All organizations need timely and effective office and administrative support to operate efficiently. Office and administrative support supervisors and managers coordinate this support. These specialists are employed in virtually every sector of the economy, working in jobs as varied as teller supervisor, customer services manager, or shipping and receiving supervisor.
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Important Career Information
Applicants for the limited number of higher-level management jobs will face keen competition; less severe competition is expected for lower-level management jobs.
Administrative services managers work throughout private industry and government and have a wide range of responsibilities, experience, pay, and education.
Like other managers, administrative services managers should be analytical, detail-oriented, flexible, decisive, and have good leadership and communication skills.
How Much Do Administrative Managers Make? Administrative Manager Salary
Wages of administrative services managers vary greatly depending on the employer, the specialty, and the geographic area. In general, however, median annual pay of salaried administrative services managers in May 2008 were $73,520. The middle 50 percent were paid between $52,240 and $98,980. The lowest 10 percent were paid less than $37,430, and the highest 10 percent were paid more than $129,770. Median annual pay in the industries employing the largest numbers of these managers were:
Management of companies and enterprises $85,980
General medical and surgical hospitals 77,870
Local government 74,860
Colleges, universities, and professional schools 72,460
State government 65,690
In the Federal Government, industrial specialists averaged $82,169 a year in March 2009. Corresponding averages were $78,995 for facility operations services managers, $79,457 for industrial property managers, $70,386 for property disposal specialists, $78,562 for administrative officers, and $71,049 for support services administrators
What does an Administrative Manager do? Administrative Manager Jobs, Job Description, and Responsibilities
Although specific functions of office and administrative support supervisors and managers vary significantly, they share many common duties. For example, supervisors perform administrative tasks to ensure that their staffs can work efficiently. Equipment and machinery used in their departments must be in good working order. If the computer system goes down or a fax machine malfunctions, the supervisors must try to correct the problem or alert repair personnel. They also request new equipment or supplies for their department when necessary.
Planning work and supervising staff are key functions of this job. To do these effectively, the supervisor must know the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the staff, as well as the results required and time allotted to each job. Supervisors must make allowances for unexpected staff absences and other disruptions by adjusting assignments or performing the work themselves if the situation requires it.
After allocating work assignments and issuing deadlines, office and administrative support supervisors and managers oversee the work to ensure that it is proceeding on schedule and meeting established quality standards. This may involve reviewing each person's work on a computer-as in the case of accounting clerks-or listening to how a specialist deals with customers-as in the case of customer services representatives. When supervising long-term projects, the supervisor may meet regularly with staff members to discuss their progress.
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers also evaluate each specialist's performance. If a specialist has done a good job, the supervisor indicates that in the employee's personnel file and may recommend a promotion or other award. Alternatively, if a specialist is performing inadequately, the supervisor discusses the problem with the employee to determine the cause and helps the specialist to improve his or her performance. This might require sending the employee to a training course or arranging personal counseling. If the situation does not improve, the supervisor may recommend a transfer, demotion, or dismissal.
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers usually interview and evaluate prospective employees. When new workers arrive on the job, supervisors greet them and provide orientation to acquaint them with their organization and its operating routines. Some supervisors may be actively involved in recruiting new workers-for example, by making presentations at high schools and business colleges. They also may serve as the primary liaisons between their offices and the general public through direct contact and by preparing promotional information.
Supervisors help train new employees in organization and office procedures. They may teach new employees how to use the telephone system and operate office equipment. Because most administrative support work is computerized, they also must teach new employees to use the organization's computer system. When new office equipment or updated computer software is introduced, supervisors train experienced employees to use it efficiently or, if this is not possible, arrange for their employees to receive special outside training.
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers often act as liaisons between the administrative support staff and the professional, technical, and managerial staff. This may involve implementing new company policies or restructuring the workflow in their departments. They also must keep their superiors informed of their progress and any potential problems. Often, this communication takes the form of research projects and progress reports. Because supervisors and managers have access to information such as their department's performance records, they may compile and present these data for use in planning or designing new policies.
