An employee directory is a digital system that stores information about an organisation’s members. At a minimum, it includes basic information such as names, contact details, and job titles. Organisations often decide to include more personal information, such as headshots, short biographies, or even fun facts about the employee.
Employees can access the information online through a web portal or an employee directory app.
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What Should an Employee Directory Include?
Each company decides what personal information to include in their employee directory. For some, the best approach is to keep the directory simple with just the basic contact details. In contrast, other companies use their directory to promote a company culture that celebrates each employee’s individuality by including more personalised information.
Typically, an employee directory will include the following:
Name – full name, preferred pronouns, and any nicknames used.
Position & Department – job title, specific responsibilities and department, and possibly an org chart.
Email Address, User Name & Phone Number – all the ways employees can be contacted. User names are required for live chats or instant messaging programmes such as Slack or Teams.
Location – where employees work is significant, especially for organisations with multiple offices or remote workforces. Knowing each other’s locations can facilitate how employees work together and help create a community within the workforce.
Often, employee directories will also include:
Photo – helping team members put a face to a name.
Interests – some companies encourage employees to share their work-related and personal interests in their employee directory. This adds a more personal element to the working environment and can lead to closer collaboration between people who otherwise may not know that they have a shared interest.
Skills – listing employees’ skills can also help team members contact people who can help with specific issues or projects.
Fun facts – including birthdays, start dates, interesting facts, or even a short ‘about me’ section of employee information in an employee directory can help create a community spirit.
Why is it Important to Have an Employee Directory?
Having an employee directory benefits a business in the following ways:
- Helps with Administration
Having the essential details for each employee in a centralised location makes administration more efficient because everyone knows where to find the necessary information.
- Improves the Onboarding Experience
When someone joins the company, access to the employee directory can be a useful tool for helping new employees orient themselves within the company, work out who is who, and feel integrated more quickly.
- Enhances Collaboration
When employees can easily connect with others in other departments of the company, they are more likely to reach out to those across divisions and tap into those with different skills and abilities to work together.
- Develops Company Culture
Employee directories can contribute to developing a supportive and motivated company culture by helping individuals within an organisation feel a sense of connection and belonging to the broader company.
How can you Create an Employee Directory?
The easiest way to create an employee directory is to use employee directory software designed for this specific purpose. These platforms have been built to protect the data included, making them safe to use. They are often designed to enhance communication and collaboration, a significant reason many companies use employee directories.
As you create your employee profile and directory, it’s worth remembering these tips:
- Keep it private. An employee directory should be accessible to everyone internally, but the company must protect employee data from anyone outside.
- Let employees decide if they want to include extra details or not. Giving individuals control over what they share is essential to ensuring that everyone feels positive about the directory and will use it well.
- Make sure it’s easy to use. To encourage employees to use the directory fully, it should be intuitive, have a logical structure, and have a search preferences page.
- Promote the directory to employees. Ensure everyone knows where to find it and how to use it.
- Brand it. Properly representing the whole organisation with the company logo and branding helps ensure the directory is part of the company culture.
- Ensure it is updated regularly. The benefits of having a directory will only be felt if its information is up-to-date and accurate. Encourage the whole workforce to save employee information when they enter it into the directory, too.
