Office Manager Duties

An office manager handles a wide range of responsibilities to ensure the smooth functioning of an office. This individual should be equipped with good communication skills and leadership qualities. As his work encompasses, supervising the work of the office staff, to designing and implementing the various policies of an office, he should also possess good multitasking skills. Since, he is the first person, whom employees approach for getting their complaints resolved, he also needs to be a good problem solver. In some offices, office manager duties can involve accounting or performing payroll duties. So he must also have good mathematical skills in order to perform the above mentioned task accurately and quickly. Possessing all these qualities will be a great asset for an office manager to efficiently perform his duties listed below.

Duties to Fulfill

Though the duties vary, depending upon the business he is working with, the basic set of skills and duties related to the profession will remain the same.

Maintaining Office Records
An office manager has to lay down the procedure for maintaining day-to-day records of the company. He also designs filing systems and ensures that these systems are up-to-date. Maintaining the office budget and records of all the expenses is also one of the important duties. He also has to update his personnel files and keep them secure. He must also make sure that schedule and policies are carried out effectively. Various changes in terms, policies and schedule from time to time, must be communicated to all the employees.

Secretarial and Clerical Duties
He/she also include overseeing clerical and secretarial functions of the company. He ensures that no staff member is overloaded with work by delegating equal and appropriate responsibilities among the staff. He also needs to oversee that all the staff are working and performing the given tasks properly. In some organizations, this manager can evaluate and manage the performance of each employee thereby playing a crucial role in their promotion. He also updates the health safety policies and ensures that they are being adhered to. Clerical duties involves answering phones, filing and typing of important documents which may be simple tasks that need to be performed on a daily basis.

Accounting Duties
Another important duty includes accounting and performing payroll duties. In some organizations he is also required to submit and update tax calculations for the organization. For performing accounting duties he must have good mathematical skills and knowledge of accounting software. He is also required to keep track of the hours for which each employee works, in addition to the set pay for employees. He will write payroll checks and distribute funds for additional working hours to the employees on the payday.

Recruitment and Training
The duties also involve, overseeing the selection and recruitment procedure of new candidates. His prime responsibility is to train and acquaint the new employees with office policies, regulations and procedures. An office manager is also actively involved in devising or organizing employee training programs and also for making arrangements for such sessions to be conducted.

Meetings and Presentations
He/she needs to actively participate in meetings with the senior management for reviewing performance of the company and the employees. Sometimes, he is required to deliver reports and presentations regarding the working of the office and finances to the senior management. He also participates in management meetings that are aimed at introducing new policies and for planning constructively, for the overall development of the firm.

Some Other Duties
Some other duties involve ordering office supplies when needed. He is also required to handle customer complaints and inquiries. Sometimes, he is also needed to resolve disputes in the office or resolve issues that the employees have against the management or the business.

Qualifications Required

Minimum requirement to get a job as an office manager, is to have a college degree in business. Experience in accounting, data processing and administrative management would also be an added advantage for the position. Knowledge of office software packages like Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc. is also expected for this job. In United States, you can earn an average of $55,429. However, the salary will mostly depend on the employer size, industry and also the experience and credentials of the individual.

A career as an office manager will help to gain a good exposure of the business world. With experience, this position can get you promoted to higher executive positions. So a career in office management will be an ideal way to kick-start your career in business.