First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

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Typical Tasks for First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

The day-to-day work of a first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers typically centers on supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.

1. Supervise the work of office, administrative, or customer service employees to ensure adherence to quality standards, deadlines, and proper procedures, correcting errors or problems.Core
2. Resolve customer complaints or answer customers' questions regarding policies and procedures.Core
3. Provide employees with guidance in handling difficult or complex problems or in resolving escalated complaints or disputes.Core
4. Review records or reports pertaining to activities such as production, payroll, or shipping to verify details, monitor work activities, or evaluate performance.Core
5. Discuss job performance problems with employees to identify causes and issues and to work on resolving problems.Core
6. Prepare and issue work schedules, deadlines, and duty assignments for office or administrative staff.Core
7. Recruit, interview, and select employees.Core
8. Interpret and communicate work procedures and company policies to staff.Core

Top Skills for First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Workers in this occupation rely most on Speaking, Monitoring, and Active Listening. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.91 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.

Education & Entry Qualifications

Among working first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers, the most common entry qualification is a Bachelor's Degree (45.2%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 47% of incumbents. Entry pathways are mixed; a meaningful minority enters without a four-year degree.

Salary by State — First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Median annual pay is highest in District of Columbia at $82,280 and lowest in West Virginia at $51,700 — a 1.6× spread. The top five states (District of Columbia, Washington, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island) average $77,812. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.

Also Known As

Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for first-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for Accounting Administrator or Accounting Clerks Supervisor frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.