Staff Blocks: Creating and Managing Staff Directories
Staff Blocks allow you to showcase key people on your website by creating customizable staff directories. This feature makes it easy to add and organize staff members on any page of your site.
This distinction is particularly important for users who find the default Edlio Staff Directory too restrictive; these users should consider implementing Staff Blocks as a more customizable and flexible alternative.
Getting Started
Before you begin: Staff Blocks are typically enabled by default on your site. You can check if staff blocks are enabled by going to pages and clicking the "Add" button, if you see the option to add a staff block, you are good to go. However, if they appear unavailable, open a ticket via Edlio Support’s Eddy AI assistant to have this feature enabled.
Adding a Staff Block
Navigate to the page where you want to add staff members
Click the "Add" button to open the Add Page Block modal
Select "Staff" from the options
In the Manage Staff List modal that appears, search or scroll to select staff members
Two ways to populate a Staff Block
When you open the Manage Staff List modal, you can choose how the block decides which staff to show:
Choose which staff to display (manual): The default. Hand-pick specific staff members, exactly as described above. The block shows only the people you select.
Display staff with these attributes (automatic): Set filters by User Type and/or Position, and the block automatically shows every staff member who matches — and keeps itself up to date as staff change. Great for large districts and role-based directories (e.g. all "Secretary" positions, or a whole department).
Removing a position type? Filters will automatically adjust.
Use the radio toggle at the top of the modal to switch between the two modes; your filter settings are preserved if you switch back and forth. In automatic mode, a live preview table shows exactly which staff will appear (First Name / Last Name / Position) before you save. Real-time updates: Changes to staff user types or positions immediately update matching blocks
🔄 Always up to date: Automatic Staff Blocks reflect your current staff in real time. As people are added, removed, or have their user type or position changed, matching blocks update on their own — no manual edits needed. If a position used in a filter is later removed, the filter adjusts gracefully.
Note: Any type of user from User Management can be added to a Staff Block—they don't need special designations like teacher, administrator, etc.
Important: When Staff Blocks are enabled, Legacy Staff Directories will be disabled. Staff Blocks serve as an alternative to the default Edlio Staff Directory, offering greater customization without impacting the core functionality of the directory.
Managing Your Staff Blocks
Basic Management
Delete a Staff Block: Click the trashcan icon
Add/Remove Members: Click "Manage Staff" to reopen the selection modal
Change Display Settings: Click the gear icon to open "Staff Block Settings"
Check "Display Staff Photos" to show profile pictures
Rearrange Staff Members: Use the 6-dots button next to each member to drag and drop them into a new position
Advanced Features
For users seeking alternatives to default Staff Directory, Staff Blocks provide a highly adaptable solution where each block can be configured independently.
Multiple Staff Blocks can be added to the same page
Staff Blocks can be placed in the Center Panel or Side Panels
Each Staff Block can have different display settings
A search bar automatically appears at the top of the page to help visitors find specific staff members (searches only apply to staff shown on that page)
Permissions
By default, only website administrators can manage Staff Blocks. Non-administrative users can only change the position of Staff Blocks on a page, not their content.
Website administrators can grant Staff Block management permissions to non-administrative users by:
Checking the "Staff Blocks in Pages" permission
Note: Users with this permission will be able to see a list of all users through the "Manage Staff List" modal.
Quick Tips
Use Staff Blocks for small teams or full departmental directories
Customize the display format for different types of staff groupings
Arrange staff members in order of seniority or alphabetically as needed
Consider adding multiple Staff Blocks to organize staff by department or role
Consider using Staff Blocks as an alternative to the Edlio Staff Directory for departments requiring unique layouts or those needing to bypass system-level restrictions.