At Arise, our mission of helping entrepreneurs find advancement in an environment that lets them build their businesses around flexible work is our north star. It guides us, motivates us, and unifies us, especially when we need to make hard choices.
Arise had been involved in a legal matter with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) related to our business model, specifically, regarding how we classify our Service Partners and their Agents. After defending our position throughout the course of the case – protecting our business and the entrepreneurs we serve from the DOL’s efforts to take away the opportunities that the Arise® Platform provides – we entered into a settlement with the DOL to resolve this matter.
As we have previously stated, we disagree with the DOL’s positions and allegations about our business model entirely. However, we chose this course of action so we can continue to focus on moving our business and mission forward without the cost, distraction and uncertainty of litigation. Importantly, this settlement is not a finding of liability or admission of wrongdoing on our part, and it preserves our ability to treat the small businesses that use the Arise® Platform as independent contractors. In fact, critically during this case, the Court ruled that, as a matter of law, Arise had a good faith basis for classifying Service Partners and their Agents as independent contractors.
Arise would like to thank the many Service Partners and Agents who chose to step forward and help us explain our platform to the Court. We would also like to express our appreciation to our partners who have voiced support on our behalf, recognizing the critical role of flexible work in the lives of millions of individuals and families. As we have consistently stated, we believe we appropriately use the independent contractor relationship and look forward to continuing to provide an even better experience for our Service Partners and their Agents on the Arise® Platform.
