Corporate report

Voluntary report on disability, mental health and wellbeing 2022 to 2023

Updated 23 May 2024

Foreword  

In HMRC we’re committed to creating a workplace where all of us feel trusted, respected, supported and confident in our role – working in modern, inclusive environments and using improved tools, technology, data and processes.

When we get these things right, it helps us to deliver effectively for our customers, retain and recruit the people and skills we need, improve colleague wellbeing, and give everyone a better experience of working here. ​This is why ‘Make HMRC a great place to work’ is one of our official strategic objectives.

We know that a ‘great place to work’ means different things to different people. We also recognise that building a working environment where we can all thrive takes time.

This report sets out some of the progress we have made over the last 12 months and additional measures we will deliver to better support our colleagues. As HMRC’s Wellbeing Champion, I recognise there will always be more we can do. We are committed to improving and making progress every working day, so we can make a positive difference to everyone’s experience of working here.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC Wellbeing Champion and Director General Customer Services

Voluntary reporting on disability

HMRC uses the social model of disability. The social model looks at the position disabled people have in the workplace and focuses on removing the barriers which exclude them or prevent them from achieving their potential in their career.

In line with the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Equality Duty, HMRC has equality objectives that apply to both our customers and colleagues. You can find more information about HMRC’s Equality Objectives online. You can also find further information on how we meet our responsibilities under the Public Sector Equality Duty in our annually published PSED report.

We have leader status under the government accredited Disability Confident scheme. This means we are taking action organisationally to progress disability inclusion. We maintain a Workplace Adjustment policy and accompanying guidance to support disabled colleagues who need adjustments to remove barriers in the workplace. We provide written guidance and support to vacancy holders and line managers to have conversations about reasonable adjustments from the application stage onwards. Our Expert Advice Service and Occupational Health provider can provide additional advice and recommendations where someone has complex needs. Further support is available to disabled colleagues through the employee Disability network which provides peer support as well as guidance and insight to the organisation on disability inclusion.

We have also achieved ‘Visibly Better Recruiter’ status from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in recognition of HMRC’s achievements as an accessible and inclusive recruiter. We offer all applicants opportunities at every stage of the recruitment process to tell us about reasonable adjustments they need. For sight impaired and blind applicants, the adjustments we offer include completing a recorded verbal application rather than completing an online form, forms in different font/font size and pre interview visits to the office to ensure the facilities are suitable and accessible.

To understand the diversity of our workforce across the business we ask colleagues to voluntarily self-report their characteristics, including disability status, through our online HR system. We continue to work to increase our diversity declaration rates so that we can accurately identify the scope, size, and place-based nature of our challenges. 14% of colleagues who answer the question ‘Do you have a disability’ in our online HR system currently report having a disability (February 24).

We also know that in the 2023 People Survey, out of the 44,058 HMRC colleagues who responded 26% said that they are disabled.

In 2023 we introduced a new inclusion approach to embed inclusion into HMRC. Our focus is on inclusion as a broader picture of the different characteristics and experiences that make us who we are, beyond and including any protected characteristics. As part of this work, we will regularly review our areas of focus to make sure we continually see positive change.

We identified 3 priorities for 2023 to 2024 using data and insight to make sure they are evidence based. These are:

• increasing the diversity of Senior Civil Service (SCS), Grade 6 and Grade 7 colleagues, particularly focussed on underrepresented groups including disabled colleagues
• improving the engagement, retention, and wellbeing of disabled colleagues
• addressing bullying, harassment and discrimination, especially for groups that experience higher levels

These priorities help to focus our efforts on the areas where we can see there are the greatest barriers for colleagues, or where progress is most needed. Whilst one of these priorities specifically looks to improve the experience of disabled colleagues, disabled colleagues can benefit from each of these priorities being addressed.

In the coming year we will be working on a project specifically aiming to improve the experience of the provision of workplace adjustments. To achieve this, we will continue to work closely with disabled colleagues, our employee Disability Network, our Executive Committee Disability Champion, Daljit Rehal and other relevant teams to identify barriers in the workplace adjustment process and seek solutions to overcome them.

Voluntary reporting on mental health and wellbeing

The wellbeing of our employees is paramount. Our managers and colleagues are supported by comprehensive health, safety and wellbeing arrangements, guidance and learning, with access to in-house support including Health, Safety and Wellbeing Advisers, HR Expert Advice Service and Mental Health Advocates.

There is also professional clinical and practical advice and support available from our Occupational Health (OH) and Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) providers. Colleagues can access psychological support from our EAP including a 24/7 helpline, structured short-term counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, mental health and wellbeing workshops and interactive digital health and wellbeing support via an app. All colleagues also have access to professional eyecare advice and services including Display Screen Equipment (DSE), safety and driver eyecare.

