Resolving to make the workplace safer and secure. (Open Letter to All TEI Members).

Dear Friends,

Happy holidays. May your family and you enjoy the blessings of the season and may 2002 bring you health, happiness, and professional fulfillment.

The events of September 11 have caused many of us--perhaps most of us--to recalibrate various aspects of our lives. In the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks, we reached to family members, to coworkers, to friends and acquaintances, perhaps even to strangers in an effort to confirm our basic humanity and blot out the horror of those days. Those of us who travel have had to adjust our lives considerably and even those of us who don't travel have taken heightened interest in personal security issues. Many companies have significantly revised their own security procedures and have taken more seriously formerly mundane, bothersome things such as fire and evacuation drills. At TEI's offices in Washington, for example, photo IDs will soon be issued to all employees, mail room procedures have been revamped, and evacuation procedures have been discussed with all employees. In addition, the building management has beefed up its security staff and embraced a more activist role in making sure that all employees and guests are safe when they are in the building and, equally important, know how to evacuate quickly and safely should that become necessary.

The word "guests" in the preceding sentence begs your attention. In any given week, TEI probably has a minimum of half a dozen visitors. (Our staff only numbers 14.) In most tax departments, the number of visitors is considerably higher. Vendors, consultants, delivery people, repair men and women ... you probably cannot turn around without seeing someone who, while belonging, is not an employee of your company. Foremost among our permanent or quasi-permanent visitors are the employees of the Internal Revenue Service and state revenue departments (or their counterparts in Canada and elsewhere) who are part of the team charged with examining the company's tax returns.

September 11 has naturally caused IRS employees, state auditors, and other permanent visitors to focus on their personal safety while on taxpayer premises. At least one IRS employee found herself in a locked stairwell in one of the World Trade Center Towers because she had not been given guidance on which exit to use. Fortunately, she had sufficient time to retrace her steps and escape before the Towers collapsed. Her situation, however, should cause us all to rethink our obligations to our audit teams and other visitors.

* We can start by sharing evacuation and other emergency procedures with the audit team and by inviting them to participate in drills. We can also ensure that evacuation instructions are posted on the back of doors in offices used by the team.

* We can alert IRS and state employees, as well as other permanent visitors, who work on our premises (as well as their supervisors) of any information indicating a threat to their premises, including biochemical or other types of attacks.

* We can alert fire wardens, floor managers, and other appropriate company personnel of the presence of IRS and state employees to ensure, in case of an emergency, that they are assisted in evacuating the premises and are accounted for.

* Finally, we can maintain emergency contact numbers for permanent visitors, including IRS and state employees.

None of these steps is rocket science. In combination, they really are nothing more than common sense and common decency. By implementing them, however, we go a long way toward ensuring the safety of our audit teams and other visitors. One opportunity to talk about personal safety issues--as well as to discuss how your company's enhanced security procedures may also affect the audit team--is the opening conference. I urge your careful consideration of this matter.

Robert L. Ashby International President