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ucts appeared in the market, purchases were still made in the form of a trip to the shop or the
wholesaler and supplying the warehouse with the necessary stationery and hygienic items. In
every company it was done according to internal arrangements and it is hard to pinpoint one
prevailing model here. In state institutions, meanwhile, the obligation of holding tenders and
competitions, attended by potential suppliers, was introduced. The most advantageous offer
was chosen through competition.
The last decade of the XX century in Poland was certainly marked by the changes that
came as a result of the introduction of computers to office work. Large (then) electronic
equipment replacing typewriters required more square metres for the use of employees.
Moreover, changes in the flow of documents and their storage on digital media made it
possible to reorganize paper archives in the next years, and thus save space. There were
no specific rules as to the arrangement of the workplace. A new worker was usually sent
to a room where people from the same department were sitting. A workstation was organ-
ized when needed. It was usually handled by the person in the position of the head of the
department – indeed, they largely acted as organizers of office work in their subordinate
units. The 90’s in Poland were a period of rapid growth and adaptation to new conditions.
That’s why offices were largely filled with furniture from the previous “era”. Changes began
to take hold in the second half of the decade.
After the fall of the communism, foreign capital began to pour into Poland in the 90’s,
and new jobs and companies with very specific structures emerged at the same time.
There were still small companies which organized the functioning of offices by appoint-
ing department managers or persons responsible for the so-called procurement pro-
cesses. But in large corporations, sometimes with hundreds of employees, the position
of office manager was created, and he became an extremely important figure in the
organization of office work.
The office manager in a XXI-century office
Companies employing dozens or even hundreds of employees would not be able to control
the functioning of their offices without a person supervising their organization. In XXI-century
corporations, such a function is performed by the office manager. People with higher educa-
tion in science and law graduates usually perform well in this position. The office manager is
responsible for the communication inside the office, information flow and managing calendars,
as well as controlling procurement processes or contracts with subcontractors. The main duties
in this position include the organization of office work, including workstations, equipment, and
also ensuring that the ergonomics standards are met. When the equipment is being changed,
it is the office manager who takes part in the selection of companies bidding to provide office
equipment. Together with employees, he often tests furniture from selected offers and takes
decisions on the choice of a bidder, based on opinions and factors such as budget.
Dominika Mrowińska
