When the office photocopier breaks down, there is often a message displayed on the control panel which instructs the hapless employee trying to make copies to "call key operator." That mysterious key operator often works for the office manager, or facility manager, and belongs to a group of people in the company whose overriding goal is to ensure that the rest of the company has the right tools with which to perform their tasks. Office managers may not have direct responsibility for manufacturing products, or for providing services, but they make sure that the employees who do bear that responsibility have everything they need, from office supplies to computers to well lit work areas, in order to do their jobs. When the office management function is performed well, it can be transparent and the company runs smoothly. When office management is lacking, the company's productivity can drop precipitously.
Office management combines facilities management and space planning with day-to-day operations of the office. Telecommunications, office equipment, office layout and design, furniture selection and procurement, and even the arrangement of the receptionist's desk all fall under the control of the office manager. In small companies, the office manager reviews purchase orders and invoices associated with the facility to ensure that they are correct; in larger organizations, each facility or department may have their own office manager. Because of the nature of office management, office managers interact with personnel from all other departments within the organization, and their input can be especially critical when an organization is making a decision about relocating or closing a particular facility.
Office managers can be compared to the superintendent of an apartment building. It is the responsibility of the office manager to make sure that the electricity is working, that there are enough phone lines for all of the telecom...