Whether you are a veteran or are new to office management, you may still find that you often search for the advice and expertise from others in your field. To be a great office manager, it is important to have insight into every possible aspect of the company you are working for. This includes knowing information about your colleagues, learning about the culture of the company, and even the office emergency plan.
The following are a few ways you can gain a bit more insight into the office, so you can excel at what you do and find areas you can improve upon:
Do You Know Your Office?
When you are an office manager, your responsibility lies in the entire office and the day to day operations. Therefore, you need to develop a strong knowledge of the layout of the office and understand how things should and shouldn’t be done.
It is up to you to notice the smaller things that may be easily overlooked by someone else. Are deadlines being met? Are the shared facilities within the office such as the washrooms and breakrooms being cleaned on a regular basis? These are all things you need to stay on top of.
What can you do? Dedicate some time at the beginning of each day to walk around the office and take note of things that need to be done and things that have been done well. Don’t let yourself get bogged down by paperwork or phone calls. Gaining insight from this perspective as an office manager is important.
Great Communication
Communication is key in an office environment, and this is of significant importance for an office manager. You want to stay on the same page as your coworkers and make it an environment in which they can express their concerns or questions freely.
It needs to be an accessible and safe environment for everyone and to do this you need to set aside the time to talk to the employees and discuss any issues that may need problem-solving or improvements.
You should also remember to praise them for a job well done when they meet and exceed your expectations. Being able to have this open communication as an office manager is vital to your position, and this insight can be passed onto the higher-ups in the company, so decisions and changes can be made when needed.
Build Relationships
Finally, having this kind of workplace insight can help create better relationships between yourself and the employees, and it gives you the tools you need to get the job done the right way.
When the company sees that you can make decisions and handle the office, you are effectively building trust and showing that you have the insight you need to be successful.