The Office Manager Diaries

Today, Hana had the pleasure of talking to Ben Howard from 3BM who has found office management after a number of different roles including being a Life Guard and working in hospitality. His "you won't believe it but...." moment is short, and sweet (ish!) and as always, Hana shares her top tip for this episode. Remember to sign up as a Member to The Office Management Portal to make even more connections across the OM space... and enjoy this one! Next time, we'll be back with our very special Christmas Episode featuring some amazing people from the network so look out for that one, you wont want to miss it!

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⏯️In this ep, Hana chats to Jessica (Jess) Clemett who is working in the City of London in a corporate finance business.

⏯️What a joy this episode was to record, we went into the real depths of office and facilities management with Rod, and warning the toilet talk does come up a bit at the end, so… we wouldn't advise you listen to this one over your lunch, or at least not the last 15 minutes!

We are back with a special one-off episode of The Office Manager Diaries before Season 3 returns in the Autumn

Lily Martin joins Hana this week on the pod and shares all about her incredibly diverse role as the Office Manager at Quotacom. Lily has been increasingly active on LinkedIn, sharing her events and charity work, which caught Hana's eye, so she was keen to get her on the podcast and find out more. We are now taking a break for Summer but will be back soon with our Awards Winners Special episode!

In this week's episode of The Office Manager Diaries, Hana's EA and Business Development Manager, Elizabeth Clapton, joins us for a special episode in which you can learn a little more about The OMG, our team, why we do what we do, and how we do it.We're over 30 episodes into the pod now, which is an incredible milestone, so we thought it's time to give you some insights into us and how we empower the office management profession. .The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

We're back this week with another brilliant guest, Pippa Hadley from C&C Search who has interacted with Hana and the OMG for some time now, albeit mostly to support others at the company. This time, Pippa is in the spotlight and we dig into her role as Head of Operations for an all-female business in London. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In The Office Manager Diaries this week, Hana was joined by Linzi Wright who is the Office Manager of DF Concerts and Events. They chatted all things office management of course, and delved into how the role is perceived and what people struggle to understand what it is we actually do!Thank you to Art in Offices for sponsoring this episode. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this one, Hana welcomes Rachel Trowsdale from Octopus Energy's Brighton office. We delve into the incredible culture at Octopus and the amazing growth that Rachel has had with the company since she landed her first ever office management role with them, plus her challenges along the way and her office manager diary extracts! This is a great ep to tune into.The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This was such a joy to record, in this ep of the podcast Hana meets with Byron Carmona who is the Workplace Experience Manager at Cushman and Wakefield. We get to the nitty gritty on what it's like working in facilities management and workplace management, and that people still don't fully grasp what it is these roles do for their organisations. The word "facilitator" came up and we loved this summary. Have a listen to our latest episode and share with us your one word for this dynamic, ever-changing role! This Episode is sponsored by Bespoke Cleaning.

This time, Hana welcomed a returning pod guest and a newbie both from Shoosmiths. Jackie Corbett has appeared with us before and we got deeper with her and Simon Taylor, Director of Property and Workplace there on their office move and fit out project, what it's like running the workplace at Shoosmiths across multiple properties and people, and of course their office manager diary extracts! The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Office Manager for a FinTech, Melbourne VIC, This episode is with long-time Member of The Office Management Portal and the network in London, Kathryn Ramsden. Kathryn relocated to Australia in late 2022 and so Hana wanted to find out about her time there so far, and how the office management role may differ from that in the UK. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This episode was a really insightful one to record for the Office Manager Diaries, Laura is an Office Manager and Assistant to the Rt Hon Michelle Donelan who is an MP and a member of cabinet. Laura gives us insights on what it's like to be an office management in parliament and working for the government, what she gets up to each day and how she manages a highly demanding workload. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

We are delighted to be back for Season 2 of the Office Manager Diaries Podcast, and in our first episode for this year, we welcome Chloe who is an avid office management professional with a matching passion to that of Hana's. She is on a quest to ensure that office managers in France are empowered and supported, that people in the businesses there know what an office manager is responsible for and ensure they are adequately armed to do their jobs. Enjoy this first ep!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this week's episode, Hana was delighted to be joined by Jay Tuckwell who is our last guest for this first season! He was an epic final guest to have and shared lots of LOL moments with Hana as they talk about his boiler being condemned, how he got into the profession and how he is still learning as a newbie into the office management role, sharing some of his top tips so far. Enjoy, and we'll see you again in Jan 2024 for Season 2!

