It’s often said in business circles that people generally tend to buy from businesses they already know, like and trust.
Are you searching for cost-effective ideas to sell more products online or get people to stay longer on your site? Then one of the things you can do, is help your visitors get to know you and your organization better.
If your site uses the WordPress CMS platform, a simple way to help visitors get to know you better is to display information about your key people, your team, or your employees using a directory plugin.
This step-by-step tutorial shows you how to create and add an easy-to-update directory of staff members to your web site.
Plugin Tutorial: Adding A Staff Directory To Your WordPress Site
In this tutorial, you will learn how to install, activate and configure a plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List
(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)
The Simple Staff List plugin is free and lets you easily staff (you could also use it to display board of directors, etc.).
The first step is to install and activate this plugin.
Log into the admin and in your admin menu, select Plugins > Add New …
(WP Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins screen, search for “simple staff plugin”. This should bring up the Simple Staff Plugin in your plugin search results.
Click on the Install Now button …
(WordPress Plugins – plugin search results)
Click on Activate Plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After your plugin has been installed and activated, you will notice that new entry will appear on your WordPress admin menu section called Staff Members …
(Staff Members)
Here is where you will manage and configure all of the settings and options for your plugin are configured and managed in this menu.
Configuring Simple Staff List
Depending on the size of your organization and how you want to structure your directory, you could just begin to add new employee entries at this point, or create various groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to individual employees.
Staff Members – Groups
To set up your categories go to your WP dashboard menu and choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members Menu – Groups)
The Groups panel …
(Groups section)
Note: Setting up groups is just like adding categories in WordPress …
(Groups work just like categories)
Add a new group by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Enter your group name here
- Slug – Type in the slug of your category name. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this section if you plan to set up nested categories
- Description – Type in the category description here (optional)
- Click the Add New Group button when finished to set up a new group …
(Groups settings)
If you run a business that employs many people, the ability to set up different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a group for partners, project teams, faculties, etc.
Create as many groups and nested groups as you need by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to build a hierarchical structure …
(Nested categories)
Remember to click on the Add New Group button after creating each new item …
To change or reassign Groups for a specific entry, hover your mouse over a category title and select the Edit link …
The selected item will display in the Edit Group screen. Select a new group category from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click Update when done …
To change your Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and select Quick Edit …
Click the Update Group button when done to save your changes …
Add as many categories as you need to until you are done creating your directory structure …
You can add as many nested groups as you like …
(Nested groups)
Once you are done setting up your groups, the next step is to start to add staff details to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
From your admin menu, click on Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members – Add New)
This brings you to the Add New Staff Member settings …
(Add New Staff Member settings area)
This page provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member profile and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: Your employee’s name
- Slug: Modify each employees’ slug (you will see this section after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Upload a photo of your staff member
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Your staff member’s position
- Email: Your staff member’s email
- Phone Number: Your staff member’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Type in the person’s Facebook address (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type in your staff member’s Twitter username here (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Add a profile description for your employee or faculty member here. As this uses the WordPress Text Editor, you can use HTML in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: Assign the person to a group (see above to learn how to set up your groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab at the top of your screen …
(Screen options)
You can enable additional features …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter each employee’s details …
(Add Staff Member settings)
Once you have entered details, assign your entry to a directory group in the Groups section located in your sidebar …
(Groups feature)
Note: If you have not set up categories before adding staff member details, you can add a new group in this screen by clicking on Groups > + Add New Group …
(Add a new group inside your Groups box)
A field will display allowing you to create a new group name, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Type in the name of your new directory category and click on Add New Group …
A new directory category will be created. Remember to tick the check box to assign a person to the group …
(New group)
Note: Groups cannot be edited when adding or making changes to employee details. To edit an item, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section above for details).
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After typing in your employee’s details, click the Publish button …
Click View Post …
You can update your employee’s profile by clicking the Edit Staff Member link in your admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – WP admin toolbar)
If you need help using the dashboard admin toolbar, refer to this step-by-step tutorial:
Note: If you see a page error like the one shown below, check that you have correctly configured your permalinks …
(Page error – Check your permalinks)
If you need help setting up WP permalinks, refer to this tutorial:
Keep adding new entries to your staff directory directory as shown above until done.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
Once you are done entering staff members to your directory, you can view and edit their details by selecting Staff Members > All Staff Members in the main menu …
(Staff Members – All Staff Members)
This brings up a table listing all your staff profiles and all details you have added for each entry …
(Staff Members details)
If you need to make changes to an individual’s details, hover your mouse over their listing, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit to modify the Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to update details like name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove a list item from the employee directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking on View …
(Editing Staff Members profile info)
If you have added many entries to this section, your table can get quite long.
