• Office duties vary by business size and type.Office image by 6922Designer from Fotolia.com
  
  There are as many types of offices as there are industries in the business world. Because of this, office workers may perform vastly different duties from one another. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), office employees may share some commonalities, including greeting customers, sorting checks, handling payroll records, performing inventory and accessing or recording information.
  
  

Reception Duties

• According to the BLS, receptionists, or information clerks, are frequently charged with making a first impression on visitors to an office. They may answer telephones and screen and direct calls as well as welcome visitors and clients to an office. Additionally, receptionists are often responsible for answering questions and providing general information about an office or company. As part of their duties at the front desk, receptionists may also oversee a security log, checking for proper identification and enforcing a company's security procedures.
  
  Other daily tasks may include routing mail in and out of an office, gathering personal data from clients or patients (if working in a law or medical office, for example) and directing visitors to offices or meeting rooms. In some industries, receptionists may schedule appointments for other office employees, visitors or clients.
  
  Other tasks may include faxing or photocopying information, taking messages and filing.
  
  

Secretarial and Administrative Duties

• In addition to receptionists, many offices employ secretaries or administrative professionals to directly assist teams or executives. Many administrative assistants now take on tasks previously reserved for office managers and other professionals. Still, the essence of the position has not changed, that is, overseeing an office's administrative operations and the storage and retrieval of its information.
  
  Administrative assistants and secretaries frequently set up and coordinate meetings and appointments, oversee the creation and storage of documentation and act as product managers. In some offices, administrative assistants may be responsible for scheduling travel for one or more employees. Other duties may include purchasing supplies, writing reports, setting up and maintaining databases, reviewing contracts and handling telephones and email on behalf of management.
  
  

Data Entry and Information Processing Duties

• Many offices house large amounts of information that needs to be stored electronically. Data entry and information processing employees in an office are often tasked with ensuring company and client information is efficiently and accurately entered into a computer and stored properly. According to the BLS, data entry employees may type or enter reports, letters or other types of material, such as customer information, medical records or other data.
  
  In some cases, data entry clerks are responsible for digitally scanning documents, such as contracts or other forms so they may be stored electronically.