Office Manager $90k??

amother

Floralwhite

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 8:15 am

amother wrote:

You want to get payed about 50$/hr. You have a babysitter (aka nothing). What kind of office is this? My understanding of an office manager is that they are very glorified secretaries that basically run the whole place do bookeeping, scheduling, keep stock of supplies, man desk answer phone... Something you get 25$/hr maybe 28$ if you have experience. Maybe I'm thinking of a different job?

My two secretaries both get more than $25/hr. It depends on what they are doing and what you need. OP, have you tried a dental office? Do you have experience for that? You can get bonuses too.

nicole81

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 8:16 am

amother wrote:

“Willing to put in 35-40 hours” you aren’t doing them a favor, that you are willing to barely work full time.

This.

You don't come off as someone who will be committed to whichever company hires you. Aside from the fact that I think 90k for such a job is ludicrous, I wouldn't want to hire any employee that will always be running out the door the second their shift is up.

I don't know where you live, but perhaps you can look for a job in a top tier corporate law firm. Even as a legal secretary, you should be able to get 75k plus benefits and then maybe you can work your way up. But the above still stands.

watergirl

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 8:18 am

momsrus wrote:

You are asking for around 30k-40k more than market value.

Excuse me for saying so, but you sound like a typical millelenial.

I'm laughing because its true.

I have a side job in addition to my full time job. I was helping my boss hire a bookkeeper/office manager. The title of the job was clearly stated as well as the responsibilities. I stated the pay when asked, which was $15-$17/hour. Yes, its low, but my boss set the pay in accordance with the local standard and was advised by the local Jewish Vocational Service as to what to offer for pay. $15/hour is pretty good considering that he was willing to completely train the right person, asking for zero experience, and was willing to raise the salary once the person showed their potential.

The people who contacted me for this job for the most part wanted to work from home and did not understand why the OFFICE MANAGER needed to work in house. Someone who tells me "I have a baby at home, I need to work from home" is not able to do this job. People also wanted to work evening hours (same issue!) and everyone wanted a much higher salary.

JVS was not at all surprised with the situation and said that this has become a major issue in the recent number of years. People want a higher salary than offered and feel entitled to it for no real reason. Market value is a thing. The truth is, no boss wants to hire someone who comes in with such expectations and attitude.

amother

Violet

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 8:24 am

Ok I think the OP gets it. We don't need to keep repeating that she is asking for too much.

Did you used to have a job that paid in that range? I'm curious where that number came from. I worked as an office manager for many years and earned $25 an hour.

Many professionals like nurses, therapists, and accountants all with specialized degrees don't get that much for many years. I really am curious what offices pay that much.

oliveoil

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 9:04 am

WhatFor wrote:

"Full-time hours" vary by office. Some offices people work 60 hrs/week and that's normal. Salaried employees generally don't get paid overtime for extra hours. 35 hours is not "full-time".

I don't mean to sound harsh but people who are "willing to work 35 to 40 hours" aren't usually getting top salary in office jobs. It's the "of course I'll work 40 plus hours" people who've already proven themselves in a position for years who get top salary for jobs that generally don't require a specific degree.

That doesn't mean that you don't deserve that amount; maybe you're extraordinarily skilled as an office manager. But you need to prove yourself as a key employee to be able to request such a salary later down the line. There are dozens of competent people who would do office work for far less.

You said it better than I could.

SixOfWands

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 9:20 am

amother wrote:

Why so hard to find? People seem interested and then doesn't pull through once salary requirements are given. Willing to put in 35-40 hours. Is this so unreasonable with a BA? I have the experience but really find 75k low balling the salary (usually no benefits included) .
Thoughts??

Glassdoor tells me that the average salary for a Office Manager is $59,969 in New York City, NY. That isn't starting salary, but salary for established people as well.

75k is a good starting salary.

GreenEyes26

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 10:00 am

In defense of the OP, it's really frustrating when you feel like you have valuable skills and experience, but because of market value, you can only earn so much. If the OP has been doing this for 20 years, she's a very valuable asset to any office - but because employers can get someone less experienced for cheaper (and many of them don't care how good the employee is if they cost $$$, but then complain how poorly their office is run/how high their turnover rate is) she's locked into a rate that undervalues her.

That being said, I still think 90k is way too high for an office manager.

amother

Brown

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:19 am

I just want to say, 90k for an office manager is not unheard of, I actually know a few who make in the 125k range. But all of them work in big offices (think like large medical or legal practices, large companies with lots of employees) and they didn't get to 125k so quickly, that was after many years. So op, if that's what you're looking for, you'll need to target your search to larger operations (and think whether it's realistic that those places will consider you).

amother

Emerald

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:20 am

watergirl wrote:

Over 10 years ago, I made $15 an hour doing secretarial work but life was simpler and cheaper back then. Today with the high rents and high costs of food, it is impossible to make it for $15 an hour which btw is minimum wage at this point where I live. So your boss may have to adjust his own attitude and consider the cost of living today otherwise, no one would want to work for him considering they can do less demanding work for same amount of pay.

watergirl

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:25 am

amother wrote:

Where I live, its well above min wage (I just checked, min wage in my state is $10/hour). Its a darn good starting salary for someone with zero experience who will gain real, marketable skills on the job. Most jobs like this require a certain number of years of experience already. All things considered, its more than generous. BH the position has been filled, but it took some time to find someone. Like I said, the pay is within line with the local and was determined with input from Jewish Vocational Service. They know what is appropriate for the job for the area.

momsrus

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:34 am

amother wrote:

I doubt that 125k was for 35-40 hours weekly.

mha3484

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:38 am

Nicole has a great idea to look at large lawn firms. Legal secretaries and paralegals can make a very nice salary if you have good skills and are extremely detail oriented. But these types of firms will likely see 40 hours a week as a minimum amount of hours since you support attorneys with erratic work schedules.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 11:46 am

Like a PP said, I could see this salary for an office manager at a larger place. Especially if the office manager actually hires, trains, and supervises direct-report (offically or not) admin staff and leads significant office admin efforts, like selecting space and negotiating rent, selecting and negotiating with vendors, procuring temps, etc.

In some places the "office manager" is just a glorified receptionist who orders office supplies, but in other companies the job can entail major responsibilities for both personnel and $$. The latter usually entails more than 35-40 hours though.

seeker

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:15 pm

I think "office manager" is the kind of job definition that could be flexible and could improve over time. It's the kind of thing where you can start off doing basic work but as you integrate into the company your value can increase dramatically, and then you can ask for pay raises every year or two, though the work you do would have to increase accordingly. Usually this kind of person would start off doing more technical things but as they gain familiarity and with a little initiative they could end up practically running the business.

dorothy1

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 12:57 pm

watergirl wrote:

If so many peolle did not want to do the job for the amount offered then it seems like it was NOT a market value that he was offering . $15/hr is fine for a Semianry girl working a very simple office job, not for a manager or bookkeeper much less both.

watergirl

Wed, Jan 16 2019, 1:02 pm

dorothy1 wrote:

Like I said. The majority who inquired wanted to work remotely. Its a 3 person office. Not a huge thing.