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Job Description of Office Managers

Debopriya Bose Mar 17, 2020
Efficient office managers provide a strong foundation to a business. They oversee the working of the staff and ensure that the budget and records of the office are managed efficiently.
An office manager has a wide range of responsibilities to carry out. From supervising the work of the office staff, to formulating and implementing various policies of an office, an office manager's job largely depends upon the organization they are working with.
His overall responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of an office and to coordinate work between all its departments.
There are many job openings for this post, as all businesses and even government offices employ office managers to ensure that the office runs in a smooth and seamless way.

Besides possessing the technical know-how, an officer manager should have excellent communication skills, organizational skills and good leadership qualities.

What Does an Office Manager Do?

Office Management

  • Updating health and safety policies and ensuring that they are being adhered to.
  • Handling customer complaints and inquiries.
  • Maintaining office correspondence.
  • Ensuring an adequate supply of stationery and equipment in the office.
  • Ensuring a safe work environment for employees.
  • Maintaining the office equipment and scheduling repairs whenever necessary.
  • Maintaining confidentiality of sensitive data.

Office/Employee Supervision

  • Assigning and regulating clerical and secretarial functions.
  • Delegating responsibilities among the staff and ensuring that no staff member is overloaded with work.
  • Reshuffling the responsibilities (in case of an overload) of the various staff members or recruiting new staff to even out the workload.
  • Ensuring that the staff in his office is working properly and efficiently.
  • Determining the salaries and working conditions of the employees in the office.
  • Evaluating, assessing, and managing the performance of each employee, which plays a crucial role in their promotion.
  • Maintaining discipline in the organization and watching over employee performance to ensure that organization standards are met.
  • Ensuring communication among various departments in the office.
  • Motivating employees from time to time to perform at their best.
  • Resolving any interdepartmental and personal disputes in the office.

Recruitment and Training

  • Overseeing the entire selection and recruitment procedure of new candidates.
  • Undertaking the training and orientation procedures of new employees to make them well-versed with the office policies, procedures and equipment.
  • Devising training programs for employees and making arrangements for such sessions to be conducted, or sometimes, conducting the training modules.

Maintenance of Office Records and Budgets

  • Designing a filing system and ensuring that these systems are up-to-date.
  • Developing a procedure for maintaining records.
  • Maintaining the office budget and keeping track of all expenses.
  • Ensuring that personnel files are up-to-date and secure and are transferred as per their growth in the organization.

Role with the Senior Management

  • Holding regular meetings with the senior management to review performance of the company and the staff.
  • Delivering reports and presentations regarding the finances and the working of the office to the senior management.
  • Participating in meetings conducted by the management about the organization's policies and the steps it plans to take for its strategic development.
  • Organizing/Arranging appointments, travel, and accommodation.

Personal Responsibilities

Staying up-to-date in industry standards by continuing education, participating in workshops, and continually learning about new office management procedures.

Skills and Qualifications

An office manager is expected to possess certain skills and qualifications to be able to efficiently take up the aforementioned responsibilities.
  • Good interpersonal communication
  • Leadership qualities
  • Knowledge of IT
  • Superior organizational abilities
  • Excellent time-management skills
  • Problem-solving skills
  • Decision-making abilities
  • Multitasking
  • Ability to adapt to a constantly changing environment
  • Attention to detail
  • High school diploma or equivalent (minimum requirement)
  • A bachelor's degree (optional but preferable to move up to higher positions)
  • About 5 years of work experience in at least a clerical/secretarial/administrative position
  • Knowledge of business management, accounting, and human resources
According to PayScale.com, the salary of an office manager ranges between USD 31,457 - 66,608. Those with a greater amount of experience are likely to earn beyond USD 72,000 annually. The outlook for this field is also bright, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics projecting a 10% growth in the field by 2026.
The job description of an office manager will keep changing with experience and will add more to this profile. Like any other field, this one too requires one to learn constantly and implement this learning in the workplace.