Being an Office Manager is a real challenge. Administrative tasks, strategic decision-making, team management, communication management... It's also a long-distance race in which the person occupying this multifaceted position has to ensure that his or her duties are respected. Being an essential cog in the smooth running of your company is particularly gratifying, but you still need to know where the boundaries of this job begin and end. So what is the real role of the office manager? Élisabeth Duverney-Prêt, a specialist in the secretarial and assistant professions, takes stock.
There is no job description for the position of office manager. So it is by defending their role loud and clear that the 30,000 or so office managers in France (according to LinkedIn) are gradually shaping the framework of a profession that was born some twenty years ago.
The functions they perform are not new. But the fact that they are carried out by a single person has gradually marked the birth of this profession, whose Anglo-Saxon name appeared in France at the same time as that of start-ups.
What makes an Office Manager different?
"The pure and simple truth is very rarely pure and never simple. Oscar Wilde was probably right! Who hasn't heard someone say that the jobs of secretary, executive assistant and office manager are, after all, the same?
At first glance, it's easy to get lost. But a secretary and a executive assistant are differentiated by the scope of their responsibilities and their level of involvement in the company. Whereas a secretary focuses on general administrative tasks, an executive assistant takes on broader, more strategic functions, acting more as a right-hand man to the senior executive.
But what is the difference between an executive assistant and an office manager? In the final analysis, their functions are very similar but distinct.
After several years' experience, it is common for executive assistants to progress to the position of office manager.
The office manager represents the company as a whole, and not just its director, as is the case with the executive assistant. They have a share of management and is responsible for ensuring that the structure or department runs smoothly.
Act as a link between employees and management
Having established the general framework, we now need to understand the scope of the office manager's duties. Although the position differs significantly depending on the size of the company in which they work, office managers are entrusted with a number of tasks that are common to the entire profession.
Assisting and steering
The first mission is toassist the company director or line manager, to relieve them of some of their responsibilities. In this way, the Office Manager will enable the manager to concentrate on the essential tasks that only he or she can perform. In addition to this main task administrative and financial management the various departments. In companies that do not have an Accounts Director, the Office Manager manages the accounts and monitors the company's budget. On the other hand, in a structure that already has a financial director, the office manager acts more as an operational relay for all the company's administrative matters.
The Office Manager manages
As its name suggests, the job of office manager also involves a great deal of responsibility. management. They act as a link between the company's staff and management, explaining the company's strategy to the former. The Office Manager helps the teams to understand what is at stake in their work and what results are expected. They put in place the actions needed to achieve these objectives and develop internal communications that contribute to the general dynamism of the teams. This is a challenge that can be combined with team-building activities to stimulate cohesion.
An office manager's field of action lies at the heart of a number of issues: company profitability and organisation, employee well-being and eco-responsibility. ORSYS offers a training course to help you identify the limits of the profession. Do it without hesitation.
Testimonial
Corine has been an office manager for 13 years and is astonished by the job offers she still sees on the Internet.
"It's true that our job doesn't have very clear boundaries and that, from one company to another, the role of the office manager will differ in terms of tasks and level of responsibility. But some recruiters forget that we have a common field of action. They tend to refer to employees who simply have several tasks as office managers! It's quite absurd. What's more, we're often labelled as Swiss army knives, but we're much more than that. It's with my experience that I can defend my position today. But it's vital that young office managers can set the limits of their responsibilities and get things moving.
A wide range of skills
Particularly interesting because of its versatility and dynamism, the position of office manager requires a number of skills. personal and technical skills essential to the accomplishment of the related missions.
As a facilitator, team leader, event organiser, communications officer and so on, the Office Manager needs to have an all-round profile.
In terms of personal qualities, he is expected to have a strong adaptability and a flexible mind. Their interpersonal skills enable them to deal easily with a variety of contacts, both internal and external.
Able to take initiatives In the face of potential problems, he must take his decisions calmly so that they are followed by the various teams.
In terms of work organisation, having the sense of prioritiesto be reagent and rigour are essential qualities required for this position.
[Training]
Improve your personal organization
Learning how to divide your time optimally
Choosing organisational tools to suit your needs
Remaining calm in the face of pressure
What technical skills?
The Office Manager must be able to master the office softwareThese include the Microsoft Office suite and various communication tools (Slack, Discord, Zoom, Notion, etc.).
They need to keep abreast of the latest digital developments, especially as they may be called upon to help their colleagues implement more effective technologies and tools.
What about artificial intelligence?
What's more, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to transform the profession, enabling the office manager to save time But you still need to be able to find your way around the constant developments in these digital tools, whether it's ChatGPT, Perplexity, Midjourney or even AI-enhanced Trello.
Accounting skills, project management and fluency in English are also expected.
As you will have realised, being an Office Manager is particularly stimulating and rewarding because there are so many challenges to be met.
However, as a central element of the company, the office manager is regularly interrupted in his administrative tasks by management or employees. So they need to learn how to get back to work quickly after an interruption. There are simple techniques for getting back into the swing of things as quickly as possible.
Technique 1 (the simplest)
Refocus on yourself by closing your eyes and breathing calmly with your stomach. By visualising the result of the task in hand and the means to achieve it, you can get back to work with peace of mind.
Technique n° 2
Imagine a line that divides your body into two identical parts. Visualise this line from top to bottom, passing through every part of your body, then from bottom to top. Imagine that you are bringing these two parts of yourself together to refocus on what remains to be done.
[Training]
Identifying your cognitive style to develop your attention span
Discover the tools to help you
Getting organised for better concentration
Often seen as the person who can and knows how to do everything, the Office Manager must also teach his or her teams to work independently, while remaining in direct contact with them. Striking the right balance is not always easy. But you have to learn!
Ultimately, the Office Manager has to rise to a number of challenges on a daily basis, both to defend his or her job and to ensure an optimal working experience for all of the company's employees. In this way, he or she contributes to the performance of the teams and to the promotion of the employer brand, attracting new profiles and retaining them. The office manager is a major asset, discreet and effective, thanks to his or her expertise and proximity to managers and employees. What about the future? The impact of new CSR trends and the management of ever-increasing amounts of IT data will require office managers to continue their training. By adapting to change, they will contribute to the flexibility and success of their organisations.
