Although the popularity and possibility of remote work has consistently been increasing over the last decade, COVID-19 has made it an absolute necessity for the foreseeable future. In fact, a 2020 study by the European Commission found that 40% of those working in the European Union began to work remotely as a result of the pandemic.
This phenomenon undoubtedly has a wide range of pros and cons. Working-from-home lovers will tell you that they love the flexibility, work-life balance and comfort that remote work offers. On the other hand, creatures of routine struggle with the lack of structure, difficulty coordinating with colleagues and distractions within the home. On top of that, workplaces are scrambling to set up effective remote work systems while making sure everything’s GDPR compliant.
However you may feel, learning how to work from home effectively has become an indispensable skill. That’s not likely to change any time soon. . More than half of the EU population currently working from home due to COVID-19 had no previous experience with remote work, so now’s the perfect time to become an expert.
Additionally, many employees enjoy working from home but are struggling with a lack of at-home support from their workplace.
Fortunately, an incredibly wide variety of digital tools exist to help you work from home effectively, whether you’re a one-person show or are managing a larger team. The options are endless, but we’ve put together a list of the 10 digital tools that we find the most useful when it comes to remote working processes.
1) Communication with Slack
Slack is one of the best-loved digital tools for remote work and so far it has truly stood the test of time. It’s an easy-to-use communication tool that acts as a virtual office and allows you to communicate with your colleagues in real-time with ease.
Slack is great because it keeps all professional communications in one place. This helps avoid the confusion and frustration that comes with keeping track of work-related communications across different platforms.
Slack also helps keep communications organized: by individual, by group or team, by channel… the sky’s the limit. You can also send files, share screens, and make both voice and video calls. It’s a highly customizable tool, so you can set it up to fit your specific needs.
2) Password Management with LastPass
Regardless of the workflow systems and processes you have in place, you probably have a lot of different passwords and profiles to keep track of. To avoid the frustration of forgetting passwords or concerns associated with exchanging sensitive information via email, consider using a password manager like LastPass. LastPass is one of the most popular password management systems: it’s free, makes use of strong encryption algorithms at the device level and has multi factor authentication capabilities.
LastPass remembers all your passwords across different websites and devices, all you have to do is download your preferred browser extension and create a strong master password. LastPass also enables you to share login information with people directly, rather than having to send sensitive information back and forth.
3) Screen Recording with Loom
Have you ever been exchanging emails with someone and thought: “Wow, it’d be so much easier if I could just show them in person?” Well, with modern technology you can do just that.
Loom is a video messaging platform that allows you to maximize workplace productivity, whether you’re managing a large team or corresponding with your clients. Basically, it allows you to record your screen, voice and face and turn it into a video that’s easy to share via link.
Loom’s perfect for explaining concepts that are better visually demonstrated than verbally explained, and is a great tool to use for onboarding employees or teaching your team how to use new programs.
4) Schedule Meetings with Calendly
One of the things remote workers struggle with the most is organizing their personal schedules. Managing meetings, brainstorming sessions and informal chats is much easier when everyone’s in the office. Now that many of us are working from our living rooms, a simple phone call can turn into days of phone and email tag.
Calendly is a great digital tool that can help you avoid this headache. A favourite of freelancers, all you have to do is upload your availability into the app and share your link. You can send it to people as necessary, or even embed it onto your website or social media page. This way, people will be able to view your availability and plan a call with you… u without the back and forth.
5) Organize Your Team Calendar with Float
Tools like Float are useful if you’re managing a large team remotely, and even more so if members live in different locations across different time zones. If you aren’t able to rely on the consistency and structure that comes along with conventional office hours, keeping track of various team members’ availability, regular working hours, days off and holidays can be tricky.
Float provides a simple yet effective solution: it’s a calendar that shows a shared view of all team members’ schedules. It’s also designed with collaboration in mind as all changes made are automatically saved and displayed.can be easily consulted at a glance.
6) Track Your Time with Time Doctor (100 words)
Another difficulty commonly associated with working outside a conventional office environment is keeping track of employees’ working hours. Basically, when everyone’s working according to their own schedule, there needs to be a system in place that holds employees accountable for when they’re working and what they’re working on. Such systems also increase productivity and help enforce company policies. Enter the advent of time tracking tools.
Time Doctor is one of the most popular time tracking applications out there. It enables team members to record their working hours as well as what they’re spending their time on. It also offers additional customizations like alerts, attendance reports and payroll that you can use according to your needs.
Pro Tip: Time tracking tools come in handy in conventional office environments as well, especially when you need to account for hours worked when invoicing clients.
7) Store Documents with Google Drive (100 words)
Google Drive is the ol’ faithful of remote working processes, but it’s utility can’t be underestimated.
It’s one of the best solutions for file storage out there as Google gives you the first 15GB of storage for free and all files are safely and intuitively stored in one location. Even better, it’s easy to grant access to team members and collaborators as needed, and Google Drives can be accessed from anywhere using any device.
Using Google Drive is especially useful if your team already works with other G Suite features like Google Docs, Google Forms or Google Sheets.
8) Collect Files with DropBox (100 words)
Virtual communication has come a long way, but many teams still struggle to exchange large files quickly and efficiently. DropBox is the perfect solution for this, making it a tool that many remote workers are already familiar with.
Upload large files like high-quality images, videos and other media and PowerPoint presentations into Dropbox and share them in a matter of clicks via link. It also works both ways: team members can be prompted to submit completed work into a DropBox folder.
9) Organize Paperwork with Slite (100 words)
Nowadays, paperwork is increasingly being completed and stored online. The days of disorganized stacks of documents on desks are gone, being replaced with the more convenient digital formats that we all know and love.
Nevertheless, digital documents require organization processes of their own in order to be used efficiently.
Tools such as Slite enable teams to create virtual workspaces and keep their documents organized in one central location according to template, project or theme. Working on a new product launch? Check out their requirements document template. Want to streamline your HR processes? They’ve got employee onboarding and interview feedback templates, too.
10) Track Team Progress with I Done This (100 words)
Last but not least, regular employee check-ins increase productivity, enhance transparency and enrich communication within working relationships. Check-ins can be done daily, weekly or monthly, but they don’t have to be as time consuming as you might initially assume. In fact, effective check-ins should be efficient and to the point.
I Done This is a digital tool specifically designed for remote teams that enables users to put together check-ins and progress reports with minimal additional effort needed. You’ll be surprised what something as simple as a daily report can do for your team’s productivity
There are so many digital tools out there designed for remote work, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If you don’t know where to start, try some of the suggestions from this list. Your team will need to try out various different tools and consider factors like compatibility and other usability testing questions in order to determine what will best suit your collective needs. Fortunately, the majority of the digital tools we covered above offer free trials that give you plenty of time to explore.
Remote work isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, so use this opportunity to enjoy its benefits and familiarize yourself with the various tools and applications you can use to make your at-home workday both efficient and enjoyable.
