<PAGE>

                                                                 EXHIBIT 10.11

                          WESTERN STAFF SERVICES, INC.
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN


     I.    PURPOSE OF THE PLAN

           This Employee Stock Purchase Plan is intended to promote the
interests of Western Staff Services, Inc. by providing eligible employees with
the opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Corporation through
participation in a payroll-deduction based employee stock purchase plan designed
to qualify under Section 423 of the Code.

           Capitalized terms herein shall have the meanings assigned to such
terms in the attached Appendix.

     II.   ADMINISTRATION OF THE PLAN

           The Plan Administrator shall have full authority to interpret and
construe any provision of the Plan and to adopt such rules and regulations for
administering the Plan as it may deem necessary in order to comply with the
requirements of Code Section 423.  Decisions of the Plan Administrator shall be
final and binding on all parties having an interest in the Plan.

     III.  STOCK SUBJECT TO PLAN

           A.  The stock purchasable under the Plan shall be shares of
authorized but unissued or reacquired Common Stock, including shares of Common
Stock purchased on the open market.  The maximum number of shares of Common
Stock which may be issued over the term of the Plan and of the International
Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the "International Plan") shall not exceed Five
Hundred Thousand (500,000) shares.

           B.  Should any change be made to the Common Stock by reason of any
stock split, stock dividend, recapitalization, combination of shares, exchange
of shares or other change affecting the outstanding Common Stock as a class
without the Corporation's receipt of consideration, appropriate adjustments
shall be made to (i) the maximum number and class of securities issuable under
the Plan and the International Plan, (ii) the maximum number and class of
securities purchasable per Participant on any one Purchase Date and (iii) the
number and class of securities and the price per share in effect under each
outstanding purchase right in order to prevent the dilution or enlargement of
benefits thereunder.


     IV.   PURCHASE PERIODS

           A.  Shares of Common Stock shall be offered for purchase under the
Plan through a series of successive purchase periods until such time as (i) the
maximum number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the Plan
shall have been purchased or (ii) the Plan shall have been sooner terminated.

           B.  Each purchase period shall have a duration of six (6) months.
Purchase

<PAGE>

periods shall run from the first business day in February to the last business
day in July each year and from the first business day in August each year to the
last business day in January of the following year.  However, the first purchase
period shall begin on November 3, 1996 and end on the last business day in
January 1997.

     V.    ELIGIBILITY

           A.  Each individual who is an Eligible Employee on the start date of
any purchase period shall be eligible to participate in the Plan for that
purchase period.

           B.  To participate in the Plan for a particular purchase period, the
Eligible Employee must complete the enrollment forms prescribed by the Plan
Administrator (including a stock purchase agreement and a payroll deduction
authorization form) and file such forms with the Plan Administrator (or its
designate) on or before the start date of the purchase period.

     VI.   PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS

           A.  The payroll deduction authorized by the Participant for purposes
of acquiring shares of Common Stock under the Plan may be any multiple of one
percent (1%) of the Cash Earnings paid to the Participant during each purchase
period, up to a maximum of ten percent (10%).  The deduction rate so authorized
shall continue in effect for the entire purchase period.  The Participant may
not increase his or her rate of payroll deduction during a purchase period.
However, the Participant may, at any time during the purchase period, reduce his
or her rate of payroll deduction to become effective as soon as possible after
filing the appropriate form with the Plan Administrator.  The Participant may
not, however, effect more than one (1) such reduction per purchase period.

           B.  Payroll deductions shall begin on the first pay day following the
start date of the purchase period and shall (unless sooner terminated by the
Participant) continue through the pay day ending with or immediately prior to
the last day of the purchase period.  The amounts so collected shall be credited
to the Participant's book account under the Plan, but no interest shall be paid
on the balance from time to time outstanding in such account.  The amounts
collected from the Participant shall not be held in any segregated account or
trust fund and may be commingled with the general assets of the Corporation and
used for general corporate purposes.

