New Work Era
Health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic uprooted the daily work habits of many and forced them to adapt. But even as the pandemic’s grip on society slowly loosens, there hasn’t been a rapid return of workers to their shared offices. Instead, many businesses are permanently transitioning to hybrid or even fully remote working conditions.
In fact, many businesses and employees alike have begun to recognize the benefits of working remotely. Remote working conditions can actually benefit the worker, the employer, and even the environment if it is done correctly. For instance, you don’t need to commute if you work remotely. This benefits employees by giving them a little more time in the morning to prepare for the workday and saving them money that would otherwise be spent commuting to work. Additionally, the ability to work from anywhere means that employers have access to an unprecedented amount of talent. A company based in Austin, Texas could hire people from Boston, Massachusetts without having to relocate them.
However, remote work also brings a few unique challenges for businesses to deal with. Most notably, it can be difficult to maintain effective communication between peers when they are miles apart. Poor communication can make it difficult to ensure that everyone working on a project is on the same page. It can also make it more challenging to build a workplace culture that fosters positive relationships because it can be difficult to host workplace socials. Fortunately, there are tools available to businesses that make it much easier for peers that are working remotely to stay connected.
5 Top Tools for Remote Spaces
- Project Management Software
Project management software is an application that makes it easier to designate specific tasks for individual employees and track their progress. It also makes it easier for team members to view who has been assigned the same tasks as them, making collaboration easy even if they’re miles apart. Without a project management software detail such as due dates, collaborator names, and subtasks would all have to be maintained through email chains, which can become hectic pretty quickly. A popular example of project management software would be Asana.
Photo by Michelangelo Buonarroti
- Warehouse Management Software
Warehouse management software is an umbrella term for any application, database, or software that directly relates to the operations of a warehouse. This kind of software is especially crucial for businesses that ship a large volume of products. For example, a warehouse shipping software can help warehouse managers keep track of their current stock and decide on the best delivery routes for packages. Warehouse management software can save warehouse operators on labor costs and free up some time that can be spent focusing on tasks that need human oversight.
- Remote Collaboration Tool
Though email is an effective tool for communicating in a remote setting, it can be slower than some of the newer options available to businesses. Remote collaboration tools facilitate the same kind of communication that email does, but also come with a few additional perks. Firstly, remote collaboration tools maintain group chats in a way that is more intuitive than email. Conversations are much easier to search through for specific details and it is easier to identify who sent a direct message. The most common remote collaboration software is Slack.
- Ample Cloud Storage
Remote businesses may not have a single physical location where all of their work is completed, but they still need a place to store their work where all employees can access it. The most convenient method to do this digitally is with a cloud storage service. Though many businesses invest in cloud storage, it is especially vital for remote businesses because there is no other way for all of their employees to access their work. Google Drive is arguably the most common cloud storage service for companies.
- Time Management Software
One of the unique challenges that come with a remote work setting is time management and finding a quiet place to work, for this consider finding a focus playlist and using a wireless earbuds that can help you boost your productivity anywhere.
Time management can be difficult when working remotely because your work and personal lives are more intertwined than when working in an office. It can be difficult to track how long you’ve been working on a particular task when there aren’t restricted business hours. Time management software can make it easy to ensure you’re using your time effectively by showing you how long you’ve spent on each task and how long you’ve been working for that day.
