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The differences between office managers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an office manager, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $43,395 average annual salary of an office manager.
The top three skills for an office manager include customer service, patients and financial statements. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Office Manager | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $43,395 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $20.86 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | -8% | - |
| Number of jobs | 53,712 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Office managers oversee the entire workplace. They maintain office processes and services to ensure that everything is running well. They manage office supplies by managing inventory and procurement procedures. They also device filing systems, create needed and relevant office policies, and ensure that all the policies are being followed. As a way to make sure that the office is in top shape, office managers supervise most of the logistical aspects inside the office. They also provide support to both management teams and the rest of the employees. They often act as the bridge between the two and would sometimes even assist in the training of new employees.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Office managers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Office Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $43,395 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $62,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New York | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Moody's | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an office manager and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Office Manager | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California State University - Bakersfield | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between office managers' and supervisors' demographics:
| Office Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 13.5% Female, 86.5% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 5.2% White, 60.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 6% |