Introduction to Office Manager
A manager role is a universal one. The roles and functions have changed so much today that an office manager has a greater role than just keeping the furniture and chairs intact of an office building. The job demands a greater skillset and with that comes a more fulfilling opportunity for an individual. A career path of an office manager is direct and includes specific positions that lead you upward in the career ladder and are typically followed in order such as like in administration which is from an Administrative Assistant—Executive Assistant—Office/line Manager—senior manager/general manager/managers of other managers who report to either director level or the vice president.
As you can see, the career path of a manager is not horizontal but vertical. An entry-level job in the administration can lead you to reach the position of a manager or sometimes, joining in other positions such as coordinator or any other positions in the administration could also lead you towards it. The manager is typically the one who helps to run the office and their contribution cannot be esteemed lightly. A CEO or a business owner depends on the manager to execute and communicate the task with the rest of the employees. An office manager also handles the business side of the administration. He/she has the responsibilities of handling the vendors, ITs, employees management, and many other things that directly affect the functioning of a business.
You can imagine the work of an office manager is not an easy one. They take care of any events in the office as well. If HR is the mother of a company, it would not be improper to say an office manager is the father of a company.
List of the work function typical manager handles
- Planning the operation and functioning of their assigned area.
- Organization of the work production and the workforce. They take care of the training and handle the resources which are needed to do the work.
- They provide guidance and mentorship if necessary to support the business goals and vision.
- Assessment and review of the goals. They also deal with the distribution of the employees and their resources with precision and tactfully.
- They also perform other job responsibilities other than the typical ones to whom they report. The other responsibilities are varied and depend on each company’s goal and objectives.
To handle the administrative task and other responsibilities that fit their repertoire a manager requires a special skill set.
Lets’s look at the different skills a manager need to have so that he/she can handle the different types of pressure and task that comes in the working of an established.
Skills a manager need
A manager needs to have high emotional intelligence
This is one of the highly required skills if you want to be on the list of the top office managers. An office manager handles different types of people from all walks of life. He/she handles the affairs of the office as well as the outside factors that are needed to run an office like dealing with investors, vendors, etc. Such a job can only be handled by a person with high emotional intelligence who can navigate the different problems and issues that come his/their way with ease and tact.
A manager needs to have experience in every field to be a good one
It means that he/she is a person who can be called a jack of all trades. If you are one of those, an office manager is the right career path for you. An office manager needs to deal with all types of the department that is under a company. For instance, some managers deal with the building maintenance team or the IT department and maybe even the mess department, etc. Their work responsibilities depend on the job responsibilities and on how big or small an establishment in which they work is.
A manager needs to have excellent communication skills
This is an ultra-important factor for the management to run smoothly and if the communications break down within the department because of a manager’s lack of communication skills, that is a hard price to pay. A manager needs to be a good listener to hear out the employees grievances but he/she also need to have a good judgment and handle all the different queries they get from everyone in a diplomatic way as an office manager typically is the one to whom employees approach with their all their grievances/suggestions and queries. The manager has to know when to block out or implement and sieve out the ones which don’t need immediate urgency. To do that, he/she need to be wise to have good judgment.
A manager is a person with lots of skill sets
Sometimes a manager may need to be good in designing to supervise the event planner or the architectural team if the office is going on an expansion. There is no one job role for a manager. Their job responsibilities depend on the company. Therefore a manager gets a lot of other job responsibilities besides his typically assigned ones. A manager who wants to excel in his/her work must not shy away from taking up other responsibilities if it comes their way. Saying yes to everything is one go-to factor of an excellent manager.
A manager needs to have a positive outlook on life
This is extremely required if you want to be a top manager or if you want to hire someone to manage your office. An office manager sets the tone and the mood. In some companies, they are also known as the vibe manager because of the effervescent attitude they possess.
Educational qualifications of a manager
Every manager is ideally expected to possess a college bachelor’s degree and experiences related to the field and those in supervisory positions are preferred.
Employers put more weight on those candidates who have taken courses in the areas of management, economics, finance, or marketing.
Salary
This largely depends on the business they are managing. The average salary for a manager in 2021 is $52,695 per year.
Here are other administrative managerial titles as well apart from the office manager, which includes:-
- Facilities manager.
- Account executive.
- Branch manager.
- Risk manager.
- Program manager.
- Administrative director.
- Business administrator
Conclusion
A key takeaway from this article is to evaluate if you are ready to be one. This job is a stressful one as it comes with lots of responsibility. If you enjoy being in the industry of your choice, this can be the best career. This career is a practical choice as every business or organization requires a manager to take care of the business, no matter the size of a business. Study your interests and skills and look if they match up with the organization with which you are going to join and choose to get the best out of this career. To do that, you need to find out your passion.
As you work in the responsibilities assigned to you, look for things that intrigue you and make a decision to learn everything from them. For instance, if you seem to enjoy helping people, you may be good in the HR path or someone interested in the building facilities may be good at managing in that area. The way to enjoy this career path is to find which path motivates and pushes you to learn more and dive into solving problems in that path. For instance, there are all kinds of manager, finds yours and work towards excelling in them. Every industry has different responsibilities besides the general ones. This is an exciting career choice if you fit the role.
