Office manager: Job description

Office managers organise and supervise all of the administrative activities that facilitate the smooth running of an office.

An office manager carries out a range of administrative and IT-related tasks, depending on the employing organisation. The work may vary from running the administrative side of a small employer's business as a sole administrator to overseeing the office work of numerous staff.

Although the work of an office manager differs greatly across organisations, they all have the responsibility for ensuring that their office runs efficiently. Job titles vary and office managers are often called office administrators, especially at more junior levels.

Typical work activities

The role varies according to the type of employer, the size of the organisation and the management structure, but activities typically include:

• using a range of office software, including email, spreadsheets and databases;
• managing filing systems;
• depending on the organisation, duties of the role may extend to the management of social media;
• developing and implementing new administrative systems, such as record management;
• recording office expenditure and managing the budget;
• organising the office layout and maintaining supplies of stationery and equipment;
• maintaining the condition of the office and arranging for necessary repairs;
• organising and chairing meetings with your staff - in lower paid roles this may include typing the agenda and taking minutes, but senior managers usually have an administrative assistant to do this;
• overseeing the recruitment of new staff, sometimes including training and induction;
• ensuring adequate staff levels to cover for absences and peaks in workload, often by using temping agencies;
• carrying out staff appraisals, managing performance and disciplining staff;
• delegating work to staff and managing their workload and output;
• promoting staff development and training;
• implementing and promoting equality and diversity policy;
• writing reports for senior management and delivering presentations;
• responding to customer enquiries and complaints;
• reviewing and updating health and safety policies and ensuring they are observed;
• arranging regular testing for electrical equipment and safety devices;
• attending conferences and training.