No doubt you already know that people will buy from those they know, like and trust.
If you are looking for ways to grow your business online, then something you can do, is make it easier for your prospects to get to know, like and trust your organization better.
Adding a directory of staff to your site can help to generate increased trust, boost your online credibility and get more prospects contacting you.
In this step-by-step tutorial, we are going to show you how to create and add an easy-to-update list of staff or team members in your web site using a free plugin.
Adding An Employee List Directory In WordPress: Tutorial
In this tutorial, we will install, activate and configure a free plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin
(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)
The Simple Staff List plugin is a free WordPress plugin that lets you staff.
First, let’s install and activate the Simple Staff List plugin.
Log into the dashboard and in your admin menu, choose Plugins > Add New …
(WordPress Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins area, search for “simple staff plugin”. This will bring up the Simple Staff Plugin in your search results area.
Click on the Install Now button …
(WordPress Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Click on Activate Plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After the plugin has been installed and activated, you will notice that new menu will show up in your WordPress menu section called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
This menu is where you will configure and manage all of the settings and options for your plugin are configured and managed from this menu.
Plugin Configuration
Depending on how many people are employed in your business and how you want to structure your employee directory, you could just begin adding new staff member details after installing the plugin, or create different groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your staff.
Staff Members – Groups
Let’s start by configuring your directory groups. In your dashboard menu, choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members – Groups)
This brings up the Groups section …
(Groups settings screen)
Note: Configuring groups works just like WordPress categories …
(Groups work like WordPress categories)
Add a new group by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Enter your group name here
- Slug – Type in the URL-friendly version of your group name. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this drop-down menu if you plan to set up a directory hierarchy
- Description – Enter a category description here (optional)
- Click Add New Group when done to create your new group …
(Groups area)
If you run a business that employs many people, the ability to create groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a category for partners, project teams, faculties, etc.
Create as many categories and nested groups as you need by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to build a hierarchical structure …
(Nested groups)
Remember to click the Add New Group button after entering each new item …
To edit or reassign Groups for individual items, hover over a category title and select the Edit link …
The item open in the Edit Group screen. Select a new parent group category from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click the Update button when done …
To change the Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and choose Quick Edit …
Click on Update Group when done to save your changes …
Add as many groups as you need to until you are done creating your directory structure …
You can add as many nested categories as you like …
(Nested groups)
After you have finished setting up your hierarchical structure, you can begin to add staff details to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your admin menu, select Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member settings area …
(Add New Staff Member screen)
This area provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding your staff member details and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: Add the employee’s name
- Permalink: You can change the permalink URL associated with each employee if required (this section appears after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Add a photo here
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Your staff member’s role
- Email: Your staff member’s email address
- Phone Number: Type in your staff member’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Type your company’s Facebook address (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type the person’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Type a profile description for your employee here. As this uses the WordPress Text Editor, you can format content in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: This section lets you assign the person to a specific group (see the previous section of this tutorial to learn how to set up groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab …
(Screen options)
You will see options to enable additional features …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter your staff member’s details …
(Add Staff Member settings)
Once you have finished inputting your staff member’s details, assign the new entry to a directory group in the Groups feature in the sidebar …
(Groups section)
Note: If you did not set up your directory groups before adding new staff members, you can add a new group in this screen by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …
(Add a new group inside your Groups box)
A field will display allowing you to enter 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 group will be created. Remember to tick the check box to assign the entry to the group …
(Groups box)
Note: You cannot edit groups when adding or editing new employee details. To edit a group item, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section of the tutorial above for details).
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After entering the person’s details, click the Publish button to add them to your directory …
Click View Post …
To edit the person’s profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in your WordPress admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – WordPress admin toolbar)
To learn more about using the WP admin toolbar , go here:
Note: If you have set up groups and get errors like the one shown below, check that you have configured your permalinks correctly …
(Page error – Check your permalinks)
If you need help setting up permalinks, refer to this tutorial:
Continue adding more members to your directory directory as described above.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
Once you are done adding staff members to your directory, you can view and edit details by selecting Staff Members > All Staff Members on your WP admin menu …
(Staff Members – All Staff Members)
This brings up a table displaying all the directory items and their details …
(Staff Members details list)
If you need to change an individual’s entry, hover your mouse over their listing, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit if you want to edit the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to edit details like name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove an entry from the directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …
(Edit Staff Members info)
If you have many employees, your table can become unwieldy.
