More and more companies allow their employees to work these days remotely. It’s especially popular in the IT and technology industry, but the others have been following in the last years. It’s beneficial for the workers, but also, as the coronavirus pandemic has shown the world, introducing the remote work system to the company earlier may ease the situation when there’s an outside threat or any kind of an emergency.
So it can actually be advantageous for the company which will be ready for everything. It will also help to keep the workers happy and motivated, because flexibility and the change of scenery from time to time may break the routine and make everyone’s lives easier.
Here are some apps that can make these transitions smoother and much less problematic (or not problematic at all).
FaxBurner
Do you need to send a fax, but you’re working from outside the office, and you don’t have access to a fax machine? You will have no problem with that. FaxBurner app is available for all mobile devices, but you can also use this software on your computer by creating an account via their website. It’s much quicker and less irritating than using an actual fax machine that is always slow and tends to break down all the time. So, in fact, it can help you be more productive and save time that can be sacrificed to more critical tasks. Plus, everything will be saved, and you won’t have to worry about losing documents.
Slack
When you work remotely, you need to stay in touch with the rest of the company, so that you’re just as available as you are in the office. Slack is a messaging platform designed for groups of people, teams, and individuals. It’s easy to use, it has a nice-looking and user-friendly interface, and can be adjusted to everybody’s needs. Apart from private conversations, there’s a possibility to create different channels to make sure that everyone receives only the most relevant information. You can set an unavailable status, if you’re busy, share various files, and even have voice and video calls in case of a meeting. It also enables you to share your screen to have your coworkers help you with your work in real-time.
Toggl
It’s a time-tracking app that will help you keep track of how much time you spend on each task; to see if you get distracted easily, or maybe there is an issue with the task in the first place. It was created to help freelancers get an idea about how much they should charge for each project, but it quickly became an ideal tool to know whether employees are as effective while working remotely as they are in the office. Having the idea of the amount of time sacrificed to each task, you will also be able to work on your productivity and workflow.
Google Drive
This is a must-have, especially if you work with lots of documents. Google Drive allows you to store them all in a cloud where they are safe and protected, and you can access them at any time, from any place. What’s more, when you’re working online, all changes are being updated in real-time, which enables you to cooperate with your coworkers whenever you have something to do together. It’s easy to leave notes and suggestions for others. Plus, even if you work offline, you won’t lose your work; changes will simply load at the moment when you are back online.
Zoom
If you attend or host meetings on a daily basis at work, you may think that it’s impossible to work from home. But there’s also highly-efficient software for video conferencing and communication – it’s called Zoom. The quality of all calls is high, as long as your internet connection is not acting up. You can have private calls or team conferences, and it doesn’t matter if you need a video or audio call. It also allows you to chat and share files in real-time. Plus, a free version enables you to talk to a hundred people for up to 40 minutes.
Calendar
No matter your position, no matter your niche, you will always need to organize your work to be productive and efficient. Google Calendar may be enough, but an app named simply Calendar has some additional, useful features, the most important being the ability to merge all your other calendars (Outlook, Google, etc.) into one. It will always be synced and up-to-date, and you will be able to keep track of your tasks and responsibilities and rest assured that you’re not forgetting anything.
Stay productive
To achieve the widely-spoken and desired work-life balance, you need to be fully in control of how you spend your time during working hours, and that you reduce minutes or even hours spent on unnecessary activities. As a boss, you may use these tools to keep track of your employees and give them a little freedom. And as a worker, you can prove yourself to be trustworthy and reliable. Everyone will be satisfied.
