As companies move forward and decide the best way to rebuild their businesses, there is no denying that investing in technology is a must, to be able to adapt to the post-pandemic workplace. Few people will be able to fully return to the office full-time, meaning that most organisations will have to find a balance between remote working and office work. Here we discuss some apps and platforms – in short, technology – that will help leaders, managers, and employees continue with remote working in the new normal.
Project Management
Tools such as Asana and Monday.com are among the most popular project management tools that allow teams to work together no matter where they are around the world. They give an overview of the progress of team projects and come with general management features. Both tools can be used by small or large businesses, offer a free trial period, and come with security features that make the data of your company and employees safe.
Communication
Constant communication among team members is necessary, whether you are in the office or not and tools such as Slack makes it possible for team members to collaborate for work but also chat about non-work-related things. Apps that include video conferencing features such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meets or Microsoft Teams are indispensable for remote working teams, as they allow people to connect with each other. Lastly, apps such as Dropbox and Google Drive are useful for sharing and saving documents that team members can later access, no matter where they are in the world.
Productivity
Maintaining productivity levels while working from home is one of the most difficult aspects of remote work. Some companies use technology to track the productivity of their employees, but experts warn that such measures can erode trust between employees and employer. Additionally, it can lead to increased stress, decreasing the health of employees and by extension their productivity.
If you struggle to find the motivation to work or find yourself procrastinating, these tools might help you or your team members. Evernote is a note-taking, organiser and planner app which allows you to clearly identify the tasks for the day and helps you manage tasks. Focus booster is an app that specialises in helping people stay productive through the Pomodoro technique, a method that encourages people to break down large tasks into smaller ones and focus on each for 25 minutes at a time. If you find yourself surfing the web instead of working, consider using Block Site to reduce access to specific websites that encourage you to procrastinate.