Why we need networking
Back in November, we were able to hold the first Office Management Networking event for almost two years. It was hosted at The Clermont Hotel, Charing Cross (and Jack and Julia were such amazing hosts along with all their team who supported the event!) Over 65 people joined us, made up of our office management members and partners who value face to face networking and the power that it can bring to their role and connections.
It was such a joy for me to see everyone back together, to be able to meet new partners I hadn’t yet met in actual person and to see some brand new members in person too. Running these events has been a massive and significant part of The Office Management Portal and so to have not been able to do them for a such a long time did leave a noticeable hole in our mission to connect, empower and develop office managers.
The room was buzzing with energy and conversation from Members in particular, who were meeting for the first time after being actively chatting on our Slack group or Forum topics for months, if not year(s) now… there was plenty of food and drink flowing too (which always helps!) and Chris Fleming wowed us all with his magic.
This event was such a key moment in our office management network - but why?
I think for a few reasons:
Firstly, the Members and Partners hadn’t met before or seen each other for such a long time and as we all know, being able to put a “face to a name” is great - Zoom doesn’t really cut it in the same way. But also, because for office managers professionally speaking, they have had such an uphill battle during this pandemic and as we know, are often so isolated in their roles in normal circumstances, let alone during a time when the reliance to keep businesses and humans safe in unprecedented circumstances was significant, navigating their way through never-ending changes both from the government advice and internal politics and decisions. It was vital for them to be with their “own kind” and share the hardships, the highs, the lows, the challenges and the successes.
Secondly, to be able to have officially now created a network that is dedicated to the office management profession is really special - it demonstrates just how important socialisation among peers is and why we need this connection to feel valued and appreciated not just internally within our businesses for those who are fortunate enough to have this (I say this because we have to remember that not all office managers get the recognition they deserve!), but also between those who understand what we do, how we do it and why.
More than that…
The ability to share ideas, tell stories that resonate with others, ask for advice “have you done this”, “how did you go about doing that”, “I’m about to embark on… help!” is exactly what every other profession can do. They’ll generally have internal colleagues to lean on and learn from, but as we know in the office management profession often no one gets it or understands the breadth and diversity of the role and we are generally the only ones, certainly in SMEs doing the job without a team around us. Our boss probably hasn’t ever done office management either, so they won’t always get it…
And above this is the shared and common connection made, which provides opportunity for building a solid network of contacts and friendship, for those who want it. I know personally of more than a dozen friends now who have bonded over the OMP and these events we host. It’s important to remember that “it’s who you know” will never really go away, because connections and contacts are such a strong foundation to have in any walk of life.
The human and social element of in-person networking can never be undervalued or taken away. We need it to be human. We need it to be the rock-solid office managers that we are. And, we need it for growth and friendship.
For more networking events, sign up to The Office Management Portal as a Member for free plus you’ll get access to tonnes (and tonnes, and loads) of resources.
Hana Gray, CEO & Founder
The Office Management Group