An office manager is a person responsible for managing the smooth running of an office day to day. They also can be integral to creating the right office culture and assist with business operations, reporting to senior management. The role is an administrative function and office manager duties and responsibilities can involve managing a team, office operations, HR, health and safety and can also include a PA element or administrative support, depending on the needs of the business. Every office manager role is different and unique, thus making it an exciting role to fill. In this article, we’ll list the duties of an office manager.
Office Manager Duties
So, what are the duties of an office manager? An office manager position can vary hugely from one company to the next depending on the size of the office and also the scope of the role. However, below we explore some of the typical office manager job duties we expect to see in most job specs:
- Managing the office budget and other relevant administrative duties
- Arranging catering for meetings and events
- Managing office supplies and office equipment
- Liaising with suppliers such as IT and cleaning staff
- Handling any facility issues
- Being responsible for Health and Safety and fire regulations within the office
- Managing expenses, invoices and the company credit card
- Inducting new starters
- Interviewing potential new employees
- Assisting HR with appraisals and reviews
- Ensuring payroll is kept up to date
- Managing subscriptions
- Ensuring all staff have building access
- Managing the front of house and admin team
- Negotiating insurance contracts
- Providing cover for the reception team if required
- Reporting for the senior management team
The 7 Key Skills of an Office Manager
While office manager duties are varied, there are also key skills that will be required to succeed in most office manager roles. Below we explore some of these:
1. Adaptable
As office manager duties and responsibilities vary so much, a successful office manager will need to be adaptable to ensure they can cover all of their duties successfully. One minute you could be working on an excel spreadsheet and the next minute you will be dealing with a facilities issue, no two days will be the same.
2. Being able to prioritise
All employees will think their issue or request is urgent and inevitably an office manager will have a task list of more than one thing, so being able to prioritise effectively depending on the urgency and business need will be key to success in an office manager role.
3. Friendly and approachable
A core office manager duty is to help create the office culture and so being friendly is important to ensure the work environment is a positive one. If the office manager gets involved with HR, it is essential they are approachable so team members feel confident about going to speak to them about sensitive issues.
4. Experience in managing others
A common office manager responsibility is to manage junior members of staff, such as an administrative assistant, and so having experience in managing others will be beneficial in the role. This can include assisting with recruiting, overseeing performance reviews and managing rotas.
5. Ability to remain calm under pressure
Often an office manager deals with problems that can be urgent and arise last minute. Being able to have a calm demeanour will help to rub off on others and ensure potential situations don’t escalate but get resolved in an orderly manner.
6. Project management skills
A typical project which most office managers will be exposed to at some point during their career is an office move or refurbishment. Being able to manage projects such as these will be a great asset when working in the role.
7. A team player
An office manager can be a pivotal member of the business, ensuring the operations of the office run smoothly to allow the rest of the team to perform their role to the best of their ability. Therefore, being a team player is important, not only to create the right culture but also to ensure the success of the company as a whole.
Searching For An Office Manager Role? We Can Help You!
Our job board is a great way to see what active office manager roles we are working on currently. We partner with our clients to build long-lasting relationships and work across all industry sectors, both on a temporary, contract and permanent basis.
