AtWork Group

What AtWork Group does

AtWork Group is a privately held staffing franchise company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, that has franchised its operations since 1992 and grown to more than 100 franchise locations across the United States. The company places over 30,000 individuals annually into temporary, temp-to-hire, direct-hire, on-site, and payrolled positions across manufacturing, light-industrial, logistics, warehouse, administrative/clerical, IT, engineering, scientific, healthcare, accounting, finance, and hospitality roles, serving as a workforce intermediary primarily for small and mid-market employers.

The company operates two franchise divisions. AtWork Personnel is the legacy brick-and-mortar model focused on commercial and light-industrial staffing. AtWork Professional, officially launched June 2026, is a remote, low-cost franchise model targeting experienced recruiters placing professional-level talent in IT, engineering, scientific, and healthcare roles, eliminating the requirement for a physical office. Franchisees receive a centralized technology platform that includes applicant tracking, CRM, job board integration, payroll processing, in-house accounting, tax and W-2 processing, workers' compensation administration, risk management, and marketing tools.

AtWork's revenue mechanics are split between system-wide staffing services revenue (gross billings on placed workers, averaging $3.5M per franchise) and franchisor revenue streams consisting of a $40,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% ongoing royalty on gross revenue, and a 0.5% marketing fee. Total franchise investment ranges from $156,000 to $213,000, with a $250,000 minimum cash requirement. The royalty structure is materially below the 15.5% industry cost benchmark for independent staffing agencies, which the company positions as a primary franchisee value proposition. System-wide sales reached $362 million in the 2025 Franchise Times Top 400 ranking, a 3.6% year-over-year increase that made AtWork the only staffing brand on the list to grow.

Name

AtWork Group

Legal name

AtWork Group

Website

https://atwork.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

10,001+ employees

Short description

AtWork Group is a private U.S. staffing franchise operating 100+ offices nationwide that places over 30,000 workers annually in temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire roles across manufacturing, logistics, IT, and professional sectors, serving small and mid-market employers through its AtWork Personnel and AtWork Professional franchise divisions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing Services

NAICS

Temporary Help Services (561320), Payroll Services (541214)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACACAF

High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Staffing & Temp Agencies (Generalist)

SECONDARYBPACACAC

Clerical & Customer Support Temp Staffing

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Staffing & Temp Agencies (Generalist)

SECONDARYBPACAIAB

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Payroll Services & Workforce Administration

Keywords

• Staffing franchise services
• Temporary staffing solutions
• Professional recruiting services
• Temp-to-hire placement
• Direct hire staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Knoxville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Staffing Services Revenue: AtWork generates revenue by placing temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire workers with employer clients. The company charges employers for staffing services, with revenue derived from mark-ups on worker wages and placement fees for direct hires. Average franchise generates $3.5 million gross revenue.
2. Franchise Fees: The company collects initial franchise fees ($40,000) and ongoing royalties (7%) and marketing fees (0.5%) from franchisees. This supports the franchise model expansion across the US.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AtWork is a U.S. staffing franchise that places temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire workers with employer clients through nearly 100 locally owned franchise locations across the country. It operates two divisions: AtWork Personnel, focused on manufacturing, light industrial, logistics, warehouse, and office clerical roles via brick-and-mortar offices, and AtWork Professional, a remote franchise model for specialized placements in IT, engineering, scientific, healthcare, accounting, and finance. Supporting services include on-site staffing management and in-house payrolling for temporary employees.

Product overview

AtWork is an award-winning staffing franchise company offering two primary franchise models: AtWork Personnel (traditional brick-and-mortar locations for manufacturing, light industrial, logistics, and office clerical staffing) and AtWork Professional (remote, low-cost franchise for specialized professional recruiting in IT, engineering, scientific, and healthcare sectors). The company has grown to nearly 100 locations nationwide. Service offerings include temporary staffing, temp-to-hire placement, direct-hire placement, on-site staffing support, and payrolling services. AtWork provides comprehensive franchise support including in-house accounting, payroll processing, technology platforms, recruiting tools, risk management, and marketing resources. Founded in 1986 and franchising since 1992, AtWork serves job seekers and employers across manufacturing, administrative, light industrial, accounting, finance, hospitality, IT, engineering, scientific, healthcare, and management positions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AtWork Professional: A new division dedicated to specialized professional recruiting for contract staffing and direct-hire solutions in areas such as accounting, finance, engineering, and information technology. This is a low-cost franchise opportunity that can be operated without a brick-and-mortar location.
• AtWork Personnel

Products and services

• AtWork Personnel Traditional brick-and-mortar staffing franchise focusing on placements for Manufacturing, Light Industrial, Logistics, and Office Clerical roles, offered to prospective franchisees as a low-startup-cost franchise with proven revenue stream and comprehensive corporate support.
• AtWork Professional Remote, low-cost franchise model for specialized professional recruiting in IT, engineering, scientific, healthcare, accounting, and finance, eliminating the need for a brick-and-mortar location and allowing franchise owners to leverage existing professional networks.
• Temporary Staffing Provides flexible, short-term staffing solutions for businesses needing quick access to qualified talent without long-term commitment, particularly during busy seasons or special projects.
• Temp-to-Hire Placement Allows companies to evaluate candidates in a role before making permanent hiring decisions; employees work temporarily with the possibility of transitioning to permanent status based on performance.
• Direct-Hire Placement Helps clients find the best possible fit for long-term needs with fully vetted candidates ready to contribute from day one.
• On-Site Staffing Support Provides dedicated, on-site staffing management for businesses with high-volume needs to maintain operational progress.
• Payrolling In-house payroll funding and processing services, handling billing, collections, and W-2 processing for temporary employees placed by AtWork.

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ClearlyRatedcoreOthersAtWork participates in ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing survey program, earning the 5 Year Diamond Award for client and talent satisfaction. This partnership provides third-party validation of service quality and generates customer satisfaction data for continuous improvement.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PrideStaff: Privately held staffing franchise with locations across the US providing clerical, industrial, and professional staffing — closely mirrors AtWork's franchise-driven go-to-market and customer base.
• Spherion Staffing: National staffing franchise offering temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire across administrative, light-industrial, and professional roles — directly comparable franchise footprint and service mix to AtWork.
• Staffmark Group: PE-backed commercial staffing provider with light-industrial, clerical, and professional offerings across the US — overlaps with AtWork in core verticals and customer segments.
• CornerStone Staffing: Privately held staffing firm operating across multiple US states providing temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct-hire in administrative, light-industrial, and professional categories — directly comparable in scale and verticals to AtWork.
• Express Employment Professionals: One of the largest privately held staffing franchise systems in North America with hundreds of offices, directly competing with AtWork across commercial, industrial, and professional placements via a similar franchise model.

Emerging players

• ZipRecruiter: Public online employment marketplace using AI-driven matching to connect employers and job seekers — represents the digital-native model disrupting traditional franchise staffing economics AtWork depends on.

Broad incumbents

• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce-solutions provider with significant US operations across industrial, clerical, and professional segments — directly comparable in service breadth though far larger in scale.
• Robert Half International: Public staffing and consulting firm dominating US professional staffing (finance, accounting, IT, legal) — the most relevant incumbent benchmark for AtWork's new AtWork Professional division.
• Randstad North America: Global staffing leader with a large US footprint across industrial, clerical, and professional staffing — a broad incumbent competing head-to-head with AtWork for enterprise staffing contracts.
• Adecco Group: One of the world's largest staffing firms, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and career transition across industrial, clerical, and professional segments — broad incumbent competing for the same employer RFPs as AtWork.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AtWorkGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/atworkfranchise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/work-franchise-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AtWork Group