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Tax preparer at H&R Block. I took the job during The Great Recession thinking it would probably be temporary. But I found that I loved it and grew a hefty book of business. I loved my clients. I stayed for seven years.
A new, inexperienced area manager was hired and most of the tax pros in all of the area stores didn’t like him. In fact, in one of his 4 stores everyone quit right before tax season. It happened to be the store that I was assigned to. I was was the only one who didn’t quit, so they were able to keep the store open.
Well, the area manager hired a Cute Young Thing and pushed her through the basic introductory tax course. Then he scheduled her lots of overtime during the summer (no one is supposed to work overtime in the summer) so she could qualify to work as a preparer for the next season. That meant that the senior pros who normally worked summer desk and had the experience to deal with the more complex issues that present in the summer would have reduced or no hours. CYT was a disaster.
But the area manager pushed her to level up, and she did - three more levels during that first summer. So she started her first season as a tax preparer at a high level, but no practical experience. (She had no prior training or experience elsewhere). The area manager told her to pluck clients from the other preparers books of business so she could build up her own faster. She did. She prepared over 600 returns her first season. Most newbies will do about 100.
The problem is, we are paid on commission with an hourly draw against it. We were told to nurture our clients and grow our book of business. It normally takes years. But in her first tax season, CYT surpassed our most senior and most productive tax pro in all four stores in our area and became one of the top producers in the district. Unfortunately, she was in so far over her head that the IRS letters started rolling in and stacking up for her clients. The area manager refused to process any Peace of Mind claims for CYTs bad returns so she wouldn’t get demerits. The area manager hired a retired enrolled agent specifically and solely to fix CYTs bad returns.
The area manager glorified her “outstanding accomplishments”. The senior pros were understandably upset that CYT was exalted by the area manager to the district higher ups. We all complained to the district manager about what was happening, but he feigned ignorance and ignored it. He later retired.
Results: The bad area manager was promoted to district manager in a different district, but before he left he trained his replacement to continue the preferential treatment for CYT and continue his “unique” policies. I was not rehired for the following season so that CYT could take over the rest of my book of business as well as my position as senior tax pro for my store. Most of the senior and mid level tax pros have left as well as the seasoned front desk and ATL staff. In fact, in all 4 stores, there are only two senior tax pros with enough institutional knowledge to know what’s right and wrong. The new area manager that replaced the bad one that was promoted, even though she pushed the remaining tax pros past their limits, was promoted to another state, after she had pushed the most senior pro in number of years - 40 years with HRB - to the point of having a major stroke the day before the end of tax season. No one from management or corporate visited the tax pro in the hospital, sent flowers, or even a get well card. They just coldly terminated the tax pro without a word, after 40 years of service.
Now these are corporate owned stores. I’m told that franchisees run a more humane business. That’s why I wish these job apps would rate corporate owned businesses separately from franchise owned businesses.
That's funny, mine was McDonald's lol
Applebees
Same