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers also may have to resolve interpersonal conflicts among the staff. In organizations covered by union contracts, supervisors must know the provisions of labor-management agreements and run their departments accordingly. They also may meet with union representatives to discuss work problems or grievances.
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers are employed in a wide variety of work settings, but most work in clean and well-lit offices that usually are comfortable.
Most office and administrative support supervisors and managers work a standard 40-hour week. However, some organizations operate around the clock, so some supervisors may have to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Sometimes, supervisors rotate among the three 8-hour shifts in a workday; in other cases, shifts are assigned on the basis of seniority.
Job Working Conditions for Administrative Managers
Most administrative services managers work a standard 40-hour week. However, uncompensated overtime frequently is required to resolve problems and meet deadlines. Facility managers often are "on call" to address a variety of problems that can arise in a facility during nonwork hours.
Administrative Manager Training, College Programs, and Advancement
Many employers require office and administrative support supervisors and managers to have postsecondary training-and in some cases, an associate or even a bachelor's degree. Good working knowledge of the organization's computer system is also an advantage. In addition, supervisors must pay close attention to detail in order to identify and correct errors made by the staff they oversee.
Most office and administrative support worker supervisors and managers are promoted from within the company. Several years of on-the-job experience are usually the best preparation to become a supervisor or manager. After acquiring some experience, the employee should have a thorough knowledge of other personnel and company operations.
Administrative support specialists with potential supervisory abilities may be given occasional supervisory assignments. To prepare for full-time supervisory duties, specialists may attend in-house training or take courses in time management, project management, or interpersonal relations.
When evaluating candidates, supervisors look for strong teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills, as well as determination, loyalty, poise, and confidence. They also look for more specific supervisory attributes, such as the ability to organize and coordinate work efficiently, to set priorities, and to motivate others. Increasingly, supervisors need a broad base of office skills coupled with personal flexibility to adapt to changes in organizational structure and move among departments when necessary. For office and administrative supervisors and managers promoted from within, advancement opportunities may be limited without a postsecondary degree, depending on the company. The knowledge required to move into more business and financial related careers may not necessarily be lmake through working in an office or administrative career.
In some managerial jobs, office and administrative support supervisor jobs are filled with people from outside the organization. These jobs may serve as entry-level training for potential higher level managers. New college graduates may rotate through departments of an organization at this level to learn the work of the organization before moving on to a higher level job.
Where are the Jobs? Administrative Manager Jobs
Office and administrative support supervisors and managers held 1.4 million jobs in 2006. Although jobs for office and administrative support supervisors and managers are found in practically every industry, the largest number are found in organizations with a large administrative support workforce, such as banks, wholesalers, government agencies, retail establishments, business service firms, health care facilities, schools, and insurance companies. Because of most organizations' need for continuity of supervision, few office and administrative support supervisors and managers work on a temporary or part-time basis.
Job Outlook and Job Opportunities for Administrative Managers
Jobs for office and administrative support supervisors and managers are expected to grow more slowly than the average for all careers through the year 2016. Keen competition is expected for prospective job applicants.
Jobs are expected to grow by 6 percent during the 2006-16 period, which is more slowly than the average for all careers. Jobs for office and administrative support supervisors and managers are determined largely by the demand for administrative support specialists. New technology should increase office and administrative support specialists' productivity and allow a wider variety of tasks to be performed by people in professional jobs. These trends will cause jobs in some administrative support careers to grow slowly or even decline. As a result, supervisors will direct smaller permanent staffs-supplemented by increased use of temporary administrative support staff-and perform more professional tasks. Office and administrative support managers will coordinate the increasing amount of administrative work and make sure that the technology is applied and running properly. However, organizational restructuring should continue to reduce jobs in some managerial jobs, distributing more responsibility to office and administrative support supervisors.
Like those seeking other supervisory and managerial careers, applicants for jobs as office and administrative support specialist supervisors and managers are likely to encounter keen competition because the number of applicants should greatly exceed the number of job openings. Besides the job openings arising from growth, a large number of openings will stem from the need to replace specialists who transfer to other careers or leave this large career for other reasons.
