Guide · Employee directories
An employee directory for a small business: start simple, then move up
How to create an employee directory, what to put in it, when a spreadsheet stops being enough, and how to set one up in an afternoon.
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A small team does not need a heavy system to know who works there. It does need one place that lists everyone, with a photo and a way to reach them, that is not somebody’s memory.
This guide walks through how to create an employee directory, from a basic employee directory template to the point where software makes more sense.
Start with a spreadsheet
A shared spreadsheet is a fine first directory. It costs nothing to set up, everyone understands it, and you can start today.
Use one row per person and these columns: full name, job title, team, manager, work email, phone, location, start date and a link to a photo. Keep it to what you will actually maintain.
Put it somewhere everyone can read it but only one or two people can edit it. A copy emailed around becomes ten copies within a week.
What to put in a team directory
Include the basics people look up: who someone is, what they do and how to reach them. Add a photo, because a photo directory is what helps new hires and remote colleagues recognize faces.
Add the manager column early. It costs nothing now and lets you draw an org chart later without collecting the data again.
Leave out anything private. Home addresses and personal numbers do not belong in a directory the whole company can read. Let each person choose what to share beyond their work details.
Spreadsheet pitfalls to avoid
Do not merge cells or add colour coding that only one person understands. Plain rows sort and filter, and they import cleanly into software later.
Do not keep the photos only on one person’s laptop. Store them in a shared folder and link to them, so the list survives someone leaving.
Do not let the directory double as an HR file. Salary, performance notes and personal details belong somewhere with tighter access. A directory should be safe to show to a new hire on day one.
Use one format for phone numbers and one for names. Mixed formats are what break search and imports later.
When a spreadsheet stops working
A spreadsheet works until the effort of keeping it right is higher than the value of having it. Watch for these signs.
People ask “is this list current?” before using it. Photos are missing or the wrong size. Someone has to chase colleagues for new phone numbers. You have two offices and nobody knows the time in the other one. New hires are not on the list for weeks.
Search is the other sign. A spreadsheet matches exact text, so a misspelled name finds nothing. And it is awkward on a phone, which is where most lookups happen.
When two or three of these are true, look at software. Our guide to employee directory software covers what to compare.
How to set up an employee directory, step by step
First, decide who owns it. One named person is enough in a small company.
Second, collect the data from the systems you already have. Your email and accounts system usually has names and work addresses already, so start there and do not retype them.
Third, get photos. Ask everyone to upload their own. A clear headshot beats a logo or a group picture.
Fourth, fill in managers. Even a two-level chart helps, and the org chart software guide explains why you should generate the chart from this data rather than draw it.
Fifth, announce it once it is complete, not before. A half-empty directory teaches people it is not worth opening.
Sixth, write the leaver rule down: who removes a person and how quickly.
Keeping it current
Make updating a small habit instead of a project. Add a directory step to your onboarding checklist and your offboarding checklist, so the list changes when people join and leave.
Let employees fix their own details. It is faster than routing every change through one person.
Review it quickly every few months. Delete anyone who has left, check that managers are right, and look for missing photos.
If you greet visitors at a front desk, the same list can serve as your host list. See the visitor management system guide.
Where InstaCheckin People fits
InstaCheckin People is coming soon for teams that have outgrown the spreadsheet. It is planned as a searchable photo directory with typo-tolerant search and filters by location and department.
Employees will add their own photo and edit their phone number, pronouns and bio, which is coming soon, so one admin does not have to chase everyone. Profiles are coming soon with local time, tap-to-call and tap-to-email, manager, direct reports and assistants, plus a browsable org chart.
You will be able to invite one person or everyone, which is coming soon, and employees sign in by invite on phone, tablet or desktop. Sync with Google Workspace and Microsoft Entra ID is coming soon, and SCIM 2.0 provisioning is planned.
It is also coming soon as the same employee list used by InstaCheckin Visitor, with one invite and one login. None of this is available yet, so keep the spreadsheet for now and join the waitlist below.
Join the InstaCheckin People waitlist
Leave your work email and we will tell you when InstaCheckin People opens. No other marketing email.