Office
Administration
& Technology
People @ Work
Office Manager
As an administrative professional, you may
work under the supervision of an office
manager. Office managers plan, coordinate,
and supervise the work of administrative
assistants and other support staff. They
develop schedules, make assignments, set
deadlines, and oversee work to be sure it is
done properly and on schedule.
Office Managers frequently monitor and
adjust workloads and job responsibilities to
ensure that work is done efficiently. They may
redesign job duties, shift them from one
person to another, and create or eliminate job
positions with the approval of company
managers. Many companies fill office manager
positions by promotion from their
administrative or office support staff.
Communicating @ Work
In many offices, it is the administrative
assistant who welcomes, orients, and trains
new employees. She or he may do this
independently in small offices or in
cooperation with the human resources
department in larger organizations.
Administrative assistants are often
responsible for preparing the new
employee’s work space and computer
equipment and ensuring the employee has
the tools and supplies needed to do the
job.
As part of orientation, the administrative
assistant is often the one who explains
office polices and procedures, sets up the
employee’s personnel file, and makes sure
government-required documents are in
place. The admin often prepares or
arranges for identification badges and
access cards or keys.
In many small offices, it is the
administrative assistant who goes over the
employee handbook (if one exists), health
care forms, and other benefit forms. In
small organizations, administrative
assistants often keep track of time cards
and use of benefits such as vacation and
sick time taken.
Writing @ Work
Taking the time to thank should include a thank
other people can you for the opportunity
contribute to building to interview.
relationships. It is easy to
send a quick e-mail to
thank someone for her or A brief handwritten note
his assistance. E-mailing is a more personal means
thanks has its advantages. of expressing your
appreciation. Because e-
Technology @ Work
For instance, you can do it
right away, when the other mail and letters are sent Many young people start their
person’s effort is fresh in so often, a handwritten MySpace™, Facebook, and
your mind—and theirs. note stands out. Twitter™ profiles when they are
teenagers and have not yet entered
the workforce.
A formal keyed letter of
thanks is more appropriate
in some business contexts, Keep in mind that the information
especially if you have just you reveal, the words you use, and
met the person or have a the images you post online are
more impersonal there for everyone to see.
relationship. For instance,
the follow-up letter you
Make sure your online images,
send after a job interview
profiles, and words are ones you
would want a potential employer
and your coworkers to see. Making
jokes that might be offensive,
expressing yourself in an
Workplace Wisdom unprofessional way, or showing
Many people aren’t aware of some of the ways yourself in silly or compromising
in which confidentiality of information may situations may seem like harmless
be violated. Here are some examples: fun when you are in high school.
• Discussing private information on a cell
phone
• Using a client’s name as the subject line in
an e-mail
• Posting a birthday list that includes birth
dates
• Leaving a note on your desk that contains
confidential information
• Releasing more information than was
requested