Office Manager Responsibilities

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The responsibilities of an office manager range from performing administration duties such as filing and taking calls to accounting and various human resource functions like hiring and training. Let's know more details about this job profile.

The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. ― Theodore Roosevelt

An office manager's role and responsibilities vary from organization to organization. However, the basic nature of the work remains the same, i.e., supervision of the employees, which will help in running a business efficiently, dealing with clients if the need arises, safety of the employees, legalities related to the running of the facility, etc.

Here is a list of duties that generally needs to be performed by an office manager in any given organization.

Administration

The foremost duty of an office manager is to maintain office records. He should have good knowledge of various filing systems. He ensures strict security and safety of all the official records.

This is especially true in case of hospitals and nursery homes. It is very important to ensure that sensitive patient information is not leaked. In a small organization, he might be expected to perform certain secretarial duties such as taking phone calls as well as typing out important documents.

Maintenance and upkeep of the internal and external office structure, such as office furniture, electrical appliances, office building, overall safety, etc., also fall under his portfolio. He ensures that these things are in order, so that the employees can work to their potential without any interruption.

Purchase

An office manager has to ensure that there are sufficient supplies in the office, such as files, stationery, cleaning and bathroom supplies, etc.

In a big organization, he just has to make a list of the things that are needed and give it to the purchase department, who in turn orders for them. In a smaller company, however, it is the office manager himself who does the ordering. He has to make sure everything is in place to ensure the smooth day-to-day running of the office.

Accounting

Certain accounting tasks fall under his job responsibilities as well. An office manager has to maintain a record of office expenditures. He has to maintain a record of the working hours, leaves, etc., of the employees, which is then used to calculate their salaries. He is responsible for writing salary checks and then distributing them among the employees.

Communication

If there are any changes in the office schedule, policies, or procedures, it is his duty to communicate the same to the employees effectively. Also, he has to ensure that the employees are following them on a day-to-day basis.

Besides this, any important notice or information which has to be communicated to the employees by the management is supposed to be conveyed through him. He needs to make sure that everyone in the organization is aware of all the dos and don'ts related to the company.

Recruitment, Training, and Appraisals

In a big organization, human resources department hires and trains new employees. But in small organizations, this duty belongs to the office manager. Thus, he is involved in recruitment, right from the time at which advertisements are placed in the newspapers or online inviting candidates to apply, to the interviews, and until the final selection.

Thereafter, he needs to undertake the training of the new recruits, making them familiar with the office policies, procedures, and processes. In some organizations, his inputs are taken during appraisals to evaluate all the employees. Thus, he has a big say in the appraisals and promotions of the staff under his supervision.

To carry out these responsibilities, a person needs to have good people's skills, organizational skills, decision-making skills, communication skills, as well as mathematical skills.

The salary of a fresher office manager is not much, but with experience, this profile certainly becomes one of the most lucrative careers. A professional with this designation can earn anywhere around US $45,441 p.a. after five years of experience. One would need a graduate degree in either management, marketing or finance, to acquire a job of this level.