In this week's episode, Hana was delighted to be joined Cass Briscoe who is a seasoned office and events manager turned self-employed helping numerous clients run their businesses. Cass has been a long time and active Member of The Office Management Portal and appreciates the value a network can bring. In this episode, we chat about Cass's brilliant Office Manager Diary extract and her journey to office management and ambitions around her business now, plus she shares some incredible tips for those aspiring to be in the office management profession. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Hana was joined in this week's episode of The Office Manager Diaries by Shenaz Bussawon who is the PA and Office Manager for the British Port Association - very much a role that involves events and event management, so if you want the low down on how to arrange a great event (including Hana's tip for the week!) and some venue options in London, this is one for you. Plus, find out who she meets in her Office Manager Diary moment!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this episode Hana welcome Cathryn Goss-Goddard and Martha Gregory from Kitt Offices to the pod where they dive deep into the evolution of the office management role, the differences they've observed about the role here in the UK and how it's treated and valued a little different over in the US, their tips on moving from a reactive office manager to a proactive one and how you can lean on tech and data to support you! Plus, they couldn't come on without sharing their office manager diary stories.

This was a great episode to record - Hana really enjoyed speaking with Jackie Corbett who is the Regional Estates Manager at Shoosmiths in Birmingham. They recently completed a top notch office move which Jackie was heavily involved in overseeing, she shares her tips on balancing the role and personal life (and sleep!) and a few connected stories from her office manager diary. Enjoy this one!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Hana was delighted to be joined by not just one, but two amazing guests this week - the supercharged team supporting Funding Circle's London office, Wendy and Kate. They speak to us about how they work together to run a very busy, large office in Central London and the challenges they face, their tips to run and manage in these roles and of course great stories from their Office Manager Diaries - one which was rather unique and shocking!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This episode of the Office Manager Diaries invites Sarah Charters who is an ex-OM turned business owner to chat with Hana on the pod. She shares her top tips on being in an office management role and starting a business, how she keeps in touch with the ever changing elements of the role and the highs and lows in her career to date. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This episode was so much fun for Hana to record, her and Rhys don't know each other well at all and this is often when the most interesting conversations on the pod take place. Rhys Carvill is the Office Manager at Precision Resource Group and he shares posts here and there on LinkedIn, one of which in particular caught Hana's eye so she invited him on. They chat everything from neurodiversity and ADHD to the office management role and a typical day and we couldn't get Rhys on without hearing from his Office Manager Diary!

Our guest in this week's Office Manager Diaries podcast is Caroline Rees Williams who is the Operations Manager at The Valesco Group and also winner of Hybrid Office Manager of the Year at the 2023 Awards. We tap into more about her role, and how she manages such a busy, smaller business operating in Mayfair, London. Plus her moment from her office manager diary in our "You Won't Believe it But..." feature. And Hana's tip for this week is asking for a salary review - one to dip into if you're struggling her...enjoy this episode!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This week's episode is a little bit different, as we are joined by most of the winners from The 2023 Office Management Awards. Hana speaks to them all about their process in going through the entry form, what it was like in the build up to the event knowing they were a finalist, how they found the ceremony to be on the night and what it was like to win the award for their category. They share tips with our listeners on entering for awards in future years, and of course we couldn't let them on the Pod without hearing some of their "you won't believe it but..." stories. Enjoy this one, and congratulations once again to every entrant, finalist and winner - you are all so very much deserving of this recognition, reward and celebration. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedInConnect with Hana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomgFollow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this week's episode of The Office Manager Diaries, we're joined by Hana's Assistant, Mel Poole, in a special episode where you can learn a little more about The OMG, our team, why we do what we do and how we do it. The OMG has expanded rapidly over the years and Hana is on a mission to continue this growth, and so Mel and her team of assistants will be stepping back from the OMG and we'll be welcoming a new full time assistant very soon. So to mark an incredible few years together, Hana and Mel chat through their achievements and struggles running the Group (and the 6 different streams of the business) to make Office Managers the central focus in everything we do. Plus, Mel may just share some insider information on what it's like working with Hana!