           C.  Payroll deductions shall automatically cease upon the termination
of the Participant's purchase right in accordance with the provisions of the
Plan.

           D.  The Participant's acquisition of Common Stock under the Plan on
any Purchase Date shall neither limit nor require the Participant's acquisition
of Common Stock on any subsequent Purchase Date.

     VII.  PURCHASE RIGHTS

           A.  GRANT OF PURCHASE RIGHT.  A Participant shall be granted a
separate purchase right on the start date of each purchase period in which he or
she participates.  The purchase right shall provide the Participant with the
right to purchase shares of Common Stock on the Purchase Date upon the terms set
forth below.  The Participant shall execute a stock purchase agreement embodying
such terms and such other provisions (not inconsistent with the


                                       2.

<PAGE>

Plan) as the Plan Administrator may deem advisable.

           Under no circumstances shall purchase rights be granted under the
Plan to any Eligible Employee if such individual would, immediately after the
grant, own (within the meaning of Code Section 424(d)) or hold outstanding
options or other rights to purchase, stock possessing five percent (5%) or more
of the total combined voting power or value of all classes of stock of the
Corporation or any Corporate Affiliate.

           B.  EXERCISE OF THE PURCHASE RIGHT.  Each purchase right shall be
automatically exercised on the Purchase Date, and shares of Common Stock shall
accordingly be purchased on behalf of each Participant (other than any
Participant whose payroll deductions have previously been refunded pursuant to
the Termination of Purchase Right provisions below) on such date.  The purchase
shall be effected by applying the Participant's payroll deductions for the
purchase period ending on such Purchase Date to the purchase of shares of Common
Stock (subject to the limitation on the maximum number of shares purchasable per
Participant on any one Purchase Date) at the purchase price in effect for that
purchase period.

           C.  PURCHASE PRICE.  The purchase price per share at which Common
Stock will be purchased on the Participant's behalf on each Purchase Date shall
be equal to eighty-five percent (85%) of the LOWER of (i) the Fair Market Value
per share of Common Stock on the start date of the purchase period or (ii) the
Fair Market Value per share of Common Stock on that Purchase Date.

           D.  NUMBER OF PURCHASABLE SHARES.  The number of shares of Common
Stock purchasable by a Participant on each Purchase Date shall be the number of
whole shares obtained by dividing the amount collected from the Participant
through payroll deductions during the purchase period ending with that Purchase
Date by the purchase price in effect for that Purchase Date. However, the
maximum number of shares of Common Stock purchasable per Participant on any one
Purchase Date shall not exceed seven hundred fifty (750) shares, subject to
periodic adjustments in the event of certain changes in the Corporation=s
capitalization.

           E.  EXCESS PAYROLL DEDUCTIONS.  Any payroll deductions not applied to
the purchase of shares of Common Stock on any Purchase Date because they are not
sufficient to purchase a whole share of Common Stock shall be held for the
purchase of Common Stock on the next Purchase Date.  However, any payroll
deductions not applied to the purchase of Common Stock by reason of the
limitation on the maximum number of shares purchasable by the Participant on the
Purchase Date shall be promptly refunded.

           F.  TERMINATION OF PURCHASE RIGHT.  The following provisions shall
govern the termination of outstanding purchase rights:

                    (i)    A Participant may, at any time prior to the last day
     of the purchase period, terminate his or her outstanding purchase right by
     filing the appropriate form with the Plan Administrator (or its designate),
     and no further payroll deductions shall be collected from the Participant
     with respect to the terminated purchase right.  Any payroll deductions
     collected during the purchase period in which such termination occurs
     shall, at the Participant's election, be immediately refunded or held for
     the purchase of shares on the next Purchase Date.  If no such election is
     made at the time such purchase right is terminated,


                                       3.

<PAGE>

     then the payroll deductions collected with respect to the terminated right
     shall be refunded as soon as possible.

