6 Office Management Basics to Keep Your Office Running Smoothly

To successfully manage an office—regardless of your company's product or even your customer base—you should adhere to some basic guidelines. Whether you're the office manager or the business owner, here are six office management basics to keep in mind when you are running an office.

6 office management basics

1. Employment and human resources

It's critical to have an employment policy in place. A policy manual provides you with a blueprint for the way the company approaches employment. It spells out rules in a way that can prevent later problems. (Imagine working for an organization that came to a standstill each time an employment issue arose.)

In addition, you'll want to have a training and development program. Even if your training and development program is modest, you still need to consider building this into your policy. Read 10 Employee Training Tips to learn how to implement an effective training program.

2. Project management

Keeping track of projects is critical to the successful completion of important tasks and also represents an essential piece of documentation. Knowing when things have to be completed and by whom gives everyone a clear idea of what's ahead. Deadlines are less likely to be missed and people are more likely to know their roles. Plus, each project, through careful documentation, can become a useful case study for future assignments.

3. Equipment and furniture requirements

To run a smooth operation, you don't need to have every piece of office equipment that exists, but you do need certain products that are going to optimize people's performance. What you need and how much an item will cost are simple but important considerations. Check out What Office Equipment Do I Need for My Business? for a good introduction.

And what about software? Are you trying to achieve a paperless office? If not, do you know how you'll store certain documents? Answering these and other questions about equipment will help you to prepare for the growth of your office.

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4. Inter- and intra-office communications

For many small businesses, the responsibility for communication falls upon the office manager. Knowing how and when to communicate key information is vital to successful office management. Email blasts, posted instructions at the copier, and weekly staff meetings are just a few of the types of communication that occur within a busy office. Having a communication plan that everyone can adhere to will increase an office's productivity and ensure that information is disseminated clearly and quickly.

5. Conflict resolution

Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable, and one of the basics of good office management is knowing how to handle them properly. Whether you have a formal policy or rely on your own wits, you need to prepare yourself for a wide variety of disagreements. Even with an employment manual, such issues as equitable distribution of work, pay rates, and job descriptions often arise in a company. Ignoring a conflict or waiting for it to dissipate is never the right solution. Having a plan or a policy for conflict resolution will help everyone navigate through a disagreement in a professional manner.

6. The company and its people

Knowing how to run an office efficiently must also include an understanding of the company and its people. Knowing the product line and how it fulfills a need is just as important as ordering more toner for the printer. If you don't understand your company's mission, you won't know how best to support its various functions.

The same goes for people. Knowing employees' roles, where they fit into the big picture, and how they operate will help you manage the office so that every function supports the people tasked with getting things done. The more you know about how your company works and what people are doing to increase business, fulfill customer requests, meet deadlines, and otherwise perform their duties, the more successful you'll be in creating and sustaining an environment that fosters success.