Editorial

Flexibility and add-on options contribute to franchisee success

@Work Personnel and @Work Medical Services - Great <a href='http://www.bison.com' style='font-weight:normal;'>Franchise</a> Opportunities in the Staffing Sector

Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, @WORK is a franchised business which allows a franchisee to own one or more of four customized staffing businesses. The @WORK company was started in 1990 by founder and CEO John Hall and has been Franchising since 1992.

“What sets us apart from other franchised staffing businesses,” says Doug Werker, Senior Vice President of Business Development, “is that we are 100% fanchisee owned. Our revenue is totally dependent on the success of our franchisees because we do not have company stores to fall back on. For that reason, we are completely dedicated to helping our franchisees do well in their business.”

The @WORK Personnel component of the business provides placements services for temporary, seasonal, temp-to-hire and full time employees. “This business is about 30% cerical and 70% lght industrial,” says Werker, “which can include positions in manufacturing, warehousing, packing and shipping. Each franchisee carries workman’s compensation and is the employer of record for these employees. This means they have the power to make their own decisions as to what type of placements they will handle.”

An @WORK Personnel facility is usually located in a strip mall or office complex and can be 900 sq ft or larger. Once the franchisee signs a contract, she will typically have 45-60 days before training begins and that allows her to find a location, sign a lease and furnish the office. Training for a new franchisee takes place at the corporate location and covers compensation, sales, recruiting, staff management and operations. “One thing we do differently than most companies is that we customize our training program towards the strengths and weaknesses of the franchisee,” says Werker. “It’s another example of our flexibility – that we can concentrate our training on the areas where the franchisee has less experience or may need more help.”

After the week-long training in Knoxville, the company will send an operations person to the new franchisee’s location where he can be on hand to help with initial recruiting and sales efforts and to be available should any problems arise. “This support between the corporate office and the franchisee will continue,” says Werker. “We feel we are very in tune with our franchisees and strive to be very proactive and have active communication at all times. As I said before, it is vital to us that our franchisees are successful and this is therefore our priority.”

A second module of the business is @WORK Medical Services, which was added to the company in 2003. Franchisees are free to own one or more of these businesses and will often add a component after achieving success with the first. The medical staffing service is again flexible and can be customized to fit the needs of the clients the franchisee serves. “We have found the medical component to be the most recession resistant of our businesses,” says Werker, “primarily because medical personnel are always in demand. We mainly handle placing nurses and allied health professionals, such as technicians and therapists. Of all of our concepts, the medical personnel module has had the most robust growth.”

There are currently about 50 @WORK Personnel locations and 20 @WORK Medical Personnel offices open. They are registered in all states although most current locations are in the southeast. Werker says that the typical franchisee comes from a background in human resources, management or in some position where they were involved in the hiring process. Another typical franchisee is the independent staffing business owner who sees the value of belonging to a larger organization (brand name recognition, advanced technology, company and peer support, etc.) and wishes to transition his business to an @WORK store.

The ideal franchisee, says Werker, has a desire to be active in the community and will need to be adept at working with businesses or medical centers to find clients. The benefit to both the clients and to the employees the franchisee places is that temporary employment allows a great deal of flexibility – an employer can hire extra people for their busy season and an employee can work during the school year and then be home with children during the summer.

In a business where flexibility benefits everyone, @WORK strives to make even better use of this attribute. A franchisee can open up one, several or all of the @WORK modules. (The other businesses include @WORK Search Group, an executive search business, and @WORK Helping Hands Service, which provides services including daily living assistance and senior services, personal concierge, homemaker's services and parents' helper services.)

“We give our franchisees the flexibility to compete in an ever-changing marketplace,” says Werker. “Whether due to a recession or to the business climate in their area, if changes are needed the franchisee can switch gears and add components to make their business what they want it to be.”