A Day of Understanding and a continued commitment to action

Today, H&R Block joins more than 850 other leading companies and organizations for a Day of Understanding, designed to drive meaningful conversations and explore our unconscious biases.

At Block, we talk a lot about being ‘better together’ – the idea that we use our similarities and our differences to help make each of us better. But it takes more than just talk to drive cultural change, which is why we continue to take action to make H&R Block a place where everyone feels safe and has a deep sense of belonging. We call this Belonging@Block because we believe being inclusive is critical, but inclusion itself isn’t enough. To be a place where everyone belongs is a bigger aspiration.

Our new Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Council partners with senior leadership to help develop and guide this commitment. We work to empower associates, strengthen communications and break down barriers. We learn from each other, celebrate successes and honor cultural events. We provide associates with training and resources related to diversity, inclusion and belonging that they can use on and off the job.

Last month, the Human Rights Campaign awarded H&R Block a 100% score on its Corporate Equality Index, which measures the best places to work for LGBTQ equality based on three pillars: non-discrimination policies, equitable benefits and support of an inclusive culture and corporate responsibility. We were very honored to have earned this designation. And while we deeply appreciate and value this recognition, we also know we are far from finished in our focus and efforts to make sure every person in every area of the organization feels a strong sense of belonging.

On Day of Understanding we continue to take steps forward. We are hosting workshops, guiding conversations and promoting internal resources on topics like how words matter, intersecting identities, code switching, biases, women in leadership, bystander interventions, and inclusive meetings. We are asking all our associates, franchisees, and franchise employees to commit to checking their own biases, speaking up for others and showing up for everyone. We’re also encouraging everyone at Block to take the I Act On pledge – a personal commitment to drive inclusive behavior in both our workplace and our communities.

We believe in Belonging@Block and we know it will take all of us working together to bring this to life.