Our Wellbeing strategic aims include:

• embedding wellbeing into our culture where work and the working environment contribute to good wellbeing
• a focus on early interventions which support colleagues’ wellbeing, positively impacting their performance and attendance and the employee experience
• delivery on our wellbeing priorities:
  • stress management and mental health
  • promoting healthy lifestyles
  • targeted wellbeing interventions to protect colleagues’ personal and emotional safety

We have continued to work to the standards outlined in the Thriving at Work report (The Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers, 2017), the Mental Health at Work Commitment (2019) and implement recommendations from the Mind Workplace Wellbeing Index Survey 2020 to 2021.

During the last 12 months our activity included:

• focusing on helping colleagues to access services and support around financial wellbeing and cost of living concerns by promoting the help available through our EAP and the Charity for Civil Servants

• providing easy access to information and support through our ‘Wellbeing Matters’ and ‘Help for You’ pages on our new intranet

• promoting mental health and wellbeing learning through Civil Service Learning and working with our EAP to develop new workshops and products with specific support for colleagues in customer engagement roles

• supporting managers in creating a wellbeing culture within their teams through a suite of learning including EAP workshops and a Management Development Programme

• raising awareness of the Wellness Plan and Stress Management Plan; optional tools for colleagues and managers aimed at supporting open conversations about wellbeing and proactively managing stress in the workplace

• continuing to provide ongoing support, learning and development to our national network of over 250 Mental Health Advocates to enable them to provide support and signpost colleagues experiencing mental ill health. Activity included upskilling sessions and an annual virtual conference to share best practice and encourage collaboration

• raising awareness of the Access to Work Mental Health Support Service for advice, information, support and tools to help colleagues effectively manage mental health conditions in the workplace

• continuing to promote healthy lifestyles and help available for colleagues to manage their health and wellbeing through regular communications and campaigns such as National Stress Awareness Month, Mental Health Awareness Week, World Suicide Prevention Day, World Mental Health Day, Civil Service Active Wellbeing, Mega Miles Walking Challenge, Time to Talk Day and Winter Wellbeing

• encouraging colleagues to share their mental health and wellbeing experiences, ‘This is Me’ stories and hints and tips, helping to reduce stigma and creating supportive communities where colleagues can talk openly, seek help and support others

• continuing to build our partnership with the Charity for Civil Servants promoting the range of support available and opportunities for volunteering

• introducing Menopause and the Workplace guidance to raise awareness amongst all colleagues and managers, helping to promote and create a fully inclusive organisational environment that is supportive of all colleagues impacted by menopause. The guidance supplements our Supporting Your Attendance and Workplace Adjustments policies

• colleague-led support groups, communities and networks to provide peer support and help colleagues to connect and share experiences

• a flu immunisation programme through a voucher scheme via our OH provider for colleagues not eligible for the free NHS vaccination

• continuing to install Health Genie kiosks into the wellbeing rooms in our Regional Centres for colleagues to take physical health checks such as blood pressure, weight and body mass index to support their health and wellbeing

• continuing to enhance our employee discount scheme including access to dental insurance

Health and wellbeing data

In HMRC we have a range of metrics in place to measure workplace wellbeing. These include People Survey indicators which include Office for National Statistics (ONS) personal wellbeing questions, Proxy Stress index and PERMA (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, Accomplishments) index.

Personal wellbeing

We measure personal wellbeing through the annual Civil Service People Survey using the same 4 questions used by the ONS to monitor wellbeing across the UK, as part of their Measuring National Wellbeing Programme.

The questions relate to 3 positive wellbeing measures – how satisfied people are with their life, whether they feel they have meaning and purpose (things they do are worthwhile) and how happy they felt during a particular period, along with one negative measure – how anxious they felt during a particular period.

Levels for personal wellbeing decreased slightly in 2022 with the proportion of colleagues rating their anxiety increasing slightly. The changes are relatively small and overall, the picture for this reporting period is of general stability.

Question	2022 %	2021 %	2020 %
Overall, how satisfied are you with your life nowadays?	63	64	57
Overall, to what extent do you think the things you do in your life are worthwhile?	67	68	64
Overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?	59	60	55
Overall, how anxious did you feel yesterday?	36	35	35

Proxy Stress index

The Proxy Stress index uses Civil Service People Survey questions to align to the Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards to give a measure of the conditions which can contribute to (or reduce) stressful environments in the workplace.

Factors include workload, control over how work is done, support and relationships and how change is managed. The higher the index score represents a more stressful environment.

There was a 1% negative increase in our Proxy Stress index in 2022.

PERMA index

We use a PERMA index to measure the extent to which HMRC colleagues are flourishing in the workplace. This index combines measures of Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, sense of Meaning and sense of Accomplishment. The higher the index score represents higher levels of flourishing and engagement.

Our work-related PERMA index has remained constant since 2020.

Year	Proxy % – The higher the score represents a more stressful environment	PERMA % – The higher the score represents higher levels of flourishing
2022	28	72
2021	27	72
2020	29	72