Civil servants working for HM Revenue and Customs at Longbenton in Newcastle have had black tape stuck on their desks to show them where to place items.

The black tape regime is part of a £7m government project that aims to improve efficiency by clearing clutter and keeping desktop equipment in the optimum positions.

One worker at Longbenton told the Daily Telegraph that the programme was 'demeaning and demoralising'. The Public and Commercial Servants Union described the project as 'madness'.

According to the Daily Telegraph , the programme has been so far reaching that one member of staff was asked whether a banana was 'active' or 'inactive', in other words whether it was going to be eaten immediately, which was acceptable, or whether it was for later, which would mean the fruit would have to be cleared from the desk.

The Times further reports that staff were asked: 'is that banana on your desk active or inactive?' inquiring as to whether they planned to eat it or should it be thrown away.

An HMRC spokeswoman said the programme, which was devised by consultants Unipart to improve performance, would help ensure that office space was efficiently used and would also support working relationships.

She added that employees were allowed to move items into zones that suited them best.

Further reading:

Shape up, or ship out

Carter to revisit filing dates

Visit Unipart here