Why Office Manager is the Best Job Ever

Office Manager is the Best Job Ever. Seriously, it is.

What is the backbone of your organization? It’s you — the Office Manager Extraordinaire. Without you, the whole place would fold like a cheap card table. Even if you’re not feeling like it today, here are some reminders of ways you add value to your business each and every day:

You know how to fix the paper jams (and everything else).

Not that this is your favorite thing — far from it. But someone needs to know how to troubleshoot office gear, computer stuff, and how to send someone a direct message in Slack — that’s you! The valuable skills of staying on top of all the technology and workarounds in your office’s ecosystem makes you the Beyonce of the office. Embrace your inner Sasha Fierce; don’t shy away from it.

You’re always making things more awesome.

You wear lots of hats in your office manager role (I keep telling you, you look great in hats!). Because of this, you have an inside look into most of your company’s day-to-day processes. With your project manager hat on you streamline workflows, which is a nice way of saying you get Curtis to actually get some work done instead of telling everyone about his weekend. You know the ins and outs of any special projects, and you’re great at turning your to-do list into a “to-done” list. You push things forward and keep the company moving in the right direction.

You know what needs to be done before it needs to be done.

You are your company’s AIC (anticipator-in-chief). You likely have insight from your manager or CEO what the next big goal for your business is, and you can be proactive to be constantly moving things in the right direction. This can even mean lending a hand in something that’s not your job; if someone is struggling with a project, you lend your expertise and partner with your co-worker to keep things on track. Awareness  + Anticipation = All-Star Office Manager (a.k.a. YOU).

You know what’s going on in your co-workers’ lives.

Maybe you don’t care to hear about the rash on Sarah’s back, but she tells you anyway. As the office manager, you are the de facto office counselor, friend, mediator, mentor, mom, dad, Dr. Phil, and Yoda all rolled up into one perfect package. By getting an inside look into your co-workers’ lives outside of work, you have a better understanding of why their performance is off this week. You also contribute to the overall office morale in a majorly positive way. By making your team feel like a work “family,” you make people look forward to coming to work every morning.

If you’re not getting the proper acknowledgment of your valuable role as the office manager:

• Mention it in your next monthly or annual review. Your co-workers think it goes without saying how incredibly beneficial your presence is on the team but that doesn’t mean they’ll let you know. If words of affirmation are important to you, let your supervisor know.
• Perhaps it’s time for a raise. Have you ever brought it up? Whether you’re an office manager or an executive assistant, at some point you’ll run into a pay ceiling. But, if you’re not there yet, figure out where that ceiling is and start reaching for it!
• On some level, you need to adjust your personal expectations. The role isn’t guaranteed to come with pats on the back and affirmation every time you’re awesome (which is all the time). Just because you’re often the one who is responsible for your boss doesn’t mean you’ll always get the recognition that’s due to you.
• Maybe you “accidentally” send your teammates this article or share it on Facebook and tag everyone in your office. Who knows? When your teammates are reminded of the importance of recognizing your sheer amazingness, you’ll go from being the unsung hero to everyone singing your praises. Your team may bring you your favorite drink from Starbucks tomorrow morning…and a trophy for being so ridiculously awesome.