The role of Office Manager (OM) has changed somewhat since I started work back in the days of steam-driven typewriters. The remit for OMs then was to make sure the stationery cupboard was stocked and the Directors' drinks cabinet likewise. OMs who weren't careful ended up being the person with their head stuck in the photocopier while having to order a taxi. This is not management, people. This is firefighting.

Times have moved on though, and while a lot of OM duties have been parcelled out to administrative staff, there are still plenty of organisations who realise the value a good OM can bring to their business.

This is the one person on the ground who has an overview of what is happening everywhere and with everyone. They often have facilities duties and health and safety as part of their remit so they not only know the personnel of the company, they know the fabric of the building intimately.

A good OM in a small-to-medium size business is worth their weight in gold as they keep all the plates spinning; in a larger company with separate HR, facilities and other departments, they dovetail their work with the appropriate specialist personnel, and add another dimension to their understanding of what is happening in the workplace.

• Staff morale
  

  This isn't a plea to have 'entertaining the troops' added to the OMs job description but OMs are often well placed to pick up on the tenor of the office. Is it stressful with lots of infighting? Is there a member of staff being excluded for some reason? Jealousy over pay, job titles, work projects? OMs cannot fix all or perhaps any of these but in smaller companies they should have the authority to intervene to work out a solution; and in larger organisations, they can be the ears and eyes of the HR department.

  I don't mean that in an intrusive, spying way, either. Someone close to the ground who can liaise with HR can also be supported by them in trying to resolve issues in the first instance, and if that isn't to be, then they can encourage staff to talk to HR to find a resolution.




• Time management
  

  Office Manager is sometimes just another way of saying 'sales target'. How many times during the course of the day do OMs get bothered by phone calls from reps trying to sell them something or make an appointment to sell them something? How many Perspex wall-mounted leaflet holders can one office need? Good OMs will make sure that whoever answers the phone first for the company is well-briefed about which sales people may be useful to see, who is an ongoing contact who needs a few minutes regularly, and who to stop politely in their tracks.




• Workflow
  

  In their unique role, OMs can become the key liaison person between administrative and technical personnel, and be able to judge the peaks and flows of project work. As well as using their very wide range of skills to supervise and drive forward projects, OMs can anticipate when extra staff may be needed and when the pinch points will occur on company resources.

  A lot of companies still underestimate and undervalue their OMs. The epitome of joined up business thinking must be that if, er, this bit over here doesn't work properly, then that bit over there won't either and we'll, like, go out of business?

  A good OM can be the backbone of a smaller office and a real midfield general a la Patrick Vieira in a larger company. When things are humming along nicely, it is often because the OM is conducting the business. Remember that the next time there is a contented purr from your CEO.