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Which sentence is correct? Call center staff receive the information, or call center staff receives the information? I would consider the use of the word Staff as plural in this usage case.

JJJ
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  • This may be a a Br v Am thing: many staffs in the US are treated as a singular collective, while our cousins in the Britisphere may celebrate their diversity, so to speak, in the plural. – Rob_Ster Mar 29 '18 at 15:01
  • It depends on whether your instance of "staff" refers to one staff member or multiple. (1 - as a bullet point) Call centre staff receives the information and relays it to his/her manager. (2) Call centre staff receive the information about their rosters every Tuesday. – Lawrence Mar 29 '18 at 15:16

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If the collective noun (staff) is acting as a single unit, use the singular form:

"The Call center staff receives the information"

If the collective noun is meant to highlight the actions of discrete individuals who are all doing different things, use the plural form:

"Call center staff receive the information"

I was not sure about this until I read the explanation from this website