A word for people who work under a manager



I'm looking for a word to fit the sentence:



Was it ethical for Bernie, the manager, to quit without informing his ____?



Here are some of the words I've tried and why I don't think they quite work.



Subordinates/Underlings: sounds too negative.


Team Members: The manager is part of another team, so I want to make more of a distinction between those on his team and those he manages.


Employees/Workers: The manager is only really a step above the others, he's not the boss, so I don't consider them his employees or workers.




Answer



Staff



a group of officers assisting an officer in command of an army formation or administration headquarters. (OED)



Although the dictionary appears to restrict this particular usage to the military, it is often used in the exact context you describe.


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