AtWork Group
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.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersKnoxville, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
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.
AtWork Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AtWork Group
- Legal name
- AtWork Group
- Website
- https://atwork.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 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
AtWork Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Staffing Services
- NAICS
- Temporary Help Services (561320), Payroll Services (541214)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing (BPACACAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Clerical & Customer Support Temp Staffing (BPACACAC), Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)
Keywords
Where AtWork Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Knoxville
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
AtWork Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | AtWork Personnel - Full-service staffing franchise with brick-and-mortar location |
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | AtWork Professional - Remote, low-cost professional staffing franchise |
| Subscription | Monthly | Ongoing Franchise Royalty and Marketing Fees |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
AtWork Group product offering
Product offeringCore 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.
Companies that use AtWork Group
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AtWork Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
AtWork Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ClearlyRatedcoreAtWork 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
AtWork Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
AtWork Group social profiles
Digital presenceAtWork Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AtWork Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
AtWork Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AtWork Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AtWork Group
What does AtWork Group do?
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.
Is AtWork Group a public or private company?
AtWork Group is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was AtWork Group founded?
AtWork Group was founded in 1986. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is AtWork Group based?
AtWork Group is headquartered in Knoxville, United States, in the North America region.
How does AtWork Group make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Staffing Services Revenue is the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees.
Who are AtWork Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are PrideStaff, Spherion Staffing, Staffmark Group, CornerStone Staffing and Express Employment Professionals. ZipRecruiter is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are ManpowerGroup, Robert Half International, Randstad North America and Adecco Group.
Does AtWork Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for AtWork Group.
What industry is AtWork Group in?
AtWork Group's product category is Staffing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACACAF, High-Volume / High-Turnover Temp Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACACAC, Clerical & Customer Support Temp Staffing. Its NAICS code is 561320 and its SIC code is 7361.