                    (ii)   The termination of such purchase right shall be
     irrevocable, and the Participant may not subsequently rejoin the purchase
     period for which the terminated purchase right was granted.  In order to
     resume participation in any subsequent purchase period, such individual
     must re-enroll in the Plan (by making a timely filing of the prescribed
     enrollment forms) on or before the start date of the new purchase period.

                    (iii)  Should the Participant cease to remain an Eligible
     Employee for any reason (including death, disability or change in status)
     while his or her purchase right remains outstanding, then that purchase
     right shall immediately terminate, and all of the Participant's payroll
     deductions for the purchase period in which the purchase right so
     terminates shall be immediately refunded.  However, should the Participant
     cease to remain in active service by reason of an approved unpaid leave of
     absence, then the Participant shall have the right, exercisable up until
     the last business day of the purchase period in which such leave commences,
     to (a) withdraw all the payroll deductions collected to date on his or her
     behalf during such purchase period or (b) have such funds held for the
     purchase of shares on the next scheduled Purchase Date. In no event,
     however, shall any further payroll deductions be collected on the
     Participant's behalf during such leave.  Upon the Participant's return to
     active service, his or her payroll deductions under the Plan shall
     automatically resume at the rate in effect at the time the leave began,
     unless the Participant withdraws from the Plan prior to his or her return.

          G.   CORPORATE TRANSACTION.  Each outstanding purchase right shall
automatically be exercised, immediately prior to the effective date of any
Corporate Transaction, by applying the payroll deductions of each Participant
for the purchase period in which such Corporate Transaction occurs to the
purchase of whole shares of Common Stock at a purchase price per share equal to
eighty-five percent (85%) of the LOWER of (i) the Fair Market Value per share of
Common Stock on the start date of the purchase period in which such Corporate
Transaction occurs or (ii) the Fair market Value per share of Common Stock
immediately prior to the effective date of such Corporate Transaction.  However,
the applicable limitation on the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable
per Participant shall continue to apply to any such purchase.

          The Corporation shall use its best efforts to provide at least ten
(10) days prior written notice of the occurrence of any Corporate Transaction,
and Participants shall, following the receipt of such notice, have the right to
terminate their outstanding purchase rights prior to the effective date of the
Corporate Transaction.

          H.   PRORATION OF PURCHASE RIGHTS.  Should the total number of shares
of Common Stock which are to be purchased pursuant to outstanding purchase
rights on any particular date exceed the number of shares then available for
issuance under the Plan, the Plan Administrator shall make a pro-rata allocation
of the available shares on a uniform and nondiscriminatory basis, and the
payroll deductions of each Participant, to the extent in excess of the aggregate
purchase price payable for the Common Stock pro-rated to such individual, shall
be refunded.


                                       4.

<PAGE>

          I.   ASSIGNABILITY.  The purchase right shall be exercisable only by
the Participant and shall not be assignable or transferable by the Participant.

          J.   STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS.  A Participant shall have no stockholder
rights with respect to the shares subject to his or her outstanding purchase
right until the shares are purchased on the Participant's behalf in accordance
with the provisions of the Plan and the Participant has become a holder of
record of the purchased shares.

     VIII.     ACCRUAL LIMITATIONS

          A.   No Participant shall be entitled to accrue rights to acquire
Common Stock pursuant to any purchase right outstanding under this Plan if and
to the extent such accrual, when aggregated with (i) rights to purchase Common
Stock accrued under any other purchase right granted under this Plan and (ii)
similar rights accrued under other employee stock purchase plans (within the
meaning of Code Section 423) of the Corporation or any Corporate Affiliate,
would otherwise permit such Participant to purchase more than Twenty-Five
Thousand Dollars ($25,000) worth of stock of the Corporation or any Corporate
Affiliate (determined on the basis of the Fair Market Value of such stock on the
date or dates such rights are granted) for each calendar year such rights are at
any time outstanding.

          B.   For purposes of applying such accrual limitations, the following
provisions shall be in effect:

               (i)  The right to acquire Common Stock under each outstanding
     purchase right shall accrue on the Purchase Date in effect for the purchase
     period for which such right is granted.

