What’s an office manager without an office?

Thanks to COVID-19, businesses of all shapes and sizes have embraced working from home. And for many, there’s no definite end in sight. 

But what does that mean for you? 

What’s an office manager without an office? And what if WFH continues long-term? Should you look for another career?

Don’t panic. Office managers face new challenges, and the role is undeniably evolving. But office managers are still vital. 

How is office management evolving? 

It would be a mistake to equate office managers with physical offices. Offices aren’t just physical spaces – they’re people; teams; relationships. And those people need support now as much as ever. 

For example:

However long WFH continues, office managers play a crucial role in keeping the dispersed office buoyant and productive. 

Saying that though, offices are unlikely to vanish altogether.

Communal, flexible office space is still relevant

WFH has been popular but there have also been drawbacks. For example, HR Magazine found that 25% of employees feel productivity has fallen and 45% miss face-to-face interactions with colleagues. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the movement towards flexible working (global demand for flexible office spaces has grown by 50% over five years, for example) but flexibility doesn’t mean WFH exclusively. 74% of UK employees want to split their time roughly 50/50 between home and the office after all this.

If businesses listen to employees’ needs (which they’re likely to, given that highly engaged teams drive 21% greater profitability), office managers will always have physical office spaces to manage. 

The challenge for office managers will be ensuring the office is COVID-secure and complements the needs of homeworkers too.

For example:

Whether businesses are WFH, working from the office or both, office managers are what they’ve always been: the backbone of a workforce that runs smoothly. That won’t change, even if where we work does. 

This blog is part of The team that Eats together initiative, a content series exploring what normal looks like now, and how to enhance the working world to meet evolved employee expectations.

Bring the team back together, wherever they’re working.

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The views and opinions expressed are based on the research conducted and they do not intend to present an official policy of Uber or any of its subsidiaries. Examples of advice mentioned in this article are based on open source information and assumptions made within the article are not reflective of Uber’s position.