staff

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noun

ADJECTIVE

▪ full-time, part-time

▪ permanent, temporary (esp. BrE)

▪ skeleton

▪

We'll be down to a skeleton staff over Christmas.

▪ experienced, professional, qualified, skilled, trained

▪ junior, senior

▪ ancillary, support

▪ general (= officers assisting a military leader in administration and planning)

▪ ground

▪

the ground staff at the airport

▪

The Wimbledon ground staff pulled the covers over the courts. (BrE)

▪ academic, administrative, campaign (esp. AmE), editorial, news (esp. AmE), etc.

▪

the campaign staff of President Bush

▪ nursing, teaching (BrE), etc.

▪ hospital, hotel, library, office, etc.

▪ bar, catering (esp. BrE), door, kitchen, wait (AmE), waiting (BrE), etc.

VERB + STAFF

▪ employ, have

▪

The company has a staff of fifty.

▪ appoint, engage (esp. BrE), hire, recruit, take on (esp. BrE)

▪

staff appointed to the project

▪

I've heard they're recruiting staff at the moment.

▪ dismiss, fire, lay off, make redundant (BrE), sack (BrE)

▪

The bank expects to make 15 000 staff redundant over the next three years.

▪ retain

▪

Some companies are struggling to retain skilled staff.

▪ train

▪ pay

▪

They pay their staff weekly.

▪ join

▪

He joined the editorial staff in 1999.

▪ leave

STAFF + VERB

▪ work

▪

The staff are working under pressure. (BrE)

▪

The staff is working under pressure. (AmE)

▪ deal with sb/sth, serve sb/sth, treat sb/sth

▪

You want your best staff dealing with the best customers.

▪

The bar staff can serve around a hundred drinks an hour.

▪

the medical staff who treated him during his confinement

▪ carry sth out

▪

Specialist training is necessary for staff carrying out this work.

STAFF + NOUN

▪ member (esp. AmE), person (AmE)

▪

There are four full-time staff members.

▪

a staff person for a government agency

▪ position (esp. AmE)

▪

a staff position at ‘Life’ magazine

▪ levels, numbers (esp. BrE), resources

▪ shortage

▪ retention, turnover

▪ cuts

▪ appointment

▪

The hospital is freezing staff appointments as part of its cutbacks.

▪ development, training

▪ wages (BrE)

▪ accommodation (BrE)

▪

There is separate staff accommodation for the housekeeper.

▪ morale (esp. BrE)

▪ meeting

▪ association

▪ canteen (esp. BrE), restaurant (esp. BrE), room (usually staffroom)

▪ attorney, physician, scientist, etc. (all AmE)

▪

She's a staff scientist at the Research Institute.

▪ photographer, reporter, writer, etc. (all esp. AmE)

▪

He's a staff writer for The New Yorker.

▪ report (AmE)

▪

a staff report by the House Foreign Affairs Committee

PREPOSITION

▪ on the staff (of) (esp. BrE)

▪

She has been on the staff of the hospital for most of her working life.

PHRASES

▪ chief of staff (= in the army, navy, etc.)

▪ member of staff (esp. BrE)

▪

There are four full-time members of staff.

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verb be staffed

ADVERB

▪ well

▪ fully, properly

▪

The ward is now fully staffed.

▪ adequately, inadequately

PHRASES

▪ be staffed by sb, be staffed with sb

▪

The office will be staffed mainly with volunteers.

▪

The reception desk is staffed entirely by experienced employees.

Staff is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑volunteer, ↑worker

Staff is used with these nouns as the object: ↑clinic