If you manage one person or multiple people, you may struggle when it comes time to introduce their position as it relates to you. Luckily this article is here to help!
Down below, you’ll find a list of suitable words that you can use as a name for someone who reports to you.
Words for Someone Who Reports to You
- Direct report
- Staff
- Subordinate
- Employee
- Supervisee
- Report
- Worker
- Workforce
- Personnel
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- “Direct report” is a great, tonally neutral way to refer to someone who reports directly to you.
- You can call the group of people who work beneath you your “staff.”
- “Reportee” is not yet a word in English and may appear as a malapropism if you choose to use it.
Stick around! In the next section, we’ll discuss our favorite terms for someone who reports to you in more detail. We’ll even show you a couple of example sentences using each.
After that, we’ll consider whether “reportee” is a real word that you should use in the workplace.
Direct Report
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “direct report” as “an employee whose position at work is directly below that of another person, and who is managed by that person.”
As the name quite succinctly suggests, a “direct report” reports directly to their higher-up in a particular organization or business. This would include their manager, team leader, or supervisor.
The phrase “direct report” is a great one to use if you want to maintain a relationship based on mutual respect with the person you supervise.
This phrase isn’t overly expressive of the employee’s lower rank in the organization. It simply makes it clear that they report directly to you.
In other words, it is a very tonally neutral word for someone who reports to you. Thus, it’s a safe bet in general if you don’t want to make anyone feel lesser simply because of the structural hierarchy at your workplace.
Have a look at how to use this phrase in a couple of example sentences:
Ashton is my direct report, so you can bring up any queries with him.
Samantha has over 15 direct reports, which is a testament to her competency in a managerial role.
Staff
Merriam-Webster defines “staff” as “the personnel who assist a director in carrying out an assigned task.”
Therefore, this is a great, neutral term for the people that you supervise or direct in your workplace.
Moreover, Merriam-Webster provides a number of other definitions for this term, many of which show its military origins.
For example, it also defines “staff” as “a group of officers appointed to assist a civil executive or commanding officer.”
This explains why “staff” is usually attributed to workers in more hands-on fields of work, such as in schools or hospitals.
Consider the examples below to see what we mean:
I would prefer that you use a more polite tone when talking to my staff.
You can approach any staff member for assistance, and they will come to me.
Is “Reportee” a Word?
Presently, most English dictionaries don’t recognize “reportee” as a word. The Scrabble dictionary notes that it is probably a word. However, it’s still not a Scrabble word, so we simply don’t think that counts.
Nevertheless, many people suggest that it should be added to our vernacular as a word to describe a person that reports to their superior.
In fact, the Collins Dictionary provides a potential definition for “reportee.” It goes as follows: “someone who reports to a more senior person.”
The person who submitted this suggestion noted that the word “reportee” removes any confusion caused by the use of “report” or “direct report” when referring to a subordinate. After all, a “report” can also refer to a document.
Nevertheless, until this word gains more recognition, you should probably stick with one of the more accepted phrases in the list above.
After all, if you say “reportee,” people may think it was an accidental malapropism and that you actually meant to say “repartee”!