I once had a friend who traveled frequently for the IRS.  When he flew, which was often, and a seat mate asked what he did for a living, he told them he was a dentist.  For two reasons:

1. It protected his IRS cover. And maybe him! and,
2. He found most potential chatterers quickly suddenly hit the mute button.  Either out of a general fear of dentists, or because they didn’t want him looking at their teeth.   Whatever, it worked.

When you think of the IRS,  words like warm, fuzzy, helpful, friendly, don’t immediately come to mind. Some people instinctively check to see if their wallet is still there. The IRS is the place that takes our hard-earned money, operates under complex, mission-impossible rules, codes and interpretations  and is always under fire from somebody.  Currently, it is the (deflated) football Congress, especially House Republicans, love to kick.  It has taken budget cuts even as its workload (and the taxpayer population) grows.

But some people see light at the end of the tunnel. One of them appears to be John A. Koskinen, who became commissioner in 2013 at an age (he’s a June, 1939 model) when lots of people have long retired.

In the know IRS staffers say the commissioner loves to hear about, then salute, employees who are praised by their customers.  In an email shout out yesterday, he said the IRS and the world are changing, but the work ethic of employees isn’t. And that’s a good thing, he said.  “I continue to get personal mail from taxpayers who appreciate the work you do and are willing to take the time to let me know about it,” he wrote employees.

Then he cited some examples.  Like Dean Glore and Michael Helgesen, from Falls Church, Virginia.  They got major attaboys from a taxpayer they helped through a serious and complex identity theft situation.

Koskinen’s  agencywide email  talked about Thomas Orr, a customer rep in Covington, Kentucky, who was praised by a taxpayer for his “exemplary telephone assistance.” That’s even more special since wait times (thanks to budget cuts) last year were longer than usual.

Betsy Allen, a revenue specialist in Tampa, got a fan letter — originally sent to the director — from a long-time tax practitioner who said she’s the best.

Cristin Anderson, a customer service rep in Portland, Oregon, was also mentioned in Koskinen’s dispatches. Then there was the 70-something daughter who praised IRS workers Jimmie Corbin from Seattle; Elizabeth Martinez and Charles Mack, from Fresno and Cynthia Rodriguez of Austin, for their help with her 90-year old mother’s complicated tax issues.

Lesson: If you have something nice to say about somebody tell his or her boss too. In writing is even better!

Koskinen has been under fire from House Republicans almost since day one.  Last week, there were renewed calls for him to resign or be removed.  Some members say he’s stonewalled or misled investigators looking into alleged politicization of the tax-exempt clearance process for conservative tea party groups aka the Lois Lerner affair.  In his email to employees, he said, “We have much work ahead of us, and I’m looking forward to serving out the rest of my term alongside you.”

Koskinen, who worked in top industry, with Fannie Mae, the D.C. government, the OMB, to name a few, told IRS workers “you are as talented and dedicated a workforce as I have worked with.”

 Michael Leszcz, president of the Professional Managers Association, said Koskinen knows how to take care of his troops. “He truly believes what he says … he’s got a cross to bear and he truly wants to do a good job.” Leszcz said the professional and volunteer work IRS workers do “is great” but he thinks that the sometimes extraordinary service they provide is pretty “typical governmentwide.”

Nearly Useless Factoid:

By Michael O’Connell

Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds traces its roots back to the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings, widely recognized at the first all-professional baseball team.

Source: Wikipedia

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