Office Administrators

The growth of business since the Industrial Revolution has been accompanied by a corresponding growth in the amount of work done in offices. Records, bills, receipts, contracts, and other paperwork have proliferated. Phone calls, e-mails, and other communications have multiplied. Accounting and bookkeeping practices have become more complicated.

The role of the office administrator has also grown over time. In the past, such supervisors were responsible mainly for ensuring productivity and good work from their clerks and reporting information to management. Today, office administrators play a more active part in the operations of busy offices. They are responsible for coordinating the activities of many departments, informing management of departmental performance, and making sure the highly specialized sectors of an office run smoothly and efficiently every day.

In the wake of the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the continued proliferation of deadly weapons, office managers, especially facility managers, have paid increasing attention to making their offices, buildings, and grounds safer and more secure by introducing new measures such as external barriers and more rigorous sign-in procedures.