address pay compression. As you know, all of IRS managers are now in a pay for performance system. While the IRS received some flexibility to design a new pay system in RRA 98, we are still required by statute to stay within the limits of the general schedule (GS) salary tables. This means we still face the same salary compression issues as the rest of government.
While I am not aware of any statutory changes in the pay area that would address this, we try to use our retention and relocation bonuses wisely to ease the financial burdens associated with employees assuming greater responsibility. This is an issue of utmost importance as we address our succession planning efforts.
From candidate identification to candidate placement and development, Leadership Succession programs are getting increased attention due to the large number of executives and managers becoming eligible for retirement in 2006 through 2010. It is estimated that by 2010, 70% of executives and 61% of senior managers will become retirement eligible. We recognize the significance of the issue and have commissioned a team consisting of IRS and PricewaterhouseCoopers to build a comprehensive Leadership Succession program. This project is addressing all policies around recruitment, selection and retention of the leadership cadre. A key concern is discerning the impediments of gaining interest in leadership. In addition, the team will address the mobility policy specifically, which will ultimately have a bearing on relocation and any incentives for relocation.
Key benefits of the program include enhancing our ability to:
8. How can the IRS assist the Employee Organizations in recruiting and retaining Minorities in the workforce?
Effective partnership between IRS and the Employee Organizations clearly benefits the agency's ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce. During FY 07 we will be revisiting the MOU entered into a few years ago in order to update it and address any current concerns.
9. What is the key message you would like for AIM, HIRE, ASPIRE, and CFIRE to deliver to our memberships?
Employee Organizations should strongly encourage their members to ready themselves now to become competitive candidates for future vacancies by assessing their current skills and eliminating skill gaps for the targeted position. Employees interested in pursuing leadership positions should take advantage of existing management development programs. Employee Organizations can follow-up with members to identify and overcome any barriers members encounter in applying for management development programs. In addition, anyone pursuing career advancement would benefit from the advice and guidance of a mentor either through a formal mentoring program or as a result of an established relationship with a trusted individual who will guide and nurture career pursuits.
10. The recruitment process appears not to have any accountability or a focus within the minority community. IRS recruiters often ignore the many colleges and universities that have large numbers of minority candidates that certainly are qualified. What actions can the Commissioner's office take to resolve the perception that minorities are being excluded from the recruitment process?
This is an area where I am interested to know your thoughts. The IRS is strongly committed to the recruitment of minorities and the recruitment program is built around a balanced effort to reach a diverse pool of highly qualified applicants. The campus Recruitment Strategy is built around 200 assigned schools and we also participate in various high exposure diversity events throughout the country. My understanding is that the cadre attends the various Employee Organization conferences and regularly presents workshops and breakout discussions on the recruitment strategy. I would recommend that you continue to make recommendations and comment on this strategy.
The initial schools were selected through a HCO Strategic Recruitment study. This study looked at academic programs meeting our hiring objectives, diversity of the student population and input from the leadership of the compliance functions. Each year the cadre reviews the schools to assess whether its programs meet the Service's hiring criteria, the school has a positive recruitment environment and that the diversity of the student population mirrors the diversity of the labor force.
The recruiter cadre is divided into seven diversity teams that are responsible for developing a higher level of expertise in recruiting techniques, finding appropriate venues for their area and formulating strategies These strategies and plans have been shared with the Director of EEO for SB/SE.
11. This question is from HIRE: Mobility is always mentioned as a barrier to career advancement for Hispanics, do you believe this a perception or a reality? If it is a reality what can the agency do to address the problem, are there alternatives?
Some employees, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic, find mobility requirements of managerial and executive positions challenging. We are currently assessing the specific needs of business units for employees who become managers and executives to relocate. However, a national organization like ours frequently does need its leadership to have broad experience in the field, headquarters and in a variety of other locations to assure a breadth of background. In that regard we need flexibility in assigning those with the appropriate leadership skills for individual situations. We are striving to create the optimal balance between business needs and employee preferences, particularly as we increasingly recruit and retain members of several generations, some of which place a greater emphasis on individual and family needs than in the past.
To sum up, I urge you to do all you can to encourage your members to look for opportunities to practice leadership, wherever these opportunities are, both inside and outside of the workplace. As Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao recently remarked at the 5th Annual Asian Pacific American Federal Career Advancement Summit, "leadership is not simply taking charge. Leadership is gaining the respect of peers and persuading them to follow you. It requires building trust and the ability to motivate and inspire others."
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