Adi Kamdar is a student at Harvard Law School.
Some gig economy startups are eschewing the route Uber and Lyft have taken and are, instead, classifying their workers as employees, not independent contractors. What I’ve referred to in the past as the “poster child” of this strategy is Managed by Q, which began as an office-cleaning service. The company starts its nearly 700 workers at $12.50 per hour, and it offers its full-time workers—which make up half the force—health benefits and a 401(k) plan.
A recent article in Quartz noticed that, while many competitors taking the independent-contractor route are going bankrupt or dissolving, Managed by Q’s “good jobs” strategy is paying off. The company is going strong, still hiring employees and still raising millions of dollars. While the office-cleaning service, known as Q Services, still makes up most of its business, the company has expanded to serve as a marketplace for other local service providers.
Most importantly, Managed by Q is announcing today that Q Services is profitable.
That profitability calculation includes salaries and benefits for all Q Services employees; recruitment, training, and software costs; uniforms and other equipment; and a standard umbrella insurance policy and workers’ compensation. It leaves out equity grants, rent for Q’s Manhattan headquarters, and salaries and benefits for corporate employees who work outside the services unit, fairly standard in calculating operating profit. Managed by Q as a company is not yet profitable.
“It was a big bet that we made on our approach to employment, on employing people at all, as a technology company,” [founder Dan] Teran told Quartz. “We would not have gotten to this point if we had not made the choice to not only employ people, but to go above and beyond in investing in their training and development, and make them a part of the business.”
While the company as a whole isn’t yet profitable, Teran points to the upfront investments he makes in Managed by Q’s workers as the key to success, increasing worker satisfaction and reducing turnover.
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June 4
Third Circuit tosses DOL’s $35.8 million healthcare wage award; Trump’s Republican NLRB nominee gets Senate hearing; Harvard graduate students end strike.
June 3
JOLTS data shows mixed labor market as personal income declines; New York Fed research links remote work to rising youth unemployment; Virginia Governor Spanberger signs sweeping employment reform package.
June 2
Illinois passes rideshare driver unionization bill; DOL issues new union financial reporting rule; unions push back against AI data center regulations.
June 1
Federal judge declines to block New Jersey cannabis labor peace requirements; EEOC issues proposed rescission of rule protection companies undertaking voluntary affirmative action plans; Connecticut governor signs AI law requiring employers to give notice about use of AI in employment decision-making.
May 31
The disparity between corporate profits and worker pay hits a record high; Colorado Governor Jared Polis vetoes pro-union legislation; MLB announces its counteroffer in negotiations with the MLBPA.
May 29
Senators advance on college athlete rights bill; USDA strains OSHA with proposed meat production lines speed-up.