In this week's episode of The Office Manager Diaries, Hana is joined by Katie Overton who is the Senior Business Support Manager at Big Society Capital. We have some frank conversations on the challenges in not just office management roles, but managing administrative teams as well and how unimportant a degree can be in these roles and the misjudgement placed on job specs requiring them putting of perfectly capable candidates who didn't put themselves through uni...The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This week we welcome another Award Winning Office Manager welcoming Stephanie Knox from J-Talk to the pod! We talk about the importance of understanding your strengths and pitfalls and how you can overcome typical challenges such as imposter syndrome - something so many of us face in these roles especially. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did recording it! The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This episode is with Stefanie Droog who is the Office Manager at Research Partnership and has been a long-time Member of The Office Management Portal having attended her first event with us in 2018. Stef shares her insights into office management and how she makes the role a success from the off, as well as her journey into the career and of course, a snippet from her office management diary!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Hana has known Megan for some time, and due to the streams within The Office Management Group that Megan gets involved in, they've got to know each other very well over the years. As our only current multi-OMA-winning Member

In this week's new episode, Hana chats to Nabeela Hasan from Octopus Energy where they explore just how electric (sorry, we couldn't help it!) Octopus's culture is, what her "you won't believe it but..." is and just how Nabeela found the experience of winning Newcomer of the Year at The 2022 Office Management Awards. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Hana speaks with Dale Orlando Armitt in this episode of The Office Manager Diaries, who is the Office Manager at AccessPay. He shares all about his role and remit, what a typical day looks like and how to be the 'chameleon' of the office which is what we both agree is necessary in these office management roles. Dale shares how key he thinks adapting and being resilient is, but also ensuring top communication skills and being perceptive which are so crucial too. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this episode, Hana and Barbara get deep - office management can be a really challenging role at times and Babs shares her tips on how to overcome some of the common challenges (that we don't speak about enough) as well as some of the antics she's had to get up to on behalf of her business to ensure all have a great time.The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

This episode is very much focussed on JP's crazy and inspiring career journey from tough times to absolute highs in his operations career and going from strength to strength as a line manager and leader. JP is the Operations Manager at Ethos Farm, based at Westfield London and in this he shares with us how he manages such a busy role and elements of managing a large team within that. The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

Allison Dunnings is the Workplace Experience Manager at Tails.com - as you'll hear in this episode her responsibilities are broad, much like most in these roles. What's interesting is her background in events and music and our joint belief that this makes her a better office manager because of it.The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

In this episode, Hana speaks with Emma Martin who she's known since Emma was Hana's Assistant and Office Junior at Berenberg. Emma shares how she's progressed in her office management career with the support of great managers and mentors around her, as well as the challenges she's faced in the role and over the course of the pandemic.The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/

We're delighted to launch the first episode of The Office Manager Diaries, and our very first guest - Sarah James, People & Operations Manager at Savient Limited, also winner of Office Manager of the Year at The Office Management Awards. In this episode, Sarah shares her career journey, challenges she's faced and some secrets from her Office Manager Diary... enjoy!The Portal: https://theofficemanagementportal.com/packagesThe Group: https://www.theofficemanagementgroup.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hana-gray-theomg/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theofficemanagementgroup/