What does an Office Manager do?
Office managers coordinate and oversee administrative duties in an office, and ensure that the office operates efficiently and smoothly. Their responsibilities generally include duties like greeting visitors, managing office supplies, overseeing other administrative staff, owning budgets, and supporting staff with administrative tasks like scheduling meetings.
Office managers typically have a Bachelor's degree in business administration, communications, or in a related field. However, for some office manager positions a high school diploma is sufficient. Office managers need to be highly organized and self-motivated, and they typically have excellent attention to detail.
- Oversee and support all administrative duties in the office and ensure that office is operating smoothly
- Manage office supplies inventory and place orders as necessary
- Perform receptionist duties: greet visitors, and answer and direct phone calls
- Receive and sort incoming mail and deliveries, and manage outgoing mail
- Develop office policies and procedures, and ensure they are implemented appropriately
- Assist with office layout planning and office moves, and with managing and maintaining IT infrastructure
- Manage office budget
- Identify opportunities for process and office management improvements, and design and implement new systems
- Provide other administrative support as necessary, including scheduling group meetings, maintaining calendars, doing research, and creating reports
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, communications, or a related field
- 2-5 years of work experience in an administrative/office management role
- Must have exceptional attention to detail
- Strong organizational and time management skills, and ability to priotitize
- Must be a self-starter and driven
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong problem-solving skills and analytical abilities
- Must be proficient with Microsoft Office and Google products
Office Manager Salaries
Average Base Pay
Office Manager Career Path
Learn how to become an Office Manager, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Years of Experience Distribution
Office Manager Insights
Northwestern Mutual“The actual job was easy and I got to get to know some really great people!”
PuroClean“Working for my particular boss and franchise is great but the franchise as a whole is ridiculous.”
Gateway Fiber“This job is truly amazing and you will enjoy it as much as we all do”
Marriott International“Not many… I think the salary was a little low considering the work and size of the property”
“Monotony kicked in and I felt like exploring new opportunities elsewhere which will provide broad areas of knowledge and career development”
OSF HealthCare“Pay was good but not worth the presence of the horrible people I worked with.”
UCLA“Front office management was the worst I've seen in my 11 year hospitality career.”
Signify Research“I highly recommend working for Signify Research and can see great things in the businesses future.”
Frequently asked questions about the role and responsibilities of office managers
The typical day of an office manager centers around supervising how an office is run, including keeping staff and communications organized. This involves overseeing administrative duties and employees, ordering office supplies, managing scheduling, and doing HR tasks like recruiting and hiring.
Managing an office is a good career for organized self-starters, as implementing processes to help an office run smoothly can offer great satisfaction. An advantage of working as an office manager is that they typically work regular weekday hours as well, which offers opportunity for a good work life balance.
In the U.S., the average pay for an office manager is $4,225 per year, with salaries ranging from $2,670 per year to $6,690 per year. Experience is one way to move up the pay ladder, as is aiming for senior or executive positions.
Office managers need to interact with many employees and branches of a business. A difficult aspect of being an office manager is that they're often the first to get to work and the last to leave. The job can be stressful, especially when the office is undergoing any type of reorganization or experiencing high turnover.