How To Add A Staff Directory In WordPress

Something that is often quoted in marketing, is that people generally buy from those they already know, like and trust.

If you are searching for ideas to sell more products online or get people to stay longer on your site, then something you can do, is help prospects get to know you, your team and your organization better.

If you are a WordPress user, one way to easily help people get to know you better is to display information about your key partners, your team, or your staff using a WordPress staff list plugin.

This tutorial will show you how to create an easy-to-manage staff directory in your WordPress site.

How To Easily Add A Staff List Directory To Your WordPress Site

In this tutorial, we will install, activate and configure a no cost WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.

Simple Staff List WordPress Plugin

(Simple Staff List Plugin For WordPress)

Simple Staff List is a free plugin that lets you easily staff members (you could also use it to display board of directors, etc.).

First, let’s install and activate the Simple Staff List plugin.

Log into the admin and navigate to Plugins > Add New …

(Plugins Menu – Add New)

In the Plugins area, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings up the Simple Staff Plugin in your search results area.

Click on Install Now …

(WordPress Plugins  – Add Plugins screen)

Click on the Activate Plugin link …

(Activate plugin)

After installing and activating your plugin, a new menu entry will display on your WordPress admin menu called Staff Members …

(Staff Members menu)

Here is where you will manage and configure all of the settings and options for the Simple Staff List plugin are configured and managed in the Staff Members menu.

Plugin Configuration

Depending on how many people are employed in your business and how you want to structure your directory, you can just begin to add new staff members at this at this stage, or create several groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your group members.

Staff Members – Groups

To configure your directory groups go to your dashboard menu and select Staff Members > Groups …

(Staff Members Menu – Groups)

The Groups settings panel …

(Groups settings)

Note: Setting up directory groups works in the same way as adding WordPress categories …

(Groups work just like WordPress categories)

Add a new group by entering the following information:

1. Group Name – Enter your group category name here
2. Slug – Type in the slug of your group. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
3. Parent – Use this drop-down menu if you plan to set up a directory hierarchy
4. Description – Type in a group description here (optional)
5. Click the Add New Group button when finished to create a new directory category …

(Groups settings screen)

If you manage a business that employs many people, having the ability to create categories can be very useful. For example, you can create groups for partners, developers, faculties, etc.

Create as many categories and nested groups as you want by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to organize these into a hierarchical structure …

(Nested categories)

Remember to click the Add New Group button after entering new items …

To change or reassign Groups for individual entries, hover your mouse button over a category title and select the Edit link …

The selected category open in the Edit Group page. Select a new category from the Parent drop-down menu …

(Edit Group screen)

Click the Update button to save your changes …

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 …

Add as many group names as you need to until you have created your directory structure …

You can add as many nested categories as you like …

(Nested groups)

Once you have finished setting up your groups, the next step is to begin to add staff details to your directory.

Staff Members – Add New

In your WP admin menu, select Staff Members > Add New …

(Staff Members Menu – Add New)

The Add New Staff Member screen …

(Add New Staff Member area)

This area provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding your staff member profile and includes the following fields:

Name Section (1)

• Name: The employee’s name
• Slug: Modify your staff members’ permalink URL (this section appears after saving your details).

Staff Photo Section (2)

• Photo: Add a photo here

Staff Member Info Section (3)

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

Staff Member Bio Section (4)

• Staff Member Bio: Enter a profile description for your staff members here. As this uses the built-in WordPress Text Editor, you can add formatted content in this section.

Groups Section (5)

• Groups: Assign your staff member to a specific group (see the previous section of this tutorial to learn how to set up your groups).

Click on the Screen Options tab …

(Screen options)

You can enable additional page settings …

(Enable additional fields in screen options tab)

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

(Add Staff Member fields)

Once you have entered your staff member’s details, assign your item to a directory group in the Groups feature located in your sidebar …

(Groups section)

Note: If you have not set up your directory groups before starting to add new staff members, you can create a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …

(Groups - + Add New Group link)

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

The new directory category will be added. Remember to tick the check box to assign your entry to the group …

(New group)

Note: You cannot edit groups when adding or editing a staff member’s 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 filling in your team member’s details, click the Publish button …

Click View Post …

To make changes to your member profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in your admin toolbar …

(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)

For a detailed step-by-step tutorial about using the dashboard admin toolbar , go here:

• The WP Control Panel Explained

Note: If you have set up groups and get a page error like the one shown below, check that you have set up your site’s permalinks correctly …

(Check your permalinks if you get a ‘page not found’ error)

If you need help setting up permalinks, see this tutorial:

• Using Permalinks To Improve Your WordPress SEO

Continue adding more entries to your employee directory directory as shown above until done.

