HR

What is an Office Manager?

An office manager is a person in charge of administration in the company or organization. In some other industries, office managers can also be called administrative managers.

In a nutshell, it is a professional job revolving around running an office. In terms of running an office, the office manager will make use of the resources for the internal events. They will manage the space, supplies, and all of the things connected to the office.

These professionals will also supervise the operational staff in the company such as administration, accountants, front desk, operators, technicians, and so on. In most premises, it is true that the focus of the managers of the office is tied to the support staff within the organization.

Depending on the specific tasks assigned to the office managers, they could work with the vendors, manage the operational costs, and make the facilities conducive to work. The size of the office team can depend on the type of organization. The office managers could supervise hundreds of employees in big companies. In small businesses, they might only oversee dozens of employees.

What are the duties of an Office Manager?


The office manager main duty revolves around the office staffs operations including:

Scheduling meetings between the project team, stakeholders, in-house team, investors, business partners, and so on.
• Scheduling appointments between the related parties in the company
• Managing the office supplies and arrangements
• Providing administrative support to all employees
• Greeting visitors and partners

So, what are the daily activities of an office manager?

The office managers are involved in day-to-day operations. Depending on the company which you are working for, the list of duties can be different and more dynamic. However, here are the common duties that most office managers have in organizations:

• Inventory
• Office supplies and equipment
• Errands
• Bills
• Shopping
• Meetings and appointments scheduling
• Order the stationery and equipment
• Maintain the office condition
• Manage the operations
• Manage budget of the office
• Provide support to visitors
• Contracts and price negotiations with the vendors and suppliers
• New recruitment helps
• Manage the relationship between the company and working vendors including catering, security, cleaning service, technical service, etc.
• Plan corporate events

Skills and requirements

Here are the skills that you need to have to become a good office manager:

Communication

Office managers will be the bridge of the co-workers, managers in each division, and other parties. They need to be able to communicate in two ways to make sure that the genuinity of the information is intact. Poor communications will lead to disasters in the company.

Leadership skills

As mentioned, an office manager can overwatch dozens of people in the office division. They will need to make sure that the support staff can work based on the code ethic and SOP assigned by the company. They need to boost the morale of the employees, discipline them, as well as manage the issues revolving around office work.

Analytical skills

This set of skills is very crucial because an office manager will execute any purchase to supply the company with the utilities, stationery, catering, and many more. They need to cut the inefficiencies and wastage. The cost-savings can be the daily tasks for the office manager.

Decision making

An office manager will make decisions on a daily basis. The decision can be easier to tougher depending on the challenges they face each day.
The abundant tasks of the office manager can have some underlying issues. Office managers need to prioritize some things above other things. And they need to be creative in finding the solutions for the particular problem. It is a huge task since all needs to be done in such a professional manner.

Process management

The business processes can be dynamic depending on the milestones that the team wants to reach. Managing the operations is one of the best duties of the office manager.

When the process is going on, the manager needs to analyze it and find room for improvement so that he and his team can bring much better results.

Detailing skills

Missing a tiny detail in the office operations can lead to huge problems in the company. Therefore, the office managers will go through the projects team, staff, suppliers, vendors, and all the involved parties in the company. Their liaison is wider than the other divisions in the company. All of these tasks can affect the staff’s productivity and working morals. To make sure that the office will run properly, an office manager needs to pay attention to the slightest details.

Flexibility and creativity

There are always to-do lists on each day. In a huge company, the intensity of the works can be more overwhelming. The different divisions always want to be ahead in their reach. It is the nature of the office manager’s job to handle these priorities. They need to be collaborating well with the other managers and teams in order to sync the business processes.

Leadership

Leadership is the most basic skill that an office manager needs to have. It is about taking the responsibility for the position as well as the workmates in the office. With true leadership, an office manager will truly add value to the particular organization.

Becoming the office manager

The most important thing to be qualified as the office manager is past practical experience in the administrative role. The entry-level office manager needs to understand the basics of the business, management, and human resources. In some advanced companies, tech-savvy in information technology and computing is also an important skill to be qualified for.
The certification of Business administration will help you a lot in the job application. This course usually comes in one to two years.
Entry-level enrollment also accepts the graduated Diploma of Leadership and Management.
The Bachelor of Business can also add more value to your CV.

What is the average salary of an Office Manager?

In the US, the office manager can make money for around $80,000 a year. But the salary ranges can be significantly different depending on the states and cities you are working in. It also depends on some variables such as certifications, past experiences, internships, and so on.

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