Role of an Office Manager

As the name suggests, an office manager is a professional who manages the operations of the office and ensures that it runs smoothly. To carry on this duty, an office manager performs a number of functions, including, supervising the staff, formulating policies and procedures, maintaining office records and reporting to the management about the happenings in the office that affect business.

The role of an office manager varies from organization to organization. For instance, in a small organization, an office manager may be expected to perform a lot more duties as compared to a manager in a large organization. Nevertheless, the below given job description of an office manager will tell you exactly what role does the manager play in an office.

In certain organizations, an office manager may be expected to perform secretarial duties such as answering phone calls, taking appointments, typing documents, filing, etc. As filing is an important task of an organization, a manager ensures that all files related to salaries, expenses, office work, procedures and policies, are in place. Updating the files and keeping them safe is an important part of an office manager's job.

An office manager supervises the work and performance of various employees and ensures that they give their best. Assigning duties to various employees may sometimes fall under his job profile too. Office managers give regular feedback to the employees so that they can improve upon their performance. When the performance of employees is appraised for salary increments or promotions, inputs by an office manager are given due importance.

It is the responsibility of an office manager to ensure that the employees work in good conditions. For this, an office manager ensures that safety procedures are followed. Besides, if there are any disputes or complaints amongst the employees, they are settled amicably and taken care of by the office manager.

An office manager keeps a track of the working days/hours of each and every employee. He calculates the working hours and days and forwards it to the accounts department, who then decide on the employee's salary, keeping these into account. In some organizations, even the accounting part, including payment of salaries and taxes, is handled by the office manager.

In many organizations, an office manager is responsible for hiring staff. For this, he gives advertisements in the newspapers or on the Internet, goes through the resumes and may even participate in interviews. The onus to arrange for the training of new employees also lies with the office manager.

In some organizations, where there is no separate purchase department, it is the office manager who keeps a track of the various office supplies, such as stationery, any wear and tear of furniture, etc. and then orders the same accordingly. An office manager has to ensure that everything is in place so that the work of the office does not get hampered in any way. Any pending office renovations, payment of utility bills, etc. are all taken care of by an office manager.

An office manager is an important link between the staff and the management. He reports to the seniors how the employees are faring. In small organizations, an office manager may be expected to report to the management on a daily basis, about what is going on in the organization. An office manager is almost always involved when strategies pertaining to employees, functioning of office and business in general, are formulated.

To effectively perform the duties of an office manager, a person should possess various management skills such as good communication, leadership skills, planning and organizational skills, problem solving abilities and quick decision-making skills. Only if the office manager has these skills, will he be able to perform the various duties assigned to him and meet the office goals and objectives.