Know Your English (Oct 2001)-7

Know your English

WHAT IS the plural of "staff "?

If you are thinking of people working in an organisation, then the plural is "staff ".The word is an uncountable noun. In most universities, for example, we have teaching staff and administrative staff. Like the nouns "jury", "government", etc. the word "staff" can be followed by either a singular or a plural verb. Here are a few examples.
*The staff is of the opinion that we should go on strike.
*The staff were excellent.
*The staff at St. Mary's Hospital have rejected the new pay scale.
The word is normally not used to refer to a single individual. If you wish to refer to a single person, then you could say "staff member", "staff person", etc. Some people use the word "staffer", not everyone, however, accepts this word.

Source:
The Hindu daily, Tuesday, October 16, 2001