Quick Answer
Clue: “Employees, collectively”
Answer: STAFF
Answer length: 5 letters
Clue number and direction: 1-Across
The New York Times crossword clue “Employees, collectively” is answered with STAFF, filling the five-square 1-Across slot.
Why STAFF Is the Right NYT Answer
- Dictionaries define staff as a group of people employed by an organization or business, which matches “employees, collectively” directly. NYT Mini answer pages and solver sites for January 29, 2026 all confirm STAFF as the 5-letter solution for this clue.
- Other words like CREW or TEAM can describe groups of workers, but STAFF is the only one that is routinely defined as “employees, collectively” and is explicitly given as the answer here.
What STAFF Means in Plain English
- Staff is the collective term for the people who work for a company, school, hospital, or other organization. For example, “the hospital staff” or “the office staff” refers to all employees as a group, from junior workers to managers.
- The word can also be used as a verb “to staff an office” means to provide it with employees—but in this clue it’s clearly the noun sense.
Crossword-Specific Help for STAFF
- In the grid, STAFF appears as S T A F F, and with crossings you might briefly see patterns like ST_AF or S_AFF; given a workplace-themed clue, that almost always resolves to STAFF.
- Crossword resources show STAFF used often for clues such as “Employees,” “Office workers,” “Hospital employees,” and “Employees, collectively,” which makes it a staple entry.
- Because it’s common vocabulary and has a friendly letter pattern (double F at the end), STAFF is a frequent go-to for 5-letter “employees” clues.
Solving Tips for Similar NYT Clues
- For 5-letter group-of-workers clues like “Employees,” “Office workers,” “Workers, collectively,” “Hospital workers, as a group,” think of STAFF first.
- Watch for plural-looking clues that still expect a singular collective noun “Employees, collectively” is a classic signal that STAFF, not workers, is wanted.
Use crossings: once you have S–A–F–F in place, STAFF is virtually guaranteed in a workplace context.
More NYT Mini Crossword Answers for January 29, 2026
| Clue | Answer | |
| 1A | Employees, collectively | View Answer |
| 6A | The “L” of TTYL | View Answer |
| 7A | Slowly lessen, as political support | View Answer |
| 8A | Dunkin’ offering | View Answer |
| 9A | Tricky things to navigate with a stroller | View Answer |
| 1D | Toys that go on the decline in winter? | View Answer |
| 2D | Set of fortunetelling cards | View Answer |
| 3D | Make amends | View Answer |
| 4D | Out of patience | View Answer |
| 5D | Guitar bars | View Answer |