               (ii) No right to acquire Common Stock under any outstanding
     purchase right shall accrue to the extent the Participant has already
     accrued in the same calendar year the right to acquire Common Stock under
     one (1) or more other purchase rights at a rate equal to Twenty-Five
     Thousand Dollars ($25,000) worth of Common Stock (determined on the basis
     of the Fair Market Value per share on the date or dates of grant) for each
     calendar year such rights were at any time outstanding.

          C.   If by reason of such accrual limitations, any purchase right of a
Participant does not accrue for a particular purchase period, then the payroll
deductions which the Participant made during that purchase period with respect
to such purchase right shall be promptly refunded.

          D.   In the event there is any conflict between the provisions of this
Article and one or more provisions of the Plan or any instrument issued
thereunder, the provisions of this Article shall be controlling.

     IX.  EFFECTIVE DATE AND TERM OF THE PLAN

          A.   The Plan was adopted by the Board on April 25, 1996 and shall
become effective on the November 3, 1996, PROVIDED no purchase rights granted
under the Plan shall be exercised, and no shares of Common Stock shall be issued
hereunder, until (i) the Plan shall have


                                       5.

<PAGE>

been approved by the stockholders of the Corporation and (ii) the Corporation
shall have complied with all applicable requirements of the 1933 Act (including
the registration of the shares of Common Stock issuable under the Plan on a Form
S-8 registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission),
all applicable listing requirements of any stock exchange (or the Nasdaq
National Market, if applicable) on which the Common Stock is listed for trading
and all other applicable requirements established by law or regulation.  In the
event such stockholder approval is not obtained, or such compliance is not
effected, within twelve (12) months after the date on which the Plan is adopted
by the Board, the Plan shall terminate and have no further force or effect and
all sums collected from Participants during the initial purchase period
hereunder shall be refunded.

          B.   Unless sooner terminated by the Board, the Plan shall terminate
upon the EARLIEST to occur of (i) the last business day in January 2007, (ii)
the date on which all shares available for issuance under the Plan shall have
been sold pursuant to purchase rights exercised under the Plan or (iii) the date
on which all purchase rights are exercised in connection with a Corporate
Transaction.  No further purchase rights shall be granted or exercised, and no
further payroll deductions shall be collected, under the Plan following such
termination.

     X.   AMENDMENT OF THE PLAN

          The Board may alter, amend, suspend or discontinue the Plan at any
time to become effective immediately following the close of any purchase period.
However, the Board may not, without the approval of the Corporation's
stockholders, (i) materially increase the number of shares of Common Stock
issuable under the Plan or the maximum number of shares purchasable per
Participant on any one Purchase Date; except for permissible adjustments in the
event of certain changes in the Corporation's capitalization, (ii) alter the
purchase price formula so as to reduce the purchase price payable for the shares
of Common Stock purchasable under the Plan, or (iii) materially increase the
benefits accruing to Participants under the Plan or materially modify the
requirements for eligibility to participate in the Plan.

     XI.  GENERAL PROVISIONS

          A.   All costs and expenses incurred in the administration of the Plan
shall be paid by the Corporation.

          B.   Nothing in the Plan shall confer upon the Participant any right
to continue in the employ of the Corporation or any Corporate Affiliate for any
period of specific duration or interfere with or otherwise restrict in any way
the rights of the Corporation (or any Corporate Affiliate employing such person)
or of the Participant, which rights are hereby expressly reserved by each, to
terminate such person's employment at any time for any reason, with or without
cause.

          C.   The provisions of the Plan shall be governed by the laws of the
State of California without resort to that State's conflict-of-laws rules.


                                       6.

