Office Manager
Office managers are in charge of making sure any given office runs smoothly. This involves handling administrative procedures, ensuring safety guidelines are met, guaranteeing compliance with company policy, and streamlining the office’s own workflow processes in order to maximize efficiency and productivity. It’s an important position that will suit those who enjoy forming interpersonal relationships and managing large groups of people.
In the following article, Links International be walking you through what it means to be an officer. We’ll discuss what your workday will look like, what kinds of duties and responsibilities you’ll have to carry out, and the various qualifications and skills you’ll need to succeed as an office manager. At the end of the page, we’ll also mention what your salary as an office manager could look like in a few different locations.
What is Working as an Office Manager Like?
Working as an office manager is a challenging role that never looks exactly the same from one day to the next. Because you’ll be managing all of the different departments in the office, you’ll need to be familiar with the main roles of those employees so you can provide guidance and assistance throughout the day. You’ll also need to be on the lookout for ways you can improve the efficiency of your office, and you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the different employees in the office work well together, which demands a high level of social skills and interpersonal abilities.
These are some of the duties and responsibilities that will fall to you as an office manager throughout the course of your work.
- Organising office procedures and operations
- Working closely with HR to maintain office and company policies
- Managing relationships with vendors, the landlord who owns the office space, and the various services providers (e.g. internet, electricity)
- Ensuring every service is paid for in full and on time to prevent problems from arising during the workday
- Supporting visitors to the office, including upper management and clients if applicable
- Coordinating with the IT department to make sure all office equipment is up to date and working at maximum capacity
- Creating PowerPoint presentations and presenting them to the office’s workers
- Ensuring efficiency and productivity by refining different processes and solving problems as they arise
- Delegating various duties to other members of staff
- Preparing and presenting an annual budget for the office, which involves analyzing risk, variance, and expenditure
- Recruiting and training new staff
If you want to work as an office manager, these are some of the skills and qualifications you should aim to have.
- While not strictly necessary, a bachelor’s degree in Accounting or a related field is highly valued, as is an MBA
- Proven experience in an administrative or management role
- Excellent attention to detail and problem-solving abilities
- Sound time management skills, as well as the ability to plan and organize events, meetings, and presentations on a daily basis
- Proficiency in MS Office software programs
- Knowledge of accounting, administrative, clerical, and human resources practices and procedures
- Firm grasp of business and management principles
- High level interpersonal and social skills, in addition to excellent communication skills (both written and verbal)
After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or economics, you’ll need between two and four years of experience in a business environment in order to secure a job as an office manager. This can be gained in departments like sales or administration. Any time you can spend managing a team will be highly valued, as it will demonstrate your capacity to handle different groups of people and coordinate large-scale group efforts.
Office managers often graduate into more high-level management roles, which can reach right the way up the company ladder to the C-level executive tier. Even a few years of experience as an office manager will give you a great insight into how a business is run, making you a valuable member of staff for any business to employ. You’ll also be able to take the knowledge you’ve gained as an office manager and transition to an entrepreneurial or consultant role, depending on which direction you want to go in.
Below, you can find some samples of what your salary might look like as an office manager in three different locations: Hong Kong, Singapore, and China.
| Position | Hong Kong Monthly Salary (HKD) | Singapore Monthly Salary (SGD) | China Monthly Salary (CNY) |
| Experienced OM | 40K – 60K | 7K – 10K | 20K – 40K |
| Early-Career OM | 20K – 39K | 3K – 6K | 12K – 19K |
More information about employment and salary trends can be found in Links International’s salary guide.
Looking for an Office Manager Job?
As an award-winning recruitment agency with 20 years of recruitment experience across Asia regions, our specialist can offer professional career advice and consultation for you. Find office manager roles on Link’s job board today!