A tax preparation company in Kansas City knew employees weren’t going to get much work done after news of the local equivalent of a royal engagement dropped.
H&R Block said it gave its employees the afternoon off on Tuesday, when Taylor Swift announced her engagement to Travis Kelce.
The company posted an email from its chief people and culture officer, Tiffany Monroe, on Instagram on Tuesday.
“When your Chief People Officer understands the assignment,” the post’s caption read.
In her email, Monroe told employees that “Kansas City, and frankly, the entire nation, is buzzing with the news of a certain celebrity engagement.” Kelce is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Let’s be honest: between checking social feeds, debating potential wedding playlists, and most importantly — telling your friends what married filing jointly means, I know focus is in short supply this afternoon,” Monroe wrote in her email, which was sent at 3:07 p.m. on Tuesday.
“So here’s the deal: if you’re so inclined, call it early. Go home. Celebrate love. Speculate about the dress. Argue whether the reception will be held in KC or a castle in Europe,” she added. “Pick things back up tomorrow when the internet calms down.”
Monroe said in a statement to Business Insider on Thursday that giving employees the afternoon off was a “fun, lighthearted way” for staff to be part of “an event that truly captured the hearts of Kansas Citians and fans nationwide.”
“But more than anything, this was about celebrating love, community, and the spirit of Kansas City. We’re here for the moments that matter, and this one was just too fun to pass up,” she added.
Representatives for Swift and Kelce didn’t respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
On Tuesday, Swift and Kelce announced their engagement on Instagram. The couple posted photos of Kelce’s floral proposal and Swift’s diamond engagement ring. Ajay Anand, the CEO and founder of the diamond retailer Rare Carat, told BI that Swift’s ring could be valued at about $1 million.
“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” Swift wrote in her Instagram caption.
Kelce’s father, Ed Kelce, said in an interview with News 5 that Kelce had proposed to Swift two weeks ago in a garden in Lee’s Summit, a suburb of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The couple have been dating since 2023.
August 28, 11:10 a.m. — This story has been updated with remarks from Tiffany Monroe, H&R Block’s chief people and culture officer.
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