---
title: "Why is Add staff greyed out in the app?"
description: "In the iPhone and Android apps it turns on once first name, last name, and a valid email are filled in. Everything else on the form is optional."
type: troubleshoot
updated: 2026-10-09
canonical_url: https://help.nestlicare.com/owners/faq/why-is-the-add-staff-button-greyed-out
roles: ["super_admin", "center_admin"]
platforms: [ios, android]
---
In the app, **Add staff** stays greyed out until three fields are filled in:

1. **First name**
2. **Last name**
3. **Email** that looks like an email (name@example.com)

Everything else on the form (role, job title, employment type, center, room, pay) is optional and never blocks the button. A hint above the disabled button tells you which of the three is missing.

The near-universal culprit is the **email field**: it is empty, or holds a phone number instead of an email. Staff cannot be added without an email because it is how they sign in; see [Does every staff member need an email address?](/owners/faq/does-every-staff-member-need-an-email) for what to do when a helper has none.

On the web, **Add Staff Member** never greys out; the form tells you what's missing when you save.

If you're offered **Send an invitation instead**, that is not an error: the email already has a NestliCare account at another daycare, and the invitation links your daycare to it.

Related: [Invite your team](/getting-started/invite-your-team), [A parent already has a NestliCare account](/owners/faq/a-parent-already-has-a-nestlicare-account).