PGC Coming to California
September 2018 marked the opening of PGC’s first west coast office in San Francisco, California – an eagerly awaited move that sees us further extend our services and support across the US.
The team
Before opening this new office in San Francisco, we have operated out of our New York and London offices – expanding our workforce management services to clients across the UK, US and Canada. Most of these companies have sought to avoid the complex compliance laws surrounding US employment by partnering with our in-house experts and best-practise solutions.
As our client base has grown, so has our team - increasing by a third already in 2018 and with more new additions set to come on board by the end of the year. Establishing a presence in San Francisco is the next stage of growth for us. It means that we can offer a closer relationship with our west coast customers as well as cover multiple time zones to now allow support for 18 hours of the day.
Leading the team which will initially be based out of the Financial District is Gus Ide, VP, Business Development. Having previously worked as a steel trader in Dubai before joining PGC in 2016, London-born Gus has been an instrumental part of PGC’s growth and is excited to begin this new season:“ This is a big season for PGC
Having this new office on the west coast, in addition to our presence in New York, London and Toronto, will allow us to considerably improve communications with our international clients and extend PGC’s support and services to new and existing relationships. We’re very excited about this new opportunity and beginning the next chapter in the PGC story!”PGC’s Managing Director, David Bagheri has been with the company for over five years and has seen the company grow and adapt to the needs of our clients and the market.
He commented on the new office: “Over the last few years, we have had a growing number of clients and partners on the West coast. Our new San Francisco office will allow us to continue to partner with our client base and allow us to offer more workforce management solutions to companies looking to grow their workforce.
The move supports our focus on developing technology, through our own platform Precision™ and partnerships with other platforms, many of which are based in California.
Why San Francisco?
San Francisco is at the heart of California’s thriving economy, which at $2.7 trillion is currently the fifth largest in the world. It’s a great opportunity to collaborate with some of the most forward-thinking and modern businesses and enables us to be at the forefront of innovation.
With the release of our SaaS offering in late 2018, PGC will be entering the HR tech sector so we’ll be in good company to a launch pad for our proprietary technology. The San Francisco Bay Area is the tech hub of the world and it’s reshaping the ways that companies think about their employment practices. Increasingly, we’re seeing large tech companies challenge archetypal approaches to work and the likes of Über, Lyft & Airbnb are leading the way in the growing trend towards contract work and the wider gig economy.
Whilst this trend has continued to grow, it has not been entirely without difficulty. Companies looking to mobilize a contingent workforce have often been left red-faced when failing to fully comply with wide-ranging and complex US employment laws and its nuances between states.
The introduction of ABC testing in California, Massachusetts & New Jersey is a good example of this. The ruling has made it considerably harder for businesses in these states to avoid following minimum-wage and overtime laws and to pay workers’ compensation and unemployment insurance and payroll taxes. More recently, New Jersey signed a deal with the US Department of Labor to target the misclassification of independent contractors.
It is believed that misclassifying independent contractors has cost New Jersey over $80m in taxes since 2010. In short, many businesses in California, Massachusetts & New Jersey will now need to re-evaluate their use of independent contractors and mold their business to comply with the new legislation. Stricter classification laws emphasize the need for solutions that can facilitate the growth of the gig economy and the protection of workers’ rights. These solutions come in various forms including evaluation of contracts, pay rates, and deliverables.
How we can help?
Workforce management companies, such as PGC, exist to simplify this process, whilst also offering a range of worker benefits. Registered across all 50 US states and 13 Canadian provinces and territories, we take on the responsibility for your workers allowing you to get on with running your business. If you would like to get in touch discuss west coast opportunities, you can contact us here.