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Office management is the profession involving office supervisory positions. The best quality in office management systems mainly depends on the managerial capabilities of the office managers. People that holds office management positions conduct special studies and based on the results of these special studies, they develop reports. Apart from developing reports, they also provide input to management on the development of policies and procedures. Office management may also provide paralegal support, and may draft correspondence for management, schedule appointments, etc.
The office manager is the coordinator of the work system. An office manager is responsible for planning, organizing, and controlling the clerical aspect of the organization, including the preparation, communication, coordination and storage of data to support production and other important operations of an industrial establishment. Often they also engage in marketing. Also, their tasks are to monitor the work processes and to evaluate the outcome. The outcomes of work are intended for what can be called the final receiving system, as for instance, client, customer, and other departments.
Furthermore, their role is to coordinate on the front end by issuing various assignments. They usually lead or manage a team of secretaries or administrative clerks. And they take care of the assignment of tasks within the department, but the more complex tasks tend to come to their desk.
An Office Manager must perform a good combination of the following office management functions for quality management:
a) Budget development and implementation
b) Purchasing as per rules and regulations
c) Book keeping maintaining
d) Human resources management
e) Accounting as in transparent
f) Printing reports and publishing data
g) Records management and preservation
h) Forms management
i) Payroll management
j) Facilities management
k) Space management
l) Risk management
m) Grants administration
n) Affirmative action and equal employment opportunity
o) Information technology and telecommunications
p) Monitoring the management of health and safety in the company office
q) Assisting senior managers in identifying health and safety needs in their departments
r) Responsibility for the day to day running of the office
s) Liaising with senior managers to ensure that staffs in the division have appropriate
t) Information technology equipment.
u) Good conflict management
Managing a range of including budgets accommodation, health & safety for company
Plan, consult and manage office moves for the divisions and other units within the department. Considering the diversity of functions, someone holding an office manager position is expected to have many talents. Some of the competencies which he is expected to possess are problem solving and decision making abilities, integrity, assertively, flexibility, accuracy and the ability to good and quality management.
“An office manager is responsible for anything and everything that can affect the quality of life in the office,” says Jase Bergen, office manager for an entertainment company in New York City. “If it’s broken, you better fix it — no excuses. You just do it. And when six things break at once, you have to keep your cool and have the presence of mind to figure out what has to be fixed first.”
Few roles are as integral to an office as that of the office manager. Responsible for circulating information throughout an organization, as well as coordinating the efforts of vendors, management and support, office managers ensure everyone is working in tandem toward the company’s overall success. Could you be up for the task?
An office manager’s job description often includes pricing office supplies, managing payroll, controlling petty cash, supervising support staff and interviewing job applicants. An office manager must exercise sound judgment every day, and any lapse may mean termination.
Consider the People
Equipment isn’t the only thing that needs regular maintenance and support in an organization. A large part of an office manager’s job is motivating and coordinating others to ensure everyone is working together productively toward a common goal.
“The trick to being a good office manager is to earn people’s respect,” says Bergen. This means your staff and managers should know that they can count on you in a pinch to do the right thing for everybody, time after time. Sometimes this translates into standing up for what you know is right, even if a fellow employee — or your boss — disagrees with your decision.
“Your reputation is everything,” Bergen explains.
Immediate Gratification
While an office manager often works under great pressure because her responsibilities are so great in scope, her satisfaction level is high, too. In a2004 survey conducted by the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), office managers reported that being able to see the results of their labor reflected in increased productivity and office efficiency immediately is what they liked best about their job.
The Ideal Office Manager
Jack Deal, a behavioral psychologist specializing in business issues, compiled the following list of must-have skills for the ideal office manager.
· Top-notch computer skills.
· Excellent phone demeanor.
· Verbal Skills: If an officer manager can’t speak well, what kind of impression will she project? In many companies, foreign-language fluency is also an asset.
· Good Written Skills: The ability to use proper grammar, syntax and logic when writing is crucial.
· Good Organizational Skills: Not being able to find or access important information efficiently can hurt a business.
· Leadership Qualities: Office managers should be able to supervise others and have a willingness to use but not misuse power.
· A Good Work Ethic: Showing up on time and staying until the work is complete is also important.
· Team-Playing Skills: The ability to share information where relevant and help make improvements.
If you’re an administrative assistant interested in becoming an office manager, check with your human resources department for any related in-house training programs available. According to the IAAP, many large firms offer training and professional development courses to help prepare you for office management.
Admins can also develop managerial skills on their own, and many pick up these skills on the job, according to Annette Dubrouillet, president and owner of Continuum in Springfield, Virginia.
A consultant, speaker and personal coach who works regularly with administrative professionals, Dubrouillet advises admins to develop self-empowerment skills. “Admins have to be responsible for their own professional development, their own mental health within their jobs and their own skills, whether through networking, educational seminars or finding a coach,” she says.
The basic function of the office manager is to plan, organize and controll office services. The function of the office manager may be varies from place to place because of its nature, size and volume of office work. Some of the function are as follows :
Therefore, these are the function of the office manager which helps to manage and control the office and helps office to work efficiently and properly.
An office manager is responsible for anything and everything that can affect the quality of life in the office. They are responsible for circulating information throughout an organization, as well as coordinating the efforts of vendors, management and support, office managers ensure everyone is working in tandem toward the company’s overall success.
An office manager’s job description often includes pricing office supplies, managing payroll, controlling petty cash, supervising support staff and interviewing job applicants. An office manager must exercise sound judgment every day, and any lapse may mean termination.
Equipment isn’t the only thing that needs regular maintenance and support in an organization. A large part of an office manager’s job is motivating and coordinating others to ensure everyone is working together productively toward a common goal. The trick to being a good office manager is to earn people’s respect.
The Office Manager require the following skills:
Computer skills.
