Tag: Staff Plugin WordPress

No doubt you already know that people often tend to buy from people they know, like and trust.

Are you searching for inexpensive ways to sell more products online? Then something you can do, is help prospects get to know you, your team and your business better.

If you run a WordPress site, one way to easily help visitors get to know you better is to display information about your partners, your business team, or your employees using a staff list plugin.

In this step-by-step tutorial, you will learn how to easily create and add an easy-to-update list directory of employees in WordPress using a free plugin.

WordPress Plugin Tutorial: How To Add An Employee List Directory In WordPress

In this tutorial, we will install, activate and configure a free WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.

Simple Staff List Plugin For WordPress

(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)

Simple Staff List lets you easily display information about your employee on your website.

First, let’s install and activate this plugin.

Log into the WordPress dashboard and from the admin menu, choose Plugins > Add New …

(WordPress Plugins Menu – Add New)

In the Plugins area, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings 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 installing and activating your plugin, a new entry will appear in your WordPress menu bar called Staff Members …

(Staff Members)

Here is where you will configure and manage all of the settings for your plugin are configured and managed from the Staff Members menu.

Configuring Simple Staff List

Depending on the size of your business and how you want to structure your directory, you can start adding new entries at this point, or create several groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your employees.

Staff Members – Groups

Let’s set up your directory categories. In your dashboard menu, choose Staff Members > Groups …

(Staff Members – Groups)

The Groups panel …

(Groups section)

Note: Adding groups is just like configuring categories in WordPress …

(Groups work just like WordPress categories)

Add a new group by typing in the following information:

1. Group Name – Type in your group name
2. Slug – Enter the URL-friendly version of your group name. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
3. Parent – This section lets you set up nested categories
4. Description – Type in the group description in this field (optional)
5. Click Add New Group when finished to create your new group …

(Groups settings screen)

If you work with a medium to large organization, having the ability to set up different categories can be very useful. For example, you can create groups for investors, 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 item …

To change Groups for an entry, hover over a category title and click on the Edit link …

The group will display in the Edit Group screen. Select a new parent group from the Parent dropdown menu …

(Edit Group settings)

Click Update to save your changes …

To edit your Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and choose the Quick Edit menu feature …

Click on Update Group  when done …

Continue adding categories in this section until you are done creating your directory structure …

You can add as many nested groups as you like …

(Nested categories)

Once you have finished setting up your hierarchical structure, you can start adding names to your directory.

Staff Members – Add New

From your admin menu, click on Staff Members > Add New …

(Staff Members Menu – Add New)

The Add New Staff Member settings …

(Add New Staff Member settings)

This screen 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 staff member’s name
• Slug: Edit the slug for your employee if required (this section appears after saving your details).

Staff Photo Section (2)

• Photo: Upload a photo here

Staff Member Info Section (3)

• Position: Your staff member’s position
• Email: Your staff member’s email address
• Phone Number: Type the person’s phone number
• Facebook URL: Type the person’s Facebook URL here (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
• Twitter URL: Add your company’s Twitter username here (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)

Staff Member Bio Section (4)

• Staff Member Bio: Type in a profile description for your staff or faculty member here. This uses the WordPress Text Editor, so you can add formatting to the content entered in this section.

Groups Section (5)

• Groups: Assign your employee to a specific group (see the previous section to learn how to set up groups).

If you click on the Screen Options tab at the top of the screen …

(Screen options)

You will see options to enable additional features …

(Enable additional fields in screen options tab)

Now that you know what each section does, enter your employee’s details …

(Add Staff Member fields)

Once you have entered details, assign the new item to a directory group in the Groups feature in the sidebar …

(Groups section)

Note: If you have not set up categories before adding new staff members, you can add a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …

(Groups > + Add New Group feature)

A field for creating your group name will appear, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new group and click on the Add New Group button …

Your new directory category will be added. Remember to tick the checkbox to assign a staff member to the group …

(New group added in Groups feature)

Note: Groups cannot be edited when adding or editing someone’s details. To edit an 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 filling in your employee’s details, click the Publish button …

Click View Post …

To update the person’s profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in your admin toolbar …

(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)

If you need help using the admin toolbar, refer to this tutorial:

• The WP Control Panel – A Tutorial

Note: If you see a page error like the one shown below, check that your permalinks have been configured correctly …

(Page error? Check your permalinks)

If you need help setting up permalinks in WordPress, see this step-by-step tutorial:

• Using Permalinks To Improve Your WordPress SEO

Repeat the above process to continue adding more entries to your directory directory.

Staff Members – All Staff Members

After entering staff members into your directory, you can view and edit their details by clicking Staff Members > All Staff Members on your menu …

(Staff Members – All Staff Members)

This brings up a table displaying all the directory entries and any details you have added for each entry …

(Staff Members details)

If you need to modify an individual’s entry, just hover your mouse over their listing, and a menu will appear.

