An employee directory is an internal organizational database that contains essential employee information. Employee directories can go by many other names, such as a staff directory, organizational chart, people directory, corporate or company address book, or some other variation of those terms.
These directories offer an easy way for employees to quickly access their peers’ contact information, whether it’s a phone number or an email address.
Some employee directories are relatively simple and stick to the basics like job titles, pronouns, and contact information, while others include a biography and some fun facts. If you have employees scattered across the country or the world, you may also want to include time zones in your directory.
Every member of your team should be included in your employee directory, and everyone should be able to access it with ease.
Why do you need an employee directory?
Aside from providing all of your employees’ information in one location, a comprehensive employee directory can support just about every department, not just HR. The benefits of an employee directory include:
- Streamlining the new hire onboarding process
An employee directory that includes an org chart can help new employees become familiar with their new team members during the onboarding process - Increasing collaboration
A directory list can improve internal communications because team members can directly reach out to the person they need to talk to - Developing company culture
Improving employee engagement is a goal for many companies, and having an updated directory offers a great tool for your employees to connect with each other - Scheduling meetings
If you have multiple employees working remotely or you run a global enterprise, an employee directory that lists everyone’s time zones can make it easier to coordinate meeting times
What information should an employee directory include?
The amount of information you include in an employee directory is entirely up to you and should be tailored to fit your company culture. Additionally, the type of information you include will depend on the format of your org chart.
The basics for an org chart include:
- Name
- Job title
- Department or team
- Phone number
- Email address
- Location (if needed)
If you want to make your staff directory extra handy, you can flesh out your employee profiles with items such as:
- Headshots
- Skills, abilities, and areas of expertise
- Biographies, birthdays, and fun facts
- Hire dates and other work anniversaries
If you think the information would be relevant to your team or would improve your company’s overall employee experience, then you should add it to your org chart.
How do you use an employee directory?
Common use cases of an employee directory include:
- New hires familiarizing themselves with their new teammates
- Employees looking for contact information
- Improving workflows by finding the best person to help with a given task
Building your organizational chart
Now that you have a better idea of what to include in your org chart and how it can be used, it’s time to build your directory. Here’s how to get started.
Employee Directory Software
Instead of trying to use Excel or Powerpoint to create a staff directory, do your human resources team a favor and consider investing in an Org chart software. These solutions improve the overall functionality of directories by providing tools like advanced search functions and allowing you to add more information to each employee profile.
Org Chart Templates
There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. If you’re unsure where to start with your employee directory, you can use templates to get the ball rolling. Many directory software solutions even come with templates to make it that much easier for you to get started.
Integrations
To make it that much easier for your employees to access your company directory, you can use integrations to make your org chart available on the apps your employees already know and love, whether that’s Slack, Microsoft Teams, or anything in between.
