Office Manager Training and Staff Development
A key figure in organising the training process in any office is the office manager.We consider here important areas to consider.There are, of course, the main areas for training such as Microsoft Office Specialist training; if staff are to have adequate speed and accuracy it is vital for them to know the more detailed functions and shortcuts built into Microsoft Office. If it is within the training budget it may be good to obtain training from an official Microsoft Academy with exam capability, so that final examination results can be globally recognised.If a member of staff is assigned financial responsibilities advanced level (Expert) MS Excel training will be most useful; if the company is an SME then training in Sage Accounting Software will be invaluable. The Office Manager will also need to understand this software where it is deployed.Secretarial staff may need specific training in the functions of a PA or secretary so that they learn the latest techniques for diary management etc. In this case there are good packages of training available, which include the above as well as typing, audio typing and Microsoft Office skills.Administrative assistants and related staff may benefit from a professionally developed Office Administration Course which also can be packaged with Microsoft Office training.If morale is a problem within the office and staff turnover seems to be increasing consideration should be given to performance enhancement course and motivational style training.However this is also where training for the office manager directly can be of benefit. A professionally developed Office Manager course will include sessions on staff motivation and training as well as practical sessions on coaching of more junior staff. If the Office Manager has these skills in house, informal coaching sessions can take place as and when they are needed to avoid waiting for budget and the right time to send someone on a course.The Office Manager therefore should not overlook his/her own training as this training can be leveraged to be passed through to more junior staff. If for instance the Manager has limited MS Office skills it is ideal to get trained up so that this knowledge can be coached down the line.It is important that the manager has good knowledge of the functional duties of each and every subordinate so that he/she is able to indicate a sound knowledge of the routine processes within the office environment concerned.