If you have leadership skills and want an exciting career, consider becoming an office manager. An office manager is the person in charge of overseeing daily operations in an office.
While different companies have different expectations and specific tasks for their office managers, there are certain responsibilities and duties that are universal for all office managers. To help you decide if this is a career that you’d like to pursue, here’s a guide on understanding the duties and responsibilities of an efficient office manager.
Correspond with Clients
While receptionists will often be the ones who answer cold calls to the office, office managers are responsible for important correspondence with clients. Examples of this include mailing invoices, handling problems and following-up after sales or appointments to ensure the client was satisfied. It’s important that an office manager is personable and great at dealing with the public.
Organize Appointments and Schedules
An office can’t run effectively without an organized calendar and daily schedule. An office manager oversees this scheduling and ensures that the office is working efficiently as a whole entity. This is why an office manager needs to be great at decision-making and multitasking.
Payroll and Miscellaneous
Different companies will require different miscellaneous tasks from their office managers. For example, some office managers will organize payroll, while other companies will outsource this task to a third party. An office manager might be in charge of tasks like hiring maintenance crews for office cleaning and ensuring that they show up each week and are compensated for their time. This is why a good office manager has somewhat of a “jack of all trades” quality, as different offices might require a wide array of miscellaneous tasks.
Set the Tone of the Office
If the morale in an office is low or employees feel like they’re being mistreated by management, it will negatively affect operations. This is why an efficient office manager keeps an eye on employee morale and seeks to ensure that employees are content in their roles. Furthermore, an office manager puts policies into place that ensure employees are treated fairly and can make their voices heard if they feel something is unfair to them.
A great office manager will inspire their employees to perform at their very best. In turn, they’ll help the company to succeed. This is a perfect career for anyone who’s organized, disciplined and great at inspiring people.
Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from West Jordan, Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.
