H&R Block CEO Wants Shift In Responsibility

Facing a long list of needs for the upcoming tax season, H&R Block Inc. Chief Executive Officer Alan Bennett says he first wants to shift some responsibility down the food chain.

Bennett, in an interview following the company’s first-quarter earnings report Thursday, said the nation’s largest tax preparer has become too centralized, with marketing, office management and human resources personnel having too big an influence on how individual retail tax offices operate.

With the company experiencing significant declines in retail tax clients during the last two tax seasons, that model isn’t working, he said.

Bennett, brought in to replace former CEO Russ Smyth in July, said he wants to move to a “profit-and-loss” mentality, allowing the local leaders to have more control over their sales strategies and not operate mainly based on what they’re told to do.

“What you generally find out is you can do a lot more with less and it’s much more effective,” he said, adding that other operational improvements will come naturally with that focus.

For more on this new strategy of decentralization for Block, along with the steps the company is taking to implement it, read the full report on the Kansas City Business Journal.