You can use the Search Staff Members search feature to locate listing items …
(Search Staff Members search field)
The plugin also lets you specify which fields to display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …
(Screen Options tab)
Placing a tick in the item’s checkbox displays the field and unselecting it hides the field. You can also select how many staff members are listed per page. Click Apply when finished to update your settings …
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order that listings display on your directory page.
Select Staff Members > Order on the dashboard menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your listings, click and drag the entry to its desired position …
(Rearrange employee listings using drag and drop)
Your list will automatically be reorganized …
(Reordered list)
Once you have added all of your staff listing details to your directory, the next step is to display the directory to your visitors.
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you arrange the order that listings show on your directory pages.
Select Staff Members > Order in the menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your entries, click and drag the item to its new location …
(Reorder listings using drag and drop)
Your list will automatically be rearranged …
(Reordered list)
Once you are done adding all of your member listing details to your directory, the next step is to make the directory show to your site users.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
The Simple Staff List plugin allows you to edit the layout and style of your employee directory listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the layout and style of your employee directory, select Staff Members > Templates from the menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Templates)
This brings up the Templates screen …
(Simple Staff List Templates screen)
To customize your directory listings, reorganize any of the permitted template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, here is a screenshot of the default template used for displaying directory listings …
(Default Template)
The The code shown above will display your listing as shown below …
(Default Staff Loop Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To display these fields, we will need to add the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown in the example below …
(Use template tags to customize your listings page)
Your staff details will now display as shown in the example below …
(Directory listings with social media links added)
Note: If you want to customize your directory but don’t want to mess with template tags or are unsure of how to edit the template as shown above, please contact us for help.
Usage Menu
As well as allowing you to customize your listing templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your listings differently using modified shortcodes.
In your WordPress admin menu, choose Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This brings up the Usage page …
(Usage Shortcode screen)
This screen lists all different shortcode variations you can use.
A useful variation you can add to your page, for example, to display only members of a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”senior staff”])
You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by using the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
Choose Staff Members >Options on the WP admin menu …
(Staff Members – Options)
This opens the Options screen …
(Options settings screen)
Here you can edit some of the labels used in the plugin
Finally, you can also export your staff members data from the Tools > Export section …
(Export Staff Members plugin information)
If you need plugin help or support, go to the plugin faq page and request help from the plugin developer.
Other WordPress Plugins For Creating Simple Employee Directories
Simple Staff List is not the only WordPress staff directory plugin you can use. For example, here are other free WordPress plugins you can use for creating an employee directory on your site:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
Modern Team Staff Directory helps you collect your team information and showcase it anywhere on your site in beautiful grids, columns and tables. This premium plugin features over a dozen presets and provides editors that make it easy to edit and update your directory.
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Responsive Templates)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WordPress Plugin)
With Staff Directory, you can easily display a list of faculty/team/staff members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.
You can also use custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WP Plugin)
This plugin provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college or university.
The plugin also includes a widget that allows you to feature profiles in a widget area.
To learn more about this plugin go here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin lets you easily add your employees, team or faculty to your site. Different layouts are included, including grid and customizable single views, as well as fields like position title, email address, phone, photo and staff bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.
Visitors will be able to click through from your list, grid, and table views to read more about each staff member in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot source: Company Directory plugin website)
This plugin also uses shortcodes.
More info:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)
Employee Spotlight displays employees, partners or just a single person in a 4-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
This plugin includes two sidebar widgets which display featured and recent employees, and two responsive views which adjust to the viewer’s screen.
Detailed information about each employee can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with employee circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight plugin website)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Staffer
(Staffer – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin uses custom post types for staff management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage a staff directory on your site …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
Staffer works immediately with almost all WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
Go here to learn more:
If the above plugins aren’t what you’re looking for, just go online or visit the WordPress plugin directory and search for:
- Add Staff Directory To WordPress
- WordPress Staff Plugin
- WordPress Plugin Staff Directory
- Staff Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, this tutorial has helped you learn how to add a simple and easy-to-manage employee directory to your web site.
Images used in this tutorial to portray fictitious staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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