If you’re considering an office management career, you can look forward to a dynamic, satisfying career that allows you to take on a variety of responsibilities ranging from human resources to financial administration. As you manage a team, you’ll likely play a role in the hiring and on-boarding process as you welcome new employees. Surely, welcoming new teammates is more exciting than saying goodbye to them but as an office manager, you’ll need to deal with employee turnover.
Some turnover is completely normal as some team members find new opportunities, change career paths, face personal challenges, or fail to meet expectations. With that being said, an unusually high employee turnover rate (over ten percent) can be costly to your organization and have a negative impact on team morale in various ways. As an office manager, your work directly impacts employee retention and you do well to consciously set goals and objectives around this metric. Employee retention is defined as the ongoing process of keeping your staff. It sounds simple but plenty of intentional action is required.
Put Plenty Of Thought Into The Hiring And Onboarding Process
Depending on your organization, as an office manager, you may be responsible for certain aspects of the hiring process. Keeping employees also involves hiring the right ones in the first place. If you’re involved in the initial screening or interviewing process in your role after office management training, put plenty of thought into your decision-making. First determine the most important attributes of your ideal candidate. Tailor interview questions to determine whether the candidate you’re considering possesses the qualifications and experience you’re looking for. In addition, don’t forget the importance of determining culture fit as you search for new team members. A candidate’s ability to collaborate with fellow employees and add positive energy to a team significantly impacts how long they and other team members will stay on board.
Once your company has decided who to hire, it’s time to get them accustomed with their role and the office environment. During the onboarding process, you’ll be evaluating new hires closely – but you won’t be the only one on high alert. Today’s employee is aware and alert to even the most subtle clues in a company’s job description, interviewing style, and yes, onboarding process. Be thorough and supportive during this crucial time.
Focus On Employee Development After Office Management Training
Hopeful new hires want to know that if they put in the necessary work, they have a bright future at your company. If they don’t believe this to be true, most employees will not hesitate to find work elsewhere. You can elicit good faith in an employee’s future at your organization by focussing on their development. Make it evident from the beginning that internal hires and promotions are attainable to strong employees. If there are opportunities for team members to benefit from valuable training or certification, make this known. In one-on-one discussions, be sure to cover long-term goals for each employee’s development.
Take Full Advantage Of Insights From Exit Interviews
To keep track of their employee retention, many organizations conduct interviews where an employee who is leaving is asked a series of questions pertaining to the circumstances around the end of their contract. Typical questions covered during such an interview include: “Why are you leaving?” , “what’s your personal opinion of this company?”, “would you recommend this position to a friend?”, or “what suggestions can you offer?” After completing office management courses, be sure to take the insights from each exit interview seriously and attempt to act on them. For example, if you’re noticing that many team members who have left expressed dissatisfaction with company culture, perhaps you could implement team building exercises during routine meetings and then seek feedback about team culture from your team.
Office managers wield a lot of influence when it comes to the overall success of their teams. If you wish to use this influence properly throughout your career, our Business Office Management Online Training Program is an excellent starting point for your career development. Learn the ins and outs of project management, human resources, Sage Accounting, and much more.
Are you ready to start your career in office management?
Contact Discovery Community College to learn more!