Most staffing agencies hit an invisible wall when trying to expand geographically because the compliance complexity of managing workers compensation, payroll regulations, and state-specific requirements across multiple jurisdictions becomes overwhelming. Stu Churchill, General Manager at Peoplease, however, has spent nearly two decades perfecting a co-employment model that eliminates these barriers while maintaining agency control over core business decisions. In this episode of Humans of Staffing, Stu tells Sammy and TJ how Peoplease’s pay-as-you-go workers compensation model eliminates the traditional barriers to multi-state expansion. He explains the strategic liability split in co-employment relationships, where agencies maintain full direction and control while Peoplease handles compliance, claims management, and regulatory updates.

Stu also discusses their specialized approach to light industrial and transportation staffing — verticals most providers actively avoid due to workers compensation exposure. Their field safety teams don’t just write policies but understand the specific injury patterns of different work environments, from food manufacturing lines to warehouse operations. Combined with internal claims managers who can close cases faster through direct carrier relationships, this proactive approach turns traditional risk management on its head.

Topics Discussed:

• Strategic co-employment liability allocation that preserves agency control while eliminating compliance barriers across multiple states.
• Pay-as-you-go workers compensation models that eliminate traditional deposit requirements and align costs directly with deployed workforce rather than projected headcount.
• Field safety specialization approaches that prevent claims through industry-specific risk assessment rather than generic policy implementation.
• Internal claims management systems that accelerate case resolution through direct carrier relationships and regional expertise in state-specific workers compensation regulations.
• Multi-EIN strategic structuring for agencies operating across different risk verticals while maintaining operational flexibility.
• Geographic expansion methodologies for entering high-complexity markets without traditional startup barriers or compliance infrastructure investment.
• Client qualification frameworks that identify red flags in workers compensation code classification and startup readiness assessment before partnership commitment.
• Technology integration strategies for seamless timekeeping and billing system connectivity that maintains existing operational workflows while ensuring compliance automation.
• Benefits customization approaches that balance competitive employee retention tools with multi-state regulatory compliance requirements and cost management objectives
• Regulatory update distribution systems that proactively communicate state-specific law changes and compliance requirements before implementation deadlines impact operations.

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