As with any large organisation, IR needs to operate with the agility to respond to changes in customer demand, Government priorities and unplanned national events. At IR, leaders make resourcing choices based on workforce plans, funding and the type of work to be done.
This year, the permanent workforce has grown by 360 employees. This planned growth helps to ensure we can meet current and future customer needs and support Government priorities. At the same time, resourcing decisions consider the need to realise efficiencies.
IR also continues to use a temporary labour force to supplement our workforce when needed.
We have been able to attract people to roles in customer-facing groups as we are seen as a good employer. People experience and exit survey results show that just over 80% of people who currently work here and those who have previously worked here would recommend IR as an employer.
Developing our people
An induction programme introduced in September 2023 is helping new people to settle in quickly at IR. The programme aims to help them feel connected to our purpose and culture, and to feel supported and know what’s expected of them.
IR has committed to providing people with opportunities to develop their capabilities. The majority of development happens on the job. Capability and outcome-focused roles and networked teams enable people to work across IR and be exposed to varied and interesting work.
Career development is valued by people as a reason to join and stay here. People have regular performance and development conversations with leaders to set priorities and goals based on their strengths and aspirations.
We know people value these opportunities. People experience survey results show that 80% say they feel well supported to meet their development goals. This year, around half the appointments made were people moving to another role within IR.
Unplanned turnover over the last year is low at 7.2%.
Focusing on the future
Learning and development ensures that we maintain specialist technical knowledge while supporting people to adapt how they work in response to customer needs and the environment.
With a strong focus on the growth and development of our technical workforce, building the skills, knowledge and experience to support end-to-end compliance remains a priority. A dedicated learning team supports this, including ensuring we are ready to address the most significant high-level debts and outstanding returns, with a consistent approach across all our tax and social policy products.
In addition, our internal tools and resources have been better aligned to support people in having positive conversations with customers. Heading into the 2025 year, we are prepared to support customers to get things right from the start and deal with their debt and outstanding returns situations.
Strengthened leadership development learning supports the skills that underpin effective performance and development conversations.
Managing health and safety
IR takes its responsibilities for staff health and safety seriously, including risks to people’s mental wellbeing that can arise when working with customers under stress. We work on an ongoing basis to prevent work from causing harm, promote positive health and wellbeing and support recovery when needed.
Our people experience surveys help us monitor and understand how staff are feeling and what we can do to help them find the right work-life balance.