Office manager (Office manager)
Information on this skill...
An office manager directs a secretariat, which can refer to a departmental secretariat or an executive secretariat. In most cases, an office manager also works at the secretariat and the office manager can be regarded as a cooperating foreman at management level. In most cases, an office manager also performs secretarial work in the department. All secretarial employees within the office usually fall under the responsibility of the office manager. Any executive secretaries and management assistants can also fall under the responsibility of the office manager, despite the fact that executive secretaries and management assistants work for the board and managers. The substantive activities and responsibilities of an office manager can differ per organization, because organizations can be organized in different ways. The profession of office manager only occurs within the larger offices or departments, in which various secretarial employees work. Within smaller organizations, in many cases the executive secretary can be regarded as an office manager. It is not the case that an office manager can be responsible for specific management tasks in all cases, because this can differ per organization. An office manager is therefore responsible for office management. Another name for office manager can also be chef de bureau. In a general sense, the office manager is therefore responsible for managing the department, so that all work proceeds as it should. As an office manager you will have regular contact with various internal employees. Think, for example, of human resources employees, administrators and various department managers.
The most important task as an office manager is to give the daily management of the department. Which activities an office manager performs exactly can differ per secretariat and organization. Think, for example, of the more complex secretarial work, of organizing meetings, of keeping track of the personnel administration, of purchasing office supplies and of acting as a point of contact with regard to various departments. As an office manager, you therefore lead the secretariat and you have management tasks. Some important management tasks are monitoring the quality of the secretarial work, ensuring a correct division of work between the various secretaries, holding performance interviews, providing the right work materials, attending meetings, motivating the team and monitoring the progress of the work within the secretariat. As an office manager, you will in most cases work in a broad way. Consider, for example, an office manager who works as a case manager. A case manager is responsible for supervising sick employees. This type of work can also be the responsibility of the office manager.
WORKING AS AN OFFICE MANAGER
As described earlier, the profession of office manager should be seen as fairly general, because office managers can work for different organizations. The substantive activities can therefore differ per organization. In addition, as an office manager you may have to deal with various office employees. Think, for example, of administrative staff, project administrators, invoicers and acceptors. These are all examples of different office workers, who can work for different organizations. It is not the case that all office managers can automatically be classified as managers despite the fact that office managers can manage different office employees. This usually depends on the number of employees that an office manager will manage. If an office manager manages a few employees, the designation team leader may also apply. An office manager also regularly has to deal with the HR manager.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXECUTIVE SECRETARY AND OFFICE MANAGER
In terms of content, there are not really big differences between an executive secretary and an office manager other than that an executive secretary only works for the board or the director. An Office manager works for several employees within the department and not only specifically for the management or the director. An office manager gives support and leadership to the entire team of supporters. An office manager can also be seen as a kind of team leader. Secretaries and management assistants also usually work directly or indirectly under the office manager.
WHAT DOES AN OFFICE MANAGER DO:
- Managing office workers
- Managing the calendar
- Checking office work
- Possibly attending meetings and taking minutes
- Acting as a point of contact
- Motivating office workers
- Preparation and elaboration of reports
- Monitoring the delivered quality
- Processing personnel changes
- Monitoring objectives
WHAT DOES AN OFFICE MANAGER DO:
TRAINING TO BECOME AN OFFICE MANAGER
If you aspire to a career as an office manager, it is best to opt for the four-year Hbo programme Office Management that can be followed at various higher schools. The Hbo-programme office management is a broad programme, in which a lot of attention is paid to business administration, marketing, communication, information management and management support. In addition, attention is paid to the legal and economic side that you have to deal with as an office manager. The Hbo-study office management can be followed in different ways. It is quite conceivable that internal employees who have the right competencies will follow an external training to become an office manager. For more information, see also the association of and for board and management assistants. In addition, there are also plenty of external training institutes where you can follow a course. Accounting is also important as an entrepreneur.
COMPANIES WHERE AN OFFICE MANAGER CAN WORK
As an office manager, you are of course working in an office that can relate to various types of companies, institutions or governments. It is not the case that all companies, institutions or governments automatically use an office manager. Especially the larger organizations where the secretariat is important make use of a special office manager. Think, for example, of manufacturers, financial institutions, municipalities, insurance companies and large small and medium-sized businesses.
COMPETENCES OFFICE MANAGER
The most important competence of an office manager is being able to manage different employees. In general, an office manager will also need to have management skills. Because you are dealing with different employees, communication can be regarded as an important competence. In addition, an office manager must be able to be regarded as an inspirator and motivator. If you as an office manager are also responsible for purchasing products and / or services, it is important that you can be regarded as a negotiator. Generally important words are integrity, accuracy, flexibility, sensitivity, antennae, stress resistance, perseverance and problem solving.
LABOUR MARKET PERSPECTIVE AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AS AN OFFICE MANAGER
The job market perspective of an office manager is generally fairly good. However, as an office manager it can be important that you have experience, because not everyone can just become an office manager. In other words, the labour market perspective will not only depend on the right training. Work experience and knowledge also generally determine whether you are eligible for the position of office manager. The career opportunities of an office manager should be seen in obtaining more responsibilities. Consider, for example, a position at higher management level. Which position this is exactly can differ per organization and depends on your own competencies.
TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT AND SALARY OFFICE MANAGER
There are no specific employment conditions for the profession of office manager, because you can work in different industries as an office manager. An office manager with a bachelor's degree will usually earn a salary between 3000 and 4000 euros gross per month, depending on age, years of service and responsibilities.
The content on this page has been automatically translated from the Dutch language. For this reason, texts and videos on this page may contain small errors.
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