In the last few years, remote working has become more popular than ever. Especially due to the arrival of COVID-19 earlier this year, forcing many people to work from home. According to a study, 73% of all departments will have remote workers by 2028. Almost three-quarters of companies will employ some remote workers, while 33% of workers will be fully remote.
Remote working certainly has many benefits such as increased efficiency, reduced stress levels and greater involvement in business processes. However, adapting can be difficult when you’re used to traditional working methods. That’s why we’ve prepared a list of our favourite remote working software to help you out.
Top 5: Software for Remote Working
Nowadays, there are many tools available to simplify remote working. They can help you manage your tasks and time more efficiently, wherever you are. Besides, it makes it easier to keep track of all the work that is pending to be finished by a team.
Here is our top five of software tools for remote working.
#1 Slack
If you work in a team, communication is essential for the proper coordination of tasks. When a team can’t meet physically, it’s key to rely on a simple and fast messaging tool. Besides, it enables integration with other services and apps such as Google Drive, Hubspot, Zoom, Trello and many more.
Slack is definitely one of the most efficient tools for remote working. You can create so-called channels for every project, team or topic. This way, there’s a channel for everything so you can focus on the conversations and work that matters most to you. Messages, files, tasks and updates on a specific project, for example, will be gathered in one place — accessible for the whole team.
Find out how Slack channels work:
#2 Teamviewer
This software allows you to easily start a remote support session to provide instant help to your customers, employees or colleagues.
Technical failures are common and sometimes it can be complicated to solve them remotely. Teamviewer, once installed, provides the user with a username and password that can be connected to another user who will be able to control the system remotely.
This way, an IT team professional will be able to access the computer of a colleague or client to solve their problems immediately.
#3 MindMeister
This tool is designed to do brainstorming activities and generate mind maps to develop and share ideas graphically.
MindMeister is an extremely useful software for creative tasks that need an initial phase of sharing ideas — which can be difficult when working remotely. The tool also allows you to assign tasks to different project collaborators and keep track of the progress.
? Discover more about MindMeister in this short video:
#4 RescueTime
This tool is indispensable for all those who are having a hard time staying focused. Working remotely can be counterproductive when you are easily distracted at home. But with this software, you can increase your productivity and minimise distractions.
RescueTime keeps track of your time spent on work-related websites and tools. Besides getting more insight into which tasks you devote most of your time to, you can block interruptions. It stops you from scrolling through social media feeds, reading digital newspapers or taking a peek at your favourite blog.
#5 Asana
Asana is great for simplifying project management involving a team. You can easily create a new workspace in which you’ll be able to add tasks, upload materials, share updates and add comments regarding a specific project.
To each task, you can add a manager, deadlines, attachments and tags to make it even more manageable. Monitoring progress and the workload of each team member has never been easier. Besides, the tool is extremely user-friendly and intuitive.
? Check out how Asana is adapting to the remote working trend:
Useful tips for working remotely
Now that we have given you the proper tools, we have a few last tips to work as effectively as possible from home.
- Take breaks. A recent study has shown that 81% of employees who take a daily lunch break have a strong desire to be an active member in their company. Why? Because a break helps to recharge your energy and clear your head so that you can continue with a fresh perspective. It’s therefore recommended to take breaks regularly to stay focused and motivated.
- Create a comfortable working spot. One of the risks of remote working is to spend the day working in bed in your pyjamas — which is not recommended. Create a space where you are solely dedicated to working and discover what setting works best for you.
- Team bonding is still essential, even digitally. Especially in times like these, it’s important to not limit yourself to work-related communication with your colleagues. Weekly team lunches, Friday afternoon drinks or coffee breaks can still be converted into a digital version where there’s time for small talk and team bonding.
- Disconnect. Working remotely doesn’t mean you have to be available at any time. It’s risky to constantly be connected to Whatsapp, your work email and other apps, especially via your phone. However, it is crucial to respect your work schedule and turn off your computer and other notifications when it’s time to relax.
Some last thoughts