To get the most from your office, hiring a dedicated manager can be more than worthwhile. The decision to hire an office manager requires careful consideration of the individual’s role and how it can contribute to the overall business. From ensuring that the day-to-day operations of the company run smoothly to leaving you free to think about the long-term strategy as an owner, the new hire can add considerable value. Think of this person as supervising the galley while you’re on deck, steering the ship.
What is an office manager?
An office manager is a versatile employee whose job is to keep the office running smoothly. This job requires performing many functions. This goes especially if the business is changing size and shape over time.
An office manager will ensure that the office is fully supplied. The printer won’t run out of paper (or toner cartridges), and aging furniture will be replaced before it has a chance to collapse. Things like spare power cords can be kept where they can be easily reached for.
Also, any major one-off meetings and events are ones that the office manager will usually arrange. In short, they’re the person who allows everyone else to concentrate on their respective jobs, rather than worrying about office supplies.
How can this manager benefit business?
As has already been hinted at, the office manager is a person to whom you can delegate many day-to-day activities. They’ll also have a strong grasp of your finances, thanks to an in-depth knowledge of what all of the equipment and materials in your office cost to replace. As such, they’re a person to whom you can go for advice.
Hiring an office manager is also helpful as this is someone who can provide insights into your company’s culture and help you to develop a healthy one. As such, they can act as a crude substitute for an HR team in a smaller business.
When employees have a personal problem, they might feel at liberty to talk to your office manager about it, in situations where they couldn’t talk to those much higher up the organization. In this respect, an office manager can act as an informal counselor.
What else to expect when you hire an office manager
A good office manager will also act as an intermediary between your frontline staff and upper management in case of conflicts. They’ll help to disseminate the broader instructions of the latter, but they’ll also form a line of communication in the opposite direction.
They’ll take on board the feedback they get from employees and help to get the good ideas implemented. In the case of smaller suggestions, like changing to a different brand of pen, they can implement suggestions directly, without having to involve upper management.
This, in turn, will help you to limit staff turnover. When employees feel as though they’re being listened to, and their suggestions are being taken seriously, they’ll start to bond emotionally with the workplace. All of which means that you’ll be more likely to retain them.