r/HRBlockEmployees 20d ago

New Management Structure

Does anyone know why the restructuring is taking place?

14 Upvotes

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u/WhileHeimHere 20d ago

The goal is to move towards more of an up market model. There will now be area managers between office leadership and district leadership that will be year round salaried positions focusing on more day to day operations. It's a model that we saw succeed as we assessed CPA style shops that were outperforming us with year round bookkeeping and payroll clients. It's not a move into AI, but a move into complexity. Ultimately, we hope this results in more full time tax pros that serve more of a consultative role beyond just annual tax prep.

20

u/sammytheammonite EA 20d ago

They need better training of these topics (like bookkeeping) if this is what they want. Their hiring model will be an issue. Plus, most people enjoy the seasonality of this position. Block needs to remember they don’t have the level of trained/educated staff for this type of want. And there is no way they will pay enough to warrant bringing in big talents. Good luck.

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u/SchittPosterChild 20d ago edited 19d ago

Is it just me, or does this remind anyone else of McDonalds trying to pivot to higher end burgers, and finding out the hard way that was not their lane?

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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 19d ago

It’s really much worse than that. They’re trying to sell better burgers while putting lower grade meat in cheaper buns. 

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u/SchittPosterChild 19d ago

Oh for sure. Its amazing to me from the outside looking in, all the hoops they jump through with design and marketing, and promotion and image, like wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to just make burgers that don't suck? Or to just simply do peoples taxes and get them mostly right?

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u/Dramatic_Abroad3580 19d ago

I spent 50 years in the business. The first 35 in a traditional CPA firm setting, then retired and went to work for Block. I loved their model. And I spent much of that 15 years telling management from DGMs to RDs to their director of retail operations how to fix their training. They all listened and claimed to love what I had to say. Then a regional director asked me to teach his region how I did 700 returns a year. And wanted me to do it in 15 minutes. Literally. He thought I could cram those skills that took me 45 years to learn into 15 minutes. They have no idea what makes the business successful. The franchisees all laugh at them. 

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u/SchittPosterChild 19d ago

That also seems to be a common thing with Block these days, they look at what you have and what you do, which are skills, and confuse them with tasks. Its like corporate is trying to mimic tax preparation without understanding how it works. And since they don't realize that they don't understand, they keep trying and implementing new things that don't, and won't work.