Relents a gaff made by the non-professional employees (7,5)

I believe the answer is:

general staff

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'by the non-professional employees' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this defines the answer.

'relents a gaff made' is the wordplay.
'made' indicates anagramming the letters.
'relents'+'a'+'gaff'='relentsagaff'
'relentsagaff' is an anagram of 'GENERAL STAFF'.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for general staff that I've seen before include "Senior officer's aides" , "Military planners" , "Commander's assistants" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.