Top 4 Best Resources and Tools for Remote Workers in 2022

By Space Coast Daily // April 30, 2022

Introduction

Remote work wasn’t unheard of before 2020, it just wasn’t as normalized as it is now. Two years in since the onset of the pandemic, remote work – ‘working from home’ – is considered as standard as on-site employment. Working remotely wasn’t just an option not so long ago, it was a necessity for those that were able to do so.

With remote work comes new parameters for managers all around the world. As the job landscape changed, so did technology. New tech has been developed, and older tech has been advanced to accommodate the changes brought about by COVID-19.

The tools and resources needed for remote work can be split into 4 clearly defined categories:

1. Project Management;

2. Communication;

3. Collaboration;

4. Team Monitoring.

Below, we shall have a quick look at the best in each category with honorable mentions given to their peer competitors.

1. Project Management

Trello

The lead focal point of this hugely popular project management tool is improved efficiency. Trello aids in better and more efficient handling of projects and teams by assisting with the optimization of collaborations to enhance production rates. It’s Trello’s simple but incredibly effective approach to this that has garnered it its global reputation as a no-fuss project management go-to.

Organizational tasks are streamlined from the very beginning of a project. Team alignment is made easy, with each member’s particular roles and duties made clear and delegated with clarity. From the off, everyone will know what they should be focused on while all working harmoniously from the same page.

This can be done across multiple projects at the same time, without loss of grip on proceedings. Workflows are kept moving along smoothly, and every detail of a project can be stored in one central hub that is accessible to all, ensuring that all members are consulting the same details and seeing the same things. This core nerve center of a project works wonders at keeping teams, therefore their projects, on the right tracks with little room for misunderstandings – and setbacks.

Trello pros:

Improved collaborative projects;
Unlimited tasks;
More efficient delegation of duties;
Document and file sharing;
Works with other business applications.

2. Communication

Slack

Think of Facebook’s Messenger or WhatsApp. Then think of them beefed up and dressed for work. Making messaging as easy as the aforementioned apps, Slack is quick and, more relevantly, can have its conversations divided up into rooms for specific teams.

These multiple rooms mean that your sales staff can converse in one area while strategists, marketers, designers, and so on, can converse in others. This division of departments and teams can improve focus and keep everyone involved on the same page. Members will also have private one-to-one conversations or team meetings that can come handy when a team member needs some quick feedback on their work. Let’s say your team’s designer needs an opinion on a web animation they just created, or a content writer needs to clarify some technical jargon. It can all be done quicker and more efficiently via Slack.

Video messaging and old-school voice calls are also just a button away, but bear in mind that one-to-one is only accessible for calls on the free plan. If you want more than that, then you need to raid the budget and pull out a subscription fee.

Pricing starts low: a little over $6 per month per user.

Slack pros:

In-company channels – including chats with clients;
Easy real-time collaboration, file share, and question fast response;
Can make the workday more fun;
App available for desktop and mobile.

3. Collaboration

Google Drive

It may (or may not) seem hard to believe, but Google Drive is now 10 years old. Google’s free office suite also incorporates Google Docs, Google Sheets, and and Google Slides (which you can spruce up by designing on Canva), and now, a decade in, Drive remains a leader in collaborative work among teams.

Google’s Drive, its central hub, is the epicenter at which files can be stored, synchronized across devices, and shared with others. But it’s not sharing that is its strong point, it’s collaborating. Via Google Drive, multiple team members can access the same files and work on them in tandem or edit and suggest changes in real time while looking at the same file.

Google Drive isn’t anchored to desktops either, it is available as a mobile app. Documents, spreadsheets, and more, also have their own mobile applications, but all files are accessible through Drive.

Google had already created a market leader, but since the boom in remote work over the last two years, Google Drive has become virtually indispensable. Even if you don’t routinely use it, if you work from home, you can bet at some point or other, that you will need it.

Google Drive Pros:

Simultaneous sharing and editing;
Sharing of all file types;
Access controls;
Cross-device and platform synchronization;
Multi-language;
Secure two-step verification.

See also: Confluence, Microsoft Teams.

4. Team Monitoring

Hubstaff

Hubstaff is a very popular and very simple resource for bettering the efficiency of remote work teams. Time tracking is streamlined to a fine point, enabling leaders, supervisors, and/or bosses to get the optimal productivity from their teams. This can be done via a mobile or desktop app.

Hubstaff can be integrated with other applications (such as Trello and PayPal) thus supplying the ability to monitor task progress in real time, as well as paying staff members. It also includes a GPS tracker – which may or may not be useful, depending on if all staff are remote or not.

It can be added as an extension to Chrome, as well as be run across the Mac OS, Windows, Android, iOS, and Linux.

Hubstaff pros:

Excellent time-tracker;
GPS for offsite tracking;
Enhanced productivity.

5. Performance Management

factoHR

Have you ever thought all your organization’s performance management needs are managed at your fingertips? Then factoHR is the name you should acknowledge and implement at the workplace. The cloud-based software assists HR managers in handling performance management tasks and improving employees’ productivity.

The system is useful for both employees and employers. For example, employers can track performances over different departments and generate reports. In addition, informative dashboards provide valuable data that can be helpful to identify top talent among the workforce.

Employees can set individual and organizational goals directly in the system to keep the critical elements in mind. Additionally, managers can track the goals in real-time to see the progress. The software lets employees add their opinions regarding the plans and problems so that employers can consider them. It establishes two-way communication between both.

factoHR pros:

Fully customizable
Allows integration
Access controls
Improved employee productivity
Available for desktop and mobile

Conclusion

Each of the above tools will considerably improve the efficient handling of your remote teams. Mixed together, and you will be well on the way to better productivity, tighter teams, and an improved work experience for all of your team members – wherever they may be. Also, if you are interested in integrating these tools with your own systems, consider using LeadsBridge.