You can’t do without them – office managers are the all-rounders in the office, have the overview and are often insiders in confidential matters. The job of an office manager is varied and versatile. They perform many administrative tasks and thus keep the backs of others free, making sure that others can do their job. And they almost always have an open ear for “the others”, including our “fairy godmother” Daniela, who sits with us in the Hamburg office and ensures a good working relationship with her friendly manner. What she likes about her job and why she likes working at catworkx, you can find out here.
Introduce yourself, please. Who are you?
Daniela: Hello, my name is Daniela Reitmayer, I am 46 years old and have been Office Manager at catworkx for 5 years. I’m probably the first person you see when you come into the office in Hamburg – I’m sitting “at the front”, so to speak. 😉
How do you actually become an “office manager” – is that what you’ve always done?
Daniela: I originally trained as an advertising saleswoman in Hamburg. However, I did not hold this job for long. I found out very quickly that this was not the right thing for me or for the future. That’s why I went to New York City for a year right after graduation. This is also where my good English skills come from, which I can still use today, even at catworkx.
Back in Germany, I then worked for a while as a management assistant for a medium-sized company. I stayed there, with one interruption, until 2008. That’s when my son was born. After two years of parental leave, I went back to work there part-time.
How did the switch to catworkx come about and why did you choose catworkx back then?
Daniela: At some point, working with the reduced number of hours was no longer enough for me. My employer at the time could not offer me more hours so I went looking for another job. I found the ad from catworkx and applied there, in the classic way. During the above-mentioned “interruption period” I once worked – due to a change of location – for two years in an IT company and found the “atmosphere” there very pleasant, despite or because of the many male colleagues. Working with “IT guys” is different after all. 😉 What also attracted me to catworkx was that the scope of tasks for which I was hired was so extensive. What was particularly close to my heart: I was able and allowed to work independently in my area right from the start.
Can you describe your tasks at catworkx, what does your daily work look like and what skills do you need for such a job?
Daniela: My scope of duties is large, I think that’s great. I take care of all office matters, but also the conference room, the coffee kitchen, the office supplies, the central telephone. You can summarize: I generally take care of all administrative processes in the office. This ranges from the support of individual employees or the management, to travel bookings for colleagues, to assistance in marketing or, as is currently the case, in license sales – as you can see, I am on the move on many levels. 🙂
The colleagues are happy when everything around their job runs smoothly, there are enough coffee supplies and even cookies on the reception desk. This sounds “terse”, but I think such little things and attentions are part of a pleasant everyday office life and a good mood. For this job you need to be reasonably flexible and able to multitask, because often several things are required at the same time. Empathy helps here – and so does a healthy self-confidence in one’s own cause or person. A “sunny disposition” and a positive charisma is also an advantage in this job.
What do you appreciate about catworkx, what do you particularly like here?
Daniela: Right from the start, I received great appreciation from the management and my colleagues. Working in the different departments shows me again and again that there are opportunities for every team member at catworkx to develop internally and also to go in new directions that you might not have thought of before. That’s what I like very much here: the employees are supported and promoted at catworkx. And, as mentioned above, I appreciate the versatility of my job, the really nice colleagues and the supervisors who come to the office with a round of ice cream in the summer, serve breakfast on Mondays and sometimes order the food truck for everyone when the month ends very well.