Staff Members – All Staff Members

After entering staff members to your directory, you can view and edit details by clicking Staff Members > All Staff Members in the menu …

(Staff Members – All Staff Members)

This brings up a list with all your staff members and details you have added with each entry …

(Staff Members details table)

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

Click on Edit if you need to make changes to the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to change details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also delete someone from the staff directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by selecting View …

(Edit Staff Members profile information)

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

You can use the Search Staff Members search box to find member details …

(Search members)

The plugin also allows you to specify which fields can display in this section. To show or hide fields on your screen, click on Screen Options …

(Screen Options)

Selecting a checkbox displays the field and unchecking a box hides the field. You can also specify how many staff members are listed per page. Click the Apply button when done to save your preferences …

Staff Members – Order

The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order in which your staff profiles appear on your directory page.

Click Staff Members > Order on your menu …

(Staff Members Menu – Order)

To reorder your items, click and drag the entry to its desired location …

(Rearrange items using drag and drop)

Your directory will be automatically reorganized …

(Reordered listings)

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

Staff Members – Order

Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to specify the order in which entries appear on your directory pages.

Select Staff Members > Order on your menu …

(Staff Members Menu – Order)

To reorder your entries, click and drag the item to the new position …

(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)

Your list will automatically be reordered …

(Reordered listings)

After adding all staff listing details to your directory, the next step is to display the directory to your visitors.

Simple Staff List – Additional Notes

The plugin also lets you create the style and layout of your employee directory items using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).

Templates Menu

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

(Staff Members – Templates)

This brings up the Templates page …

(Customize your directory template)

To customize your directory, reorganize any of the allowed template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.

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

(Default Plugin Staff Loop Template)

The This code displays your directory listing as shown below …

(Default Template Listing)

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

(Template tags can be added to the Staff Loop Template to customize your directory page)

Here is what your listings page should now look like …

(Directory listings with social media links)

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

In addition to allowing you to customize your listing templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.

In your dashboard menu, select Staff Members >Usage …

(Staff Members – Usage)

This brings up the Usage page …

(Usage Shortcode section)

This screen provides a list of all the shortcode variations you can use.

A useful shortcode variation you can decide to use, for example, to display a list of persons belonging only to a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”senior staff”])

Or, you can display listings in ascending or descending order by inserting the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).

Options Menu

In the main admin 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 plugin information)

If you need help with the Simple Staff List plugin, visit the plugin faq page and contact the plugin developer.

Additional Staff Directory Plugins For WordPress

Simple Staff List is not the only plugin you can use. For example, here are some other free plugins you can use to add a staff directory on your website:

Modern Team Staff Directory

(Modern Team Staff Directory – WordPress 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)

To learn more about the plugin go here:

• Modern Team Staff Directory

Staff Directory

(Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

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

This plugin also lets you set up custom fields …

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

Learn more about this plugin here:

• Staff Directory

Faculty And Staff Directory

(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

Faculty And Staff Directory was developed to provide a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college, school or university.

The plugin also installs a widget that allows you to feature profiles in a widget area.

For more details, visit the plugin site here:

• Faculty And Staff Directory

Company Directory

(Company Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)

With Company Directory, you can add your staff to your website. Different layouts are available, including list and table views, plus as fields like job title, email, phone number, photo and staff bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.

Visitors can click through from your list, grid, and table views to learn more about each employee in a customizable single view …

(Display your staff and faculty in an easy to view format. Screenshot sourced from Company Directory website)

This plugin also uses shortcodes.

Go here to learn more:

• Company Directory

Employee Spotlight

(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)

Employee Spotlight displays employees, founders or just one individual person in a 4-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant upon plugin activation.

This plugin comes with two sidebar widgets which display featured and recent employees selected in the editor, plus 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 sourced from plugin website)

For more details, visit the plugin site here:

• Employee Spotlight

Staffer

(Staffer – WP Plugin)

Staffer 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 sourced from plugin website)

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

To learn more about this plugin go here:

• Staffer – Plugin For WordPress

If the directory plugins listed above 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 step-by-step tutorial has shown you how to add an easy-to-maintain directory of staff members to your WordPress site.

Images of models used to portray sample staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com

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