What does an Office Supervisor do?

Depending on the type of office, an office supervisor may have many different job responsibilities. Typically, an office supervisor is responsible for managing other office staff as well as running the office, including such tasks as creating schedules, hiring and training new employees, and maintaining office supplies and equipment, among others. The supervisor of an office will typically report to upper management.

An office supervisor may work in any medium-sized to large office with a number of office administrative staff. He or she will need to have excellent organizational skills as well as the ability to work well with other people, and provide customer service if needed. A supervisor needs to be able to create work schedules that satisfy the needs of the business as well as take into account the requests of employees, such as for vacation time or sick time. A supervisor may also need to schedule meetings or other corporate events, as well as take meeting minutes.

It is important that an office supervisor know and understand all of the functions and needs of the office. He or she needs to be able to pass this information along to other employees, and to understand how much time each individual task should take. Because an office supervisor may be asked to assist management in hiring new employees, it is necessary to have a clear idea of the skills required to be successful in a particular office environment. It is also necessary to ensure that job tasks are not being duplicated, and that every employee is necessary.

On a daily basis, a supervisor needs to make sure that every employee is staying on task and maintaining corporate policies for issues such as behavior and dress code. If any issues arise between employees or with clients or customers, a supervisor will need to be on hand to help resolve the problem. An office supervisor will also need to maintain the equipment in the office, such as copy machines or computers, as well as keep track of supplies that need to be ordered.

Other tasks might include bookkeeping, accounting duties, maintaining a file system, answering phones, and receiving and sending office mail, among others. Each office may require a different combination of tasks from their supervisors and administrative staff, and a supervisor needs to be able to do their job while being a good leader to other employees. It is important that a supervisor be able to listen to the other employees' concerns, ideas, and suggestions, innovate ways to solve problems, and pass on important concerns to upper management.