You can use the Search Staff Members search box to find a member if required …
(Search members)
The plugin also lets you specify which fields to display in this section. To hide or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab …
(Staff Members Screen Options tab)
Selecting a checkbox displays the field and unchecking a box hides the field. You can also specify how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when done to update your preferences …
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you arrange the order in which entries appear on your directory pages.
Select Staff Members > Order on the main menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To rearrange the order of your items, click and drag the item to the new position …
(Reorder staff listings using drag and drop)
Your staff list will automatically be reordered …
(Reordered list items)
After adding all members’ listing details to your directory, the next step is to add the directory to your visitors.
Staff Members – Order
The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to specify the order that listings display on your directory page.
Choose Staff Members > Order on your menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To rearrange the order of your listings, click and drag the item to the desired position …
(Rearrange staff listings using drag and drop)
Your list will automatically be rearranged …
(Reordered list)
After adding all employees’ details to your directory, the next step is to display the directory to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
The Simple Staff List plugin also lets you create the style and layout of your directory listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the style and layout of your staff list, select Staff Members > Templates from the dashboard menu …
(Staff Members – Templates)
This brings up the Templates page …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory, reorganize any of the allowable template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, below is a screenshot of the Default Staff Loop Template …
(Default Template)
The above code displays the listing shown below …
(Default Simple Staff List Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To display these fields, we will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] tags in the template, as shown in the screenshot below …
(Template tags can be added to the Staff Loop Template to customize your listings page)
Here is what your staff list should now look like …
(Directory with social media URLs added)
Note: If you want to customize how your directory looks but don’t want to mess with CSS code and template tags or are not sure what to do, please contact us for help.
Usage Menu
As well as being able to customize your directory templates, the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to display your listings differently using modified shortcodes.
In your dashboard menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This opens the Usage screen …
(Usage Shortcode section)
This screen provides a list of all different shortcode variations that the plugin allows you to use.
A useful shortcode variation you can add, for example, to display a list of staff members belonging only to a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”Asia Pacific Region”])
You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by adding the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
In your menu, select Staff Members >Options …
(Staff Members – Options)
This brings up the Options page …
(Options screen)
This section lets you change some of the labels used in the plugin
You can also export your staff members details from the Tools > Export menu …
(Export Staff Members info)
If you need plugin help or support, visit the plugin faq page.
Other Staff Directory Plugins For WordPress
Simple Staff List is not the only plugin you can use to create a listing of your staff in WordPress. For example, here are some other free plugins you can look at:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
The Modern Team Staff Directory plugin 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)
More info:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
With Staff Directory, you can easily display a list of staff/faculty/team members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.
You can also set up custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields. Screenshot sourced from Staff Directory website)
More info:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WP Plugin)
This plugin was developed to provide a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college or university.
The plugin also installs a widget that allows you to feature a profile in a widget area.
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
With the Company Directory plugin, you can easily add your employees, team or faculty to your site. Different layouts are available, including grid and single views, as well as fields like position title, email, phone, image and member 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 learn more about each staff member in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot sourced from Company Directory website)
This plugin uses shortcodes.
More info:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – Plugin For WordPress)
Employee Spotlight displays employees, partners or just an individual member of your team in a four-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
The Employee Spotlight pluginincludes two sidebar widgets which display featured and recent employees, and two responsive views which adjust to the screen size of the viewer’s device.
Detailed information about each staff member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight website)
Go here to learn more:
Staffer
(Staffer – Plugin For WordPress)
The Staffer 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 an employee directory on your website …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot source: plugin website)
Staffer works with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
For more details go here:
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 Directory Plugin
- WordPress Plugin Staff Directory
- Employee Directory WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, this tutorial has helped you learn how to create an easy-to-manage directory of staff in your WordPress site.
Images of persons used to depict staff members in this tutorial were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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"These tutorials have so much information and are easy to understand. If you use WordPress or plan to in the future these will help you with everything you need to know." - Valisa (Mesa, Arizona)