Creative Office Manager

Your payroll provider’s system goes offline the afternoon before payday. Your cleaning company sends an email saying it has ceased operations. The independent IT consultant who knows your entire network stops returning calls. A supplier you rely on for essential materials abruptly closes. Vendor failures do not always come with enough warning to arrange an orderly transition. Sometimes the first…

Great office managers don't just solve problems. They notice problems everyone else walks past. Walk into any office and ask ten people what they notice first. One person notices the new furniture. Someone else notices the weather outside. The finance manager notices a budget report sitting on a desk. The sales manager notices people talking to customers. The office manager?…

A caller may speak with your receptionist before meeting anyone else in your organization. A visitor may decide within seconds whether your office seems welcoming, capable and organized. A job applicant, vendor or unhappy customer may form an opinion of the entire business from one conversation at the front desk.That makes the receptionist much more than the person who answers…

You tell your team, “My door is always open.” And technically, it is. People can come in. They can ask a question. They can raise a concern. But when they do, you keep glancing at your screen. You answer while typing. You sigh a little because you’re behind. You say, “Go ahead, I’m listening,” in a voice that suggests you…

In many organizations, compliance isn't one person's job. That makes it surprisingly easy for important responsibilities to become nobody's job. Large organizations may have compliance departments, risk managers, HR specialists and attorneys keeping track of workplace requirements. Smaller organizations often have something considerably less formal. HR handles some requirements. Accounting handles others. A department manager renews a particular license. Someone…