Office administration

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Office administration (shortened as Office AD and abbreviated as OA) is a set of day-to-day activities or tasks that are related to the maintenance of an office building, financial planning, record keeping and billing, personal development, physical distribution and logistics, within an organization. An employee that undertakes these activities is commonly called an office administrator or office manager, and plays a key role in any organisations infrastructure, regardless of the scale. Many administrative positions require the candidate to have an advanced skill set in the software applications Microsoft Word, Excel and Access. [1]

Contents

Administration Manager

An office administrator has the responsibility of ensuring that the administrative activities within an organization run efficiently by providing structure to other employees within an organization. These activities can range from being responsible for the management of human resources, budgets and records, to undertaking the role of supervising other employees. These responsibilities can vary depending on the employer and level of education. [2]

Team of office administrators and managers undertaking administrative tasks Siliconrus-hq.jpg
Team of office administrators and managers undertaking administrative tasks

Skill Set

The importance of an office administrator to an organization is substantial due to the duties that they are entrusted with; therefore, specialized training is required in order for the employee to work efficiently and productively, these being;

Roles

There are an extensive range of roles that can be associated with an office administrator. Organizations often advertise administrative assistant vacancies targeted at students that are currently studying or who have left secondary school or college. This gives the employee the opportunity to gain experience or build a career through full-time work or an internship over the course of a summer break.

Receptionists play a key role in the organization's management, as they are entrusted with arranging and greeting clients, suppliers and visitors directly via emails, phone calls or direct mail. The employee undertaking the role of a receptionist must show good organisational, communication and customer service skills in order to ensure efficiency. [4] The receptionist should be aware of scammers who try to obtain the inner information of an office or medical practice to abuse or exploit it. [5] Other responsibilities that a receptionist is entrusted with are:

Personal Assistants are commonly associated with assisting an office manager to maintain the efficiency of their day-to-day work; this is through providing secretarial support and assistance. Becoming a personal assistant requires the employee to have experience in previous administrative jobs, which entails the use of computers and information systems. Like any other role that is related to an office administrator, the job title of personal assistant requires the employee to be organized, show professionalism and have an ability to work under pressure when given a task of vital importance. [7] The duties that a personal assistant must carry out each day are the following:

Office Manager

Office manager supervising and teaching their fellow employees Huwiki meetup 02June2013 7.jpg
Office manager supervising and teaching their fellow employees

An office manager has the responsibility of ensuring that an organization's office duties are completed efficiently and effectively, while also supervising other staff members. The role of an office manager is more demanding than other administrative positions, including skills and qualifications such as strong administrative experience, competency in human resources, reporting skills, delegation, management processes and the ability to communicate with other members of the organization. [8] [9]

Duties

The duties of an office manager include: [10]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">System administrator</span> Person who maintains and operates a computer system or computer network

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary</span> Office occupation supporting management

A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evaluation, communication, and/or organizational skills within the area of administration. There is a diverse array of work experiences attainable within the administrative support field, ranging between internship, entry-level, associate, junior, mid-senior, and senior level pay bands with positions in nearly every industry, especially among white-collar careers.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Receptionist</span> Employee who greets guests and occasionally acts as secretary

A receptionist is an employee taking an office or administrative support position. The work is usually performed in a waiting area such as a lobby or front office desk of an organization or business. The title receptionist is attributed to the person who is employed by an organization to receive or greet any visitors, patients, or clients and answer telephone calls. The term front desk is used in many hotels for an administrative department where a receptionist's duties also may include room reservations and assignment, guest registration, cashier work, credit checks, key control, and mail and message service. Such receptionists are often called front desk clerks. Receptionists cover many areas of work to assist the businesses they work for, including setting appointments, filing, record keeping, and other office tasks.

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References

  1. "Opportunities in office administration". 13 October 2011.
  2. "Office Administrator | Job Guide". Archived from the original on 2015-10-18. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  3. "A Brief History of Office Administration". National Academy of Health and Business | College Training in Ontario. 2014-06-04. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  4. "Opportunities in office administration". CareerFAQs. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 2015-10-26.
  5. "How to Teach Your Practice's Administration Staff". www.healthcarebusinesstoday.com. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  6. "Job description - receptionist" (PDF). Job Description. Maca.gov. 2015-05-30.
  7. Agency, Skills Funding. "Personal assistant job information | National Careers Service". nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  8. "Office Manager Job Description Sample | Monster.com". Monster Hiring Resource Center. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  9. "Opportunities in office administration". CareerFAQs. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  10. "Office Manager Job Description Sample | Monster.com". Monster Hiring Resource Center. Retrieved 2015-11-03.