Making a Global Commitment to H&R Block’s Purpose: Celebrating H&R Block India

When H&R Block India associates saw a colleague struggling, they immediately stepped in to help. Prabha Kumari, a member of the cleaning staff, was selected as a beneficiary for the company’s Block Shelter project in 2021. The initiative, led by H&R Block India’s Social Responsibility team (BSR), is an annual community outreach effort that provides a local family in need with safe housing.

A widow and single mother, Kumari and her son were fighting constant flooding in a partially completed house that was located near a wetland. Kumari knew the house wouldn’t last another rainy season so her fellow H&R Block associates came together and donated cash, goods, and services to build her a new home. Associates with experience volunteered to coordinate and supervise the construction work, including the electrical, plumbing, and painting for the house. The team completed the 550-square-foot house in April 2021, just in time to for Kumari to have a safe space to live before another monsoon struck.

“My H&R Block family literally saved my son and I from a drowning home,” said Kumari. “I never in my wildest dreams thought that this day would come.”

H&R Block India, and the Global Technology Center, where software, innovation, and support solutions are developed for H&R Block, was established in 2017. In the years since, the company has grown to more than 700 associates in Trivandrum and Hyderabad, rooted in the same strong sense of purpose shared by their fellow associates across the world: to provide help and inspire confidence in clients in communities everywhere.

That connection to purpose is driven by the BSR team, which in response to the pandemic this year has coordinated vaccine clinics for associates and their family members, donated PPE to local hospitals, and provided supplies and food to other community initiatives. Associates have also provided supplies to enable underprivileged students to access their virtual classes, as well as supported local education institutions and children’s homes. Earlier this year, H&R Block India also spearheaded an effort to plant more than 800 young trees near Hyderabad, India to promote a green environment and offset their offices’ carbon footprint.

Collectively, these efforts and others have contributed to more than 5,000 volunteer hours by H&R Block India associates, aiding H&R Block’s transformation goal to deliver 1 million volunteer hours by 2025. The efforts also lead to a strong culture.

In Technopark, a technology park hosting hundreds of companies in Trivandrum, H&R Block has become a sought-after company for job seekers. In fact, the Block India team’s efforts have garnered recognition for the second year in a row. The company was recently certified as a “Great Place to Work” by Great Place to Work India, part of a global institute that assesses work culture around the world.

It began with just five associates, but H&R Block India has grown to a 700+ associate operation, demonstrating a global commitment to Purpose and being recognized for the connected culture and sense of Belonging the team has built in just a few years.

###