Office Management Development – An Appetite to Learn
Office managers are one of the most over-looked and underdeveloped professions; why is this and what can you do if you are in such a role or looking to progress into one, to ensure your development is a priority?
A study that we conducted way back now in June ’17 showed that those in office management roles support over 25 different remits from facilities and accounting, to events, health and safety, postage, procurement, IT and business continuity. Yet, we also found there’s little-to-no relevant training or support for these roles and that the appetite to develop is high. Really high, in fact over 85% said they want training and development in their role, and have either never had it, don’t know where to get it or had it rejected. This was regardless of their time within the role, and included the super-experienced 10-15+ years in, to the newer 3 years or less professionals.
Fast forward over 6 years from that survey, and not too much in this landscape has changed. Each and every year, around the Spring time, we conduct a Member Survey for Members of The Office Management Portal (our sort of heart, soul and hub of the business) and every year this shows that most individuals want to upgrade their account to our Premium Membership, where there are hundreds of templates and learning opportunities through Monthly Masterclasses, but that their companies will not pay the fairly low cost (or, at least we think so!) of £250 a year or £25 a month. Yet, when we speak to these individuals on a 1:1 basis to find out more, it seems that other roles and professions within their business are being provided with a budget for training and development, access to subscriptions, tickets to awards ceremonies and the rest… why is this? Why is it that some businesses are still not seeing the value developing all staff, not just those in revenue-generating roles, can bring to the business as a whole.
Budget constraints are an additional playing factor for some sectors for example, in charities and media, we see this more commonly than in the finance, legal or insurance sectors; however, companies who do invest and develop their Office Manager will save time, money and ensure retention plus, for most who undertake training, there is the additional added benefit that they can better support and manage the back-office operations in all aspects including health, safety and wellbeing, culture, communication and so much more. When individuals have such variety and responsibility in their role, it’s crucial to ensure they’re able to continually learn and grow. And we can see the variety has grown over the years since that original survey in 2017 through the surveys we’ve done since (so much so in fact that we could no longer fit the results on one page and had to instead, create a GIF when we use it in speaking sessions!) See the images below for the original results and the snapshot of the most recent survey results.
2017 Survey Results Based on Seniority in Role
Culture, diversity and inclusion, internal and external events, project management, wellbeing and mental health, strategy and hybrid working/management have all come up the ranks in the responsibilities and how much time this consumes for the typical office manager. They are creators and do-ers, with whom everyone relies upon to come up with solutions and ways in which to make the office a destination and a place people want to be, that is safe, welcoming, well-catered for, in a good state of repair, with top-notch supplies and service providers – on top of everything else they need to do to keep the plates spinning and the office functioning.
So, now we know more about the role and the appetite for businesses to develop staff within them, plus the progression of responsibilities, how can we look at supporting the L&D for them regardless of what experience level someone is at?
If you are looking to progress into this profession, assess what responsibilities you currently have and to what extent, e.g. if you are charged with ordering stationery are you also responsible for managing the budget and deciding the contract and service provider? If not, is this something that could be allocated to you. Can you ask for more responsibilities to support any existing office manager there, and take things off their plate, capacity permitting? Vocalise your interest in learning and doing more.
When looking at developing within the role, have this point on the list for your manager catch-ups – are there new areas you can take on or support, and are there items you can pass to a junior to manage, freeing up capacity. It’s fortunate perhaps, that in such roles there’s dozens of areas handed to you, so it really is key to identify the ones you want to explore and grow in as well as those that will provide the maximum output for your business.
When asking for more formal training, consider the benefits first and foremost. How will this benefit you, and how will it benefit your business. Lay these out clearly and simply – and if it’s not clear from the training provider, ask them for more information. Most training organisations will have a “request for approval” guide or letter/email you can utilise and tweak to share with your line manager or approval contact to seek the budget for said training. Within that, it should state the benefits, the timing of the training and an indication of how much time you may be away from your day-to-day role in order to undertake it, plus any accreditations or other information you can provide to give it extra gravitas. Clearly, as well as this you need to layout the costs and options for paying these – my advice is to also ask the provider if they can do spread payment plans, for example. And, if you don’t ask – you don’t get; do they do additional discounts if you are paying personally?
If the answer to the training is no, you have every right to ask why (professionally) and understand if there might be an opportunity in the future to revisit the request or, if there are alternative options open to you so that it’s not a completely closed door. Keep it on your radar and on theirs at catch ups on a suitable frequency and determine as things continue to progress, whether there are other, more suitable training programmes at a budget level affordable to the business, or that have even more value-add for you and them. One other proposition might be to see if your employer will meet you halfway and pay 50% of the cost with you bearing the rest. I appreciate this isn’t the ideal option, but if you are keen and they’ve turned it down, it may be a happier compromise to make.
If you’re in a role that oversees office management, or approves training for your business – do consider the executive and business support roles more than you perhaps do at present. Why is it that they don’t get the spend but others do? Just what could the training and development of these professions bring to your business. Could it make it more productive, safer, legally compliant, better organised, and save that time and money? Have open and transparent conversations with these staff and individuals in the roles to consider their aspirations for learning and development too.
Here at the OMG, we are on a mission to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to training and development and there are so many options out there for people in administrative roles, for us – it was all about office management. Many years ago, I realised that there wasn’t really and suitable, formal training for the variety of responsibilities within the role and we had so many people asking us to recommend support for them. It was most definitely missing, as well as the aforementioned lack of appetite from businesses to support whatever was out there. My hope is that as the role of the office manager continues to grow, evolve and be recognised (which is most definitely is now, more than I’ve ever seen before), the training and development for the role goes hand in hand.
If you’re looking for more, we know that these roles are key and need support, which is why we created The Office Management Portal and our unique Office Management Courses and we do offer spread payment plans! The Portal is a go to resource for office managers providing access to continually develop and connect with an amazing office management community who support and empower one another. Sign-up here for free: www.theofficemanagementportal.com.