It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed the definition of corporate life worldwide. Pre COVID, a cosy work environment at home, was the dream of many corporate employees. The temporary remote working model, driven by COVID, had consequently converted this dream into reality. 

What was expected to be temporary has gradually become a permanent working solution for many business models. While remote working has proven beneficial for both employers and employees, organisations soon realised productivity might become an issue. 

The past two years have highlighted the importance of technology-based tools and their role in empowering employers from any sector, from small-scale enterprises to big companies. Organisations have access to a wide range of specialised solutions targeted at problems driven by working from home, such as

• Video conferencing and chat apps for virtual meetings
• Cloud storage keeps standard files and applications accessible
• Project and employee management, securing productivity and effectiveness of the remote working environment

Below we’ve compiled a shortlist of 5 apps that any remote working team can’t live without!

Trello

In our opinion as one of the most straightforward project management tools available. It consists of ‘boards’, where users create ‘cards’ outlining tasks, checklists and deadlines. Tagging users aids in collaboration and task ownership. Events such as user tags and deadlines will trigger notifications and reminders, keeping members updated with the progression of every activity. As Trello is cloud-based, it does a great job of helping remote teams break projects into tasks ensuring everyone is up to speed.

TeamViewer

TeamViewer is an intelligent remote desktop solution that safely allows you to share the remote access of your device to your colleagues, clients, and IT personnel. Once you share the necessary login details, one can easily log into your device from any corner of the globe. The user-friendly interface and the strong reliability of its infrastructure make this tool a premium choice among many corporates.

Zapier

As organisations take up more work every day, juggling tasks and software might become overwhelming for employees. Automation of some pre-defined assignments eases the workload and drives efficiency. Zapier collectively supports over 2000 different tools and helps automate additional complex work spread across other apps. The primary motive of this platform is for users to manually prioritise the more important tasks and let the software deal with small jobs ensuring users are on top of everything.

Slack

Since its inception, Slack has cemented its place as one of the best direct communication apps in the corporate setting. Slack streamlines team communication, offering functionality for users to send direct messages and update their work status, share attachments, and organise group or individual calls. The infrastructure of this app further expands its features, enabling set time limits and reminders, along with a description for set tasks. Slack will even send you timely reminders and assist you in maintaining the set deadlines.

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is an all-in-one team management app that lets you track the productivity of your employees, create customisable invoices and generate streamlined reports. Its inherent design improves efficiency of your employee billing hours and increases productivity through remote collaboration. The built-in GPS optimises the workflow of each employee and creates a detailed report on time-taken to complete each assessment. The streamlined reporting eases the project planning process where project managers can view activity scores and set employee tasks accordingly.

The benefits of remote working are plain to see, but it also adds another complex layer to your workforce’s management. However, with tools like these, the transition of work culture to a flexible one is easier than ever before.