The ascendancy of remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the game for the world of business (not to mention the world in general).
As such, businesses need to stay on top of the latest innovations in remote work management and efficiency. Although the transition to allowing work from home (or more work from home) can be daunting, it’s the wave of the future since greater than one-third of full-time workers will likely do remote work in the next ten years, according to builtin.com.
Leading the way in terms of effective remote-work policies will help set you apart as an employer, attracting more employees and boosting the morale of your current ones. The problem, of course, is that a great deal of managers and executives don't know where to start in terms of building out an effective work-from-home system.
To help, we’ll look at some of the best tools and systems for remote work in small and large enterprises, including ProofHub, Trello, GitHub, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Drive, Toggl, and 10to8.
This article is going to look more closely at these tools, plus cover some important factors to keep in mind when choosing remote work tools for your business
Important criteria for remote work tools
By keeping the following criteria in mind, you're more likely to pick the remote work tools that work best for you and your company.
Pricing – Quite simply, is this an affordable option for your company’s budget? You will likely need a number of tools or systems, and the costs can add up quickly. The best remote work tools will provide great value while still being affordable.
Ease of use – The last thing you want is a management system that makes your life harder rather than easier, or leaves you bogged down with constant emails from confused employees. Make sure that the remote work tools you’re considering have simple and intuitively designed interfaces.
Effectiveness – Again, the whole point of a remote work tool or system is that it simplifies things for your company. As such, an ineffective tool might even be worse than no tool at all. You’ll want to do your due diligence to ensure that you’re not wasting your money on a lackluster service.
Integrations – It wouldn’t make a lot of sense to consider a new management system that doesn’t allow for streamlined integrations with the other platforms you’re already using. Integrations are top-of-mind now for developers so most of the best remote working tools will offer a wide range of useful integrations.
Work-from-home tools
Now, we're going to examine some work-from-home tools that will be sure to boost your company’s productivity and morale.
Project management tools
ProofHub streamlines all your different groups and projects. Essentially every facet of managing your projects are to be found with ProofHub, helping your company run more efficiently.
Trello is a popular project management tool since it offers a variety of important applications for remote work. It uses "boards" (projects) and "cards" (tasks) to make things simple for everybody.
GitHub is a code-hosting platform, allowing your team members to develop code and collaborate from anywhere with ease.
Communication tools
Slack is a popular tool for remote work communication, making it easy to create and assign dedicated channels. Plus, it allows colleagues to message each other through direct message.
Microsoft Teams – You get the reliability you’d expect from Microsoft with Teams. It’s handy for collaboration with individual messaging, group chatting, and video calling.
Zoom became a household name thanks to the pandemic and remains a solid option for remote working. Its reliability and scalability are hard to beat.
Storage tools
- Google Drive – One of the most popular remote storage options, Google Drive makes it a breeze to share files with your colleagues and is relatively affordable.
Time-tracking tools
- Toggl – This app wins high marks in the time-management category, letting you easily track your team’s hours and loaded with handy features.
Meeting and scheduling
- 10to8 – Not simply for setting up appointments, 10to8 lets you run virtual meetings and easily take your remote work management to the next level.
Remote access tools
- TeamViewer and AnyDesk make helping customers and working with colleagues remotely a breeze, offering a reliable and intuitive platform.
Overcoming loneliness
Since the pandemic, many workers have struggled with the loneliness of remote work. Using the above tools can help overcome this, so it’s important to keep the communication factor in mind.
It can also help increase employee camaraderie to arrange a “social hour” so your team members can kick back and discuss something other than work.
Wrapping up
Remote work is here to stay, behooving companies to build out hybrid remote work systems that will attract employees and keep current employees happy. Using these tools will go a long way in streamlining this process and ensuring that your company continues to thrive.
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Brought to you by Spurwing. Helping your organization embrace Work From Home Tools and Systems. Build Scheduling & Time Management solutions with our Scheduling API.
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