This paper presents the franchise concept, locating it in the limited body of research that considers employment relations (ER) in these organisations. The paper considers what we know about ER in franchises and investigates the level of and influences over the support offered to franchisees. Six companies in industry sub-sectors that would not ordinarily be comparable have been used, with the franchise operations the focus of comparison. Interviews were conducted with fourteen corporate office representatives deemed appropriate or knowledgeable of the firm's ER approach. The findings of the study showed that the six case organisations varied significantly in the level and focus of support provided to franchisees.