All sorts of things basically, but it’s handy to narrow this down so you can review specific tasks you may wish to pass over.

So here is my handy list of things your office manager can do for you. These can vary depending on the size and nature of the business, but generally include:

General Office Administration
• Overseeing day-to-day office operations, especially if you have a team of admin staff,
• Maintaining office supplies and equipment,
• Managing post, deliveries, and couriers,
• Organising and maintaining physical and digital filing systems,
• Handling general correspondence (emails, letters, etc.),
• Ensuring compliance with data protection and GDPR, with guidance from the ICO and appropriate legal advice.

Facilities Management
• Managing office leases, utilities, and service contracts,
• Coordinating office maintenance, repairs, and cleaning services,
• Managing health & safety compliance, risk assessments, and fire drills. We always advise using a dedicated health and safety company to carry out risk assessments, and any audits to ensure compliance. Your office manager can then work this this company to maintain the compliance,
• Maintaining first aid kits and accident logs,
• Managing building access and security systems.

HR & Staff Support – always use a good HR consultant to write initial contract templates and employee handbooks
• Onboarding new starters (IT setup, inductions, contracts),
• Maintaining employee records and holiday/sickness tracking,
• Coordinating appraisals, training, and development records,
• Supporting with recruitment administration (job ads, interviews),
• Being a first point of contact for staff issues and queries.

Finance & Procurement
• Managing office budgets and petty cash,
• Processing invoices and expenses,
• Liaising with external suppliers and contractors,
• Assisting with payroll or liaising with external payroll provider,
• Supporting basic bookkeeping or liaising with accountants.

Meeting & Event Coordination
• Scheduling internal and external meetings,
• Preparing meeting rooms and organising refreshments,
• Taking minutes and circulating action points,
• Planning and managing staff events or corporate hospitality,

IT & Systems Support – don’t expect your OM to be an IT specialist though! Bring in providers and support to assist your OM.
• Coordinating with IT support providers for hardware/software issues,
• Managing software licences and renewals,
• Maintaining internal systems such as CRMs, HR software, or shared drives.

Communications & Culture
• Acting as a liaison between teams and management,
• Promoting a positive office environment and team culture,
• Circulating company updates, newsletters, or announcements,
• Managing internal noticeboards or communication channels.

So as you can see, there are a lot of areas that an office manager can support your business. Remember they may not have the relevant experience to carry out all the tasks listed, for instance the bookkeeping tasks. You may need to bring in other team members/contractors to support those areas.

At Crescent we believe in working with our experience, so you would never get a bookkeeper doing social media for example, and it should be the same with your office manager.