Treasury
Inspector General for Tax Administration
Office of Audit
INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE DIVERSITY DEMOGRAPHICS
COMPARE FAVORABLY WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES’ SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE RANKS
Issued on November 18, 2011
Highlights
Highlights of Report Number: 2012-10-006 to the Internal Revenue Service Deputy Commissioner for
Operations Support and Deputy Commissioner for Services and Enforcement.
IMPACT ON TAXPAYERS
Diversity and an inclusive work environment in the
Federal Government’s leadership ranks can be a key organizational component for
executing the agencies’ missions and can yield greater engagement,
productivity, and organizational performance.
The IRS’s Senior Executive Service (SES) diversity demographic statistics
compare favorably with other Federal agencies’ SES ranks. When agencies recruit and retain a
representative leadership workforce, one that looks like the public that it
serves and the workforce it leads, they are enabled to better serve the public.
WHY TIGTA DID THE AUDIT
This audit was
initiated to determine the level of diversity in the IRS SES appointments and
whether the IRS has an effective strategy that complies with applicable law and
regulations to achieve diversity within executive positions. This review was included in our Fiscal
Year 2009 Annual Audit Plan and addresses the major management challenge
of Human Capital.
WHAT TIGTA FOUND
The IRS’s diversity
demographic statistics compare favorably with other Federal agencies’ SES
ranks. For example, in Fiscal Year 2009,
the IRS SES level had a higher percentage of diversity in eight of 12 Office of
Personnel Management diversity categories.
Also, three of the other four diversity categories were underrepresented
by less than 1 percent.
The success the IRS has achieved in its SES
diversity demographics is the result of key diversity practices that have been
integrated into business processes agency‑wide, as well as top level
executive commitment and support, which have established a culture that
respects and values diversity. However, TIGTA noted that these key practices
were not formally documented in the IRS’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
(EDI) policies and procedures. TIGTA believes
memorializing the IRS’s key diversity practices in formal internal procedures
will help ensure that these practices continue to receive the level of
commitment that currently exists, in spite of retirements, attrition, or other
changes in the IRS’s top leadership ranks. In addition, the IRS could benefit by
expanding its outreach efforts to have a more specific focus at the SES level
by participating with professional executive organizations.
WHAT TIGTA RECOMMENDED
TIGTA recommended
that the Deputy Commissioner for Operations Support and the Deputy Commissioner
for Services and Enforcement ensure key SES diversity practices are memorialized within EDI internal
guidance (policies and procedures). In
addition, they should consider partnering with Federal professional executive
organizations and communicate the existence of these organizations to
employees.
IRS management agreed with our recommendations. The IRS Human Capital Office and the Office
of EDI plan to review existing written policies and revise them, if necessary, to
ensure these documents accurately capture current practices. In addition, the IRS plans to partner with
external executive and professional organizations and communicate this information
to all employees.
READ THE
FULL REPORT
To view the report,
including the scope, methodology, and full IRS response, go
to:
http://www.treas.gov/tigta/auditreports/2012reports/201210006fr.html.
E-Mail Address: TIGTACommunications@tigta.treas.gov
Phone
Number: 202-622-6500
Website: http://www.tigta.gov