06 Aug

What a Temp Service in Knoxville Actually Does

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

Key takeaways

Quick answer: A temp service supplies pre-screened workers to a business for as long as the job lasts, from one day to several months. You call with what you need, and the service sends people that morning. At Labor Exchange the crew is W-2, covered by workers' comp, and billed on one simple rate.

Labor Exchange is a family-owned temp service at 4408 Chapman Hwy in South Knoxville. Call (865) 247-4957.
Everyone we send is a W-2 worker we pre-screen, so payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening are on us, not you.
Call in the morning and we can dispatch a crew the same day across Knoxville, Maryville, Sevierville, and the surrounding towns.
You pay one rate per hour worked and get one invoice. If you later hire the person directly, the conversion fee is pro-rated and reaches zero near 720 hours.

We are in the people business, so when someone asks what a temp service is, we answer with people first. A temp service is a local company that keeps a bench of ready workers and sends them to you when you have more work than hands. You do not carry them on your own payroll, you do not chase down screening, and you do not scramble when a job shows up short. That is our whole reason for being here in South Knoxville.

What a temp service actually does

At its heart, a temp service does one thing: it keeps good workers ready so a business can get them fast. We interview people, check their eligibility to work, and get to know what each person is good at. When you call with a job, we already know who is dependable for a warehouse shift, who can swing a hammer, and who is steady on a long unload. You describe the work, the start time, and how many people you need, and we handle the rest.

The workers stay on our payroll the whole time they are with you. We pay them, we cover the payroll taxes, and we carry the workers' comp. You get the labor without adding anyone to your books. When the job wraps up, the crew comes back to us and heads to the next place that needs them. That flexibility is the point of a temp service, and it is why a small crew can grow or shrink with your week.

Who shows up when you call us

Every person we send is a W-2 employee, not a 1099 contractor. That matters more than it sounds. It means we have already verified their identity with two forms of ID for the I-9, run our screening, and put them under our workers' comp before they ever set foot on your site. If someone gets hurt, that is on our policy, not yours.

We also dispatch the same day. Most mornings a Knoxville business can call us early and have a crew on site within a couple of hours. Our workers know they can work today and get paid today, so they show up ready. Honestly, that daily pay is a big part of why the same dependable folks keep coming back to us, which means the people we send you are people we already trust.

The kind of work we staff around Knoxville

South Knoxville sits at the doorstep of the Smoky Mountains, and the work here reflects that. We staff general labor, warehouse and loading crews, event and cleanup help, and skilled hands for construction and heavy highway jobs. When a big regional employer ramps up or a tourist season hits Sevierville and Pigeon Forge, the calls come in fast, and a temp service is how a business meets that swing without over-hiring.

Because we live and work here, our service area is close to home: Knoxville, Maryville, Alcoa, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Seymour, and Oak Ridge. We are not a national chain routing your request to another state. When you call, you reach the people at our office on Chapman Hwy who actually know the crews and the area.

What a temp service costs, and one invoice

We keep the money side simple. You pay one rate for every hour a worker is on the clock, and that single rate already covers their pay, the payroll taxes, the workers' comp, and the screening. There are no separate line items to untangle later, and at the end you get one invoice, not a stack of them.

Sometimes a worker fits so well you want to keep them for good. You can. If you decide to hire someone on directly, the conversion fee starts at $3,000 and is pro-rated by the hours they have already worked with you, so it shrinks the longer they are on the job. Once a worker reaches about 720 hours, roughly eighteen full-time weeks, the fee reaches zero and you can hire them with nothing owed.

How to start with us

Getting started is a phone call. Tell us the job, when you need people, and how many, and we will line up the right crew. You can reach us at (865) 247-4957 or walk into the office at 4408 Chapman Hwy in Knoxville. If you are the one looking for work instead, come by with two forms of ID and we will get you started too.

We are a family here. Bill Peterson founded Labor Exchange in South Knoxville back in 2012, and after he passed, his wife Kelly took it over. We sincerely care about the people we place and the local businesses we serve, and we would be glad to help you find the right people, ready today.

Common questions

What is the difference between a temp service and a temp agency?

There is really no difference. Temp service, temp agency, and staffing agency all describe the same thing: a company that supplies workers to a business for a set period. Labor Exchange is a family-owned temp service in South Knoxville.

How fast can a temp service send workers?

Often the same day. If you call our Knoxville office in the morning with what you need, we can usually dispatch a crew within a couple of hours. Same-day pay keeps our workers ready to go.

Are temp service workers employees of my company?

No. The workers we send are our W-2 employees, not yours. We handle their pay, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening, so you get the labor without adding anyone to your payroll.

How does a temp service charge for its workers?

We charge one rate for each hour a worker is on the clock, and that rate already includes their pay, payroll taxes, workers' comp, and screening. You get one simple invoice, not a pile of separate charges.

Can I hire a temp worker permanently?

Yes. If you want to bring someone on directly, the conversion fee starts at $3,000 and is pro-rated by the hours they have already worked. It reaches zero around 720 hours, after which you can hire them with no fee owed.

What areas around Knoxville does your temp service cover?

We serve Knoxville, Maryville, Alcoa, Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Seymour, and Oak Ridge from our office at 4408 Chapman Hwy in South Knoxville.