Click on Edit to update their Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to change details like name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also delete a member from your staff directory by clicking on Trash, or view the entry on your site by selecting View …

(Editing Staff Members details)

Depending on what you are using the plugin for, your table can become unwieldy.

Use the Search Staff Members search box to locate listing items if necessary …

(Search members)

You can specify which fields to display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab …

(Staff Members Screen Options)

Tick or untick the checkboxes to show or hide fields. You can also select how many staff members are shown per page. Click Apply when finished to update your preferences …

Staff Members – Order

The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to arrange the order in which entries display on your directory page.

Click Staff Members > Order in the menu …

(Staff Members – Order)

To rearrange the order of your entries, click and drag the entry to its new position …

(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)

Your staff list will automatically be rearranged …

(Reordered list items)

Once you are done adding staff listing details to the directory, the next step is to display the directory to your site visitors.

Staff Members – Order

Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order that listings display on your directory pages.

Click Staff Members > Order on your menu …

(Staff Members – Order)

To reorder your items, click and drag the item to a desired location …

(Reorder employee listings using drag and drop)

Your staff list will automatically be rearranged …

(Reordered listings)

Once you have added all of your members’ details to the directory, the next step is to make the directory display on your site.

Simple Staff List – Additional Notes

The plugin lets you customize the style and layout of your staff list items using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

Templates Menu

To customize the layout and style of your staff directory, select Staff Members > Templates from your dashboard menu …

(Staff Members Menu – Templates)

This brings up the Templates page …

(Simple Staff List Templates page)

To customize your directory listings, insert any of the allowable template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.

For example, below is the default template used for displaying directory listings …

(Default Template)

The This code will display your listing as shown below …

(Default Template Listing)

Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To make these fields display in the directory, we will need to add the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] tags to the template, as shown in the example below …

(Template tags added to Staff Loop Template)

Here is what your directory will now look like …

(Directory with social media URLs)

Note: If you want to customize your directory listings but don’t want to mess with editing code or are not sure how to edit the template as shown above, please contact us for help.

Usage Menu

As well as being able to customize your directory templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.

In your menu, click on Staff Members >Usage …

(Staff Members Menu – Usage)

This brings up the Usage page …

(Simple Staff List shortcodes)

This screen provides a list of all the shortcode variations that the plugin allows you to use.

For example, a useful variation you can add to your page to display only members belonging a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”sales reps”])

You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by inserting the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”ASC”] (ascending).

Options Menu

In your dashboard menu, select Staff Members >Options …

(Staff Members – Options)

This brings up the Options page …

(Simple Staff List – customizable fields)

This section lets you edit labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member titles

You can also export your staff members info from the Tools > Export page …

(Export Staff Members info)

If you need plugin support, visit the plugin support page.

Additional WordPress Plugins For Creating Simple Staff Directories

Simple Staff List isn’t the only adding a directory of your staff in WordPress. For example, here are other free plugins you can look at to add an employee directory on your site:

Modern Team Staff Directory

(Modern Team Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

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)

For more details go here:

• Modern Team Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress

Staff Directory

(Staff Directory – WP Plugin)

With Staff Directory, you can easily create a directory of team/staff/faculty members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.

You can also create custom fields …

(Custom Details Fields. Screenshot source: Staff Directory website)

For more details, visit the plugin site here:

• Staff Directory – WP Plugin

Faculty And Staff Directory

(Faculty And Staff Directory)

This plugin was developed to provide 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 a profile in a widget area.

More info:

• Faculty And Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress

Company Directory

(Company Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)

With the Company Directory plugin, you can easily add your staff, team or faculty to your website. Different layouts are available, including list and single views, as well as fields like job title, email address, phone, image and bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.

Visitors can 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 members in an easy to view format. Screenshot sourced from Company Directory website)

This plugin also uses simple shortcodes.

Go here to learn more:

• Company Directory

Employee Spotlight

(Employee Spotlight – Plugin For WordPress)

Employee Spotlight displays employees, founders or just one individual member of your team in a four-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant upon plugin activation.

With the Employee Spotlight plugin, you get two sidebar widgets that let you display featured and recent employees, plus two responsive views which adjust to the device screen size.

Detailed information about  each faculty member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …

(Responsive layout with circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight website)

Learn more about the plugin here:

• Employee Spotlight – WP Staff Directory Plugin

Staffer

(Staffer – WordPress 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 an online staff directory …

(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)

Staffer works with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.

Go here to learn more:

• Staffer – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin

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
• Staff Directory WordPress Plugin
• Staff Plugin WordPress
• etc.

Congratulations! Now you know how to add and create a simple directory of staff members to your WordPress site without using code, so your site visitors can get to know you and the people in your team better.

Models used to portray staff members in this tutorial were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com

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