<PAGE>

SCHEDULE A


                          CORPORATIONS PARTICIPATING IN
                          EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN
                             AS OF NOVEMBER 3, 1996



              Western Staff Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation
          Western Staff Services (USA), Inc., a California corporation
            Western Staff Services (NY), Inc., a New York corporation
           Western Technical Services, Inc., a California corporation

                                    APPENDIX

          The following definitions shall be in effect under the Plan:

          A.   BOARD shall mean the Corporation's Board of Directors.

          B.   CASH EARNINGS shall mean the (i) regular base salary paid to a
Participant by one or more Participating Companies during such individual's
period of participation in one or more offering periods under the Plan plus (ii)
any pre-tax contributions made by the Participant to any Code Section 401(k)
salary deferral plan or any Code Section 125 cafeteria benefit program now or
hereafter established by the Corporation or any Corporate Affiliate plus (iii)
all overtime payments, bonuses, commissions, current profit-sharing
distributions and other incentive-type payments. However, Cash Earnings shall
NOT include any contributions (other than Code Section 401(k) or Code Section
125 contributions) made on the Participant's behalf by the Corporation or any
Corporate Affiliate under any employee benefit or welfare plan now or hereafter
established.

          C.   CODE shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

          D.   COMMON STOCK shall mean the Corporation's common stock.

          E.   CORPORATE AFFILIATE shall mean any parent or subsidiary
corporation of the Corporation (as determined in accordance with Code Section
424), whether now existing or subsequently established.

          F.   CORPORATE TRANSACTION shall mean either of the following
stockholder-approved transactions to which the Corporation is a party:

               (i)  a merger or consolidation in which securities possessing
     more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of the
     Corporation's outstanding securities are transferred to a person or persons
     different from the persons holding those securities immediately prior to
     such transaction, or

               (ii) the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or
     substantially all of the assets of the Corporation in complete liquidation
     or dissolution of the Corporation.

          G.   CORPORATION shall mean Western Staff Services, Inc., a Delaware
corporation, and any corporate successor to all or substantially all of the
assets or voting stock of Western Staff Services, Inc. which shall by
appropriate action adopt the Plan.

          H.   ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE shall mean any person who is employed by a
Participating Corporation on a basis under which he or she is regularly expected
to render more than twenty (20) hours of service per week for more than five

<PAGE>

(5)  months per calendar year for earnings considered wages under Code Section
3401(a).

          I.   FAIR MARKET VALUE per share of Common Stock on any relevant date
shall be determined in accordance with the following provisions:

               (i)  If the Common Stock is at the time traded on the Nasdaq
     National Market, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling
     price per share of Common Stock on the date in question, as such price is
     reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers on the Nasdaq
     National Market or any successor system.  If there is no closing selling
     price for the Common Stock on the date in question, then the Fair Market
     Value shall be the closing selling price on the last preceding date for
     which such quotation exists.

               (ii) If the Common Stock is at the time listed on any Stock
     Exchange, then the Fair Market Value shall be the closing selling price per
     share of Common Stock on the date in question on the Stock Exchange
     determined by the Plan Administrator to be the primary market for the
     Common Stock, as such price is officially quoted in the composite tape of
     transactions on such exchange.  If there is no closing selling price for
     the Common Stock on the date in question, then the Fair Market Value shall
     be the closing selling price on the last preceding date for which such
     quotation exists.

          J.   1933 ACT shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

          K.   PARTICIPANT shall mean any Eligible Employee of a Participating
Corporation who is actively participating in the Plan.

          L.   PARTICIPATING CORPORATION shall mean the Corporation and such
Corporate Affiliate or Affiliates as may be authorized from time to time by the
Board to extend the benefits of the Plan to their Eligible Employees.  The
Participating corporations in the Plan as of the November 3, 1996 effective date
are listed in attached Schedule A.

          M.   PLAN shall mean the Corporation's Employee Stock Purchase Plan,
as set forth in this document.

          N.   PLAN ADMINISTRATOR shall mean the committee of two (2) or more
non-employee Board members appointed by the Board to administer the Plan.

          O.   PURCHASE DATE shall mean the last business day of each purchase
period.  The initial Purchase Date shall be January 31, 1997.

          P.   STOCK EXCHANGE shall mean either the American Stock Exchange or
the New York Stock Exchange.