11 Aug

What a Staffing Service Does in Knoxville

We are a family-owned staffing service in South Knoxville, and honestly, we love putting our neighbors to work.

Key takeaways

Quick answer: A staffing service supplies pre-screened workers to local businesses on short notice. At Labor Exchange in South Knoxville, our crews are W-2 employees, dispatched same day, billed at one rate that already covers pay, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening, all on one invoice.

Labor Exchange is a family-owned staffing service at 4408 Chapman Hwy in South Knoxville. Call (865) 247-4957 or walk in to tell us what you need.
Every worker we send is a W-2 employee, pre-screened, and covered by our workers' comp, not a 1099 contractor whose risk you carry.
You pay one rate that covers pay, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening, and you get one invoice. Call early and we can dispatch the same day.
Workers get paid the same day they work, which is part of why we can fill a job fast when you need help right now.

A lot of people call us in the middle of a busy week, short a few hands, and they are not sure what a staffing service even handles for them. The short version is this: you tell us what the work is and when you need people, and we send pre-screened workers who are already on our payroll. We have been doing that here in South Knoxville since Bill Peterson started the company back in 2012, and I took it over and found the best job in the world.

What a staffing service actually does for you

A staffing service is the company that finds, screens, employs, and pays workers so you do not have to. When you need extra help for a day, a season, or an open spot you are trying to fill for good, we already have people ready. You get the labor you need without adding names to your own payroll or taking on the paperwork that comes with a new hire.

The part people appreciate most is that the workers are ours, not yours. We handle the hiring, the payroll taxes, the workers' comp, and the screening. You get the work done and one bill for it. That is the whole point of using a staffing service instead of scrambling to hire on your own when you are already behind.

How our staffing service works, from your call to a crew on site

It starts with a phone call to (865) 247-4957 or a walk-in at 4408 Chapman Hwy. You tell us the job, how many people, and when you need them. We match the request to workers we already know, people we have screened and worked with, and we dispatch. If you call early in the day, there is a real chance your crew is on site that same morning.

You never chase timesheets or cut checks to the workers. We track the hours, we pay the crew, and we send you one invoice. If a job runs longer than planned or you need a couple more hands tomorrow, you call us and we handle it. Honestly, that is how most of our regular clients run their weeks now.

What the one rate covers, and why there is only one invoice

When we quote you a rate, that single number already carries the worker's pay, the payroll taxes, the workers' comp coverage, and the cost of screening. There is no separate fee stacked on at the end. You are not calculating what the real hourly cost climbs to once taxes and insurance are added, because we already did that.

One rate and one invoice also means one company standing behind the work. If there is a question about hours or a worker, you have one number to call and a family here in South Knoxville who answers it. That is a different experience than sorting out a problem with a call center in another state.

The kinds of work we staff around Knoxville and the Smokies

Most of what we place is general labor and light industrial: loading and unloading, warehouse picking and packing, forklift work, concrete and demolition crews, carpentry helpers, and event and banquet help. If it is honest work that needs a reliable body who shows up ready, it is probably something we staff.

We serve Knoxville and the towns around it, including Maryville, Alcoa, Seymour, Oak Ridge, and out toward Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. Being local matters here. We know the job sites, the drive times, and the seasons that get busy near the Smokies, so we can plan crews around the work you actually have.

Temp-to-hire: when you want to keep someone

Sometimes a worker just fits, and you want to bring them onto your own team for good. We make that easy. The conversion fee is $3,000, and it is pro-rated by the hours the worker has already put in with you, so it shrinks the longer they are on the job.

Once a worker reaches about 720 hours with you, which is roughly 18 full-time weeks, the fee reaches zero and you can hire them with no cost at all. It lets you try someone on the real work before you commit, and it lets a good worker earn a permanent spot.

Why local businesses and workers choose us

We are in the people business. My late husband Bill built this company on relationships, and my staff and I still run it that way. Last year we put 623 people to work here, and our neighbors have left us a 4.3 rating across 108 Google reviews. Those are our friends and their families, not headcount.

For a worker, that also means dignity and a fast payday: bring two forms of ID for the I-9, do good work, and get paid the same day. For a business, it means help you can trust from people who live here too. That is the kind of staffing service we set out to be.

Common questions

What is a staffing service?

A staffing service is a company that recruits, screens, employs, and pays workers, then supplies them to businesses that need help. You get the labor without hiring the workers onto your own payroll. At Labor Exchange, our workers are W-2 employees we have already pre-screened.

How fast can you send workers?

Often the same day. If you call (865) 247-4957 early in the day with what you need, we can frequently dispatch a crew that morning. Same-day pay for our workers is part of why we can fill a job quickly when you are short-handed.

Do I pay the workers directly?

No. We pay the workers and handle the payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening. You get one invoice from us at one rate that already includes all of it. You never cut checks to the crew or chase timesheets.

Are your workers employees or contractors?

Employees. Every worker we send is a W-2 employee of Labor Exchange, not a 1099 contractor. That means we carry the workers' comp and the payroll responsibility, so the risk does not fall on you.

What areas around Knoxville do you cover?

We serve Knoxville and the surrounding area, including Maryville, Alcoa, Seymour, Oak Ridge, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. Our office is at 4408 Chapman Hwy in South Knoxville, and you are welcome to walk in.

What if I want to hire a worker permanently?

You can. The conversion fee is $3,000, pro-rated by the hours the worker has already worked for you, so it gets smaller over time. Once they reach about 720 hours, roughly 18 full-time weeks, the fee reaches zero and you can hire them with no fee.