kyle levequeThe need for an effective Employee Directory is a common requirement for digital workplaces, particularly important in today’s environment where many employees work remotely and need access to employee details, contact information and org structure.
While SharePoint offers some basic workarounds for directory functionalities out of the box, we provide a comprehensive solution to create a fully searchable and functional employee directory in SharePoint.
Build your own employee directory in SharePoint today! 🧰
What is an Employee Directory?
Simply put, an employee directory is a comprehensive listing of an organisation’s employees and their basic information. This list often contains information on each employee and would often include things like personnel names, job titles/roles, contact information, and other information of interest.
Basically, an employee directory serves as a centralised resource from where employees can find information about an organisation’s workforce.
Benefits of Having an Employee Directory in SharePoint
1. Find a colleagues information, quickly!
An employee directory helps users quickly find and connect with the right colleagues, saving time and reducing frustration. Whether you need quick advice, must coordinate on a project, or are scheduling a meeting, the directory’s intuitive features guide you directly to who you need.Â
2. Enhances team cohesion and collaboration
An employee directory in SharePoint fosters a more connected and collaborative workforce by simplifying the way team members interact and share information. This tool enables employees to understand better their colleagues’ roles, office locations, and titles, promoting a more connected work environment.
3. A single source of truth for employee information
Serving as a single source of truth for employee information, the SharePoint directory ensures that everyone in the organisation has access to accurate and up-to-date contact details, job titles, and departmental data. This reliability is crucial for maintaining organisational integrity and streamlining communication.
How to create an Employee Directory with Sprocket 365
The People Hub by Sprocket 365 is as an interactive organisational chart and staff directory, complete with profile pictures and essential contact information.
Here’s a straightforward guide on how to integrate this feature into your SharePoint site.
1. Access Your SharePoint Page
First, navigate to the SharePoint page where you wish to add the People Hub Web Part. This could be your main intranet homepage or a specific departmental site.
2. Add the Web Part
Click the plus icon on the page to add a new web part. In the search bar, type “People Hub” and select the People Hub icon that appears. This action will add the People Hub to your selected page.
3. Configure the Web Part
Once the People Hub is in place, click on either Configure Web Part or the Edit pencil icon. This action opens a configuration pane on the right-hand side of your screen.
- Visibility options: You can choose to show or hide the People Hub title and the Hub itself in a panel.
- Organisational settings: Click on Manage settings to open a window where you can configure all settings related to People Hub. Start by adding the individual at the top of the organisation chart, typically the CEO.
4. Customise Settings
Within the settings window, you can:
- Ensure that only individuals with a manager are displayed by enabling specific filters.
- Choose which contact details to show, such as job titles, departments, or exclude less necessary information like mobile numbers.
- Set display options like normal or compact mode and adjust the web part height to fit your layout.
- Enable or disable features like lazy loading, CSV export of the staff directory, or links to other internal tools like the Sprocket Location Finder.
5. Organisational Chart and Browser
Further down the settings:
- Toggle the organisational browser and chart on or off.
- Specify the number of columns for display and sort order within the organisational chart.
- Implement any custom overrides or advanced settings required for your site, such as disabling links or adding data filters.
6. Review and Publish
After configuring the settings, close the settings window. If there are any alerts (such as unresolved manager links), they will typically be resolved once the page is refreshed or updated.
Finally, hit the publish button at the top right of your screen to make the People Hub live on your SharePoint page. Below is an example of what it automatically looks like!
Conclusion
Creating an employee directory on SharePoint offers numerous benefits to organisations. With this essential resource on your site, you successfully foster transparency and accountability, facilitate seamless collaboration and communication between employees, and help users be more productive, by saving valuable time.Â
There are numerous ways of creating an employee directory on SharePoint but using third-party software like Sprocket 365 is the best way to achieve a highly professional and sophisticated employee directory on SharePoint.
With Sprocket 365, you not only get a modern-looking employee directory but also have the avenue to customise your directory to fit your organisation’s needs.
Try Sprocket 365 free today
Get started for free, available to try in the Microsoft App Source. Sign up for a 14-day free trial and discover how create a dynamic and functional Employee Directory in SharePoint.
No credit card required. Give it a try for yourself!