About Office Management
Within small organizations, the responsibilities of office management may fall entirely on one individual, such as an office coordinator or office manager. Within larger organizations, office management is usually a team effort overseen by the office manager and facilitated by receptionists, administrative assistants and filing clerks. Office management entails a high volume of coordination with staff, management, vendors and clients to accomplish tasks that are crucial to the overall operations of the office.
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Work Space
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The office manager oversees the actual physical space of the office, including the office layout and where each department is located. When a new piece of office equipment is brought into the office, a new employee requires a work space, or the office is undergoing renovations, the office manager is responsible for coordinating the spatial requirements. The office manager also has exclusive access to archived items such as outdated files which may be kept in storage either off or on site.
Supplies
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Office management is responsible for office supply budgeting and distribution. Office management receives and approves purchase orders from staff when new supplies are required and then places orders with supply vendors. Office management is the first point of contact for vendors and is responsible for maintaining a relationship with vendors on behalf of the office and negotiating the lowest price.
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Filing Systems
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Office records, including employee files, vendor files and other important documents related to the organization are created and maintained by office management. One or more members of office management will usually have a key to the organization's filing system and often be called upon by executive management to retrieve specific files.
Executive Assistance
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In organizations that don't employ executive assistants, executive support usually falls on office management. Executive assistance includes such responsibilities as managing executive itineraries, correspondence and arranging travel accommodations and meetings.
Office Policies
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The office manager is typically responsible for creating, maintaining and circulating office policies to ensure they're communicated to all employees. The office manager distributes policy notices through such means as email, the office intranet and hard-copy memos.
Events
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Staff events such as the annual holiday party or summer picnic are coordinated by office management. The related responsibilities include booking a venue for the event, tracking RSVPs, procuring refreshments, advertising the event to staff, and event setup and take-down.
Payroll
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Alongside an organization's accounting department, office management may be responsible for staff payroll, including tracking employee hours and vacation, sick leave and employee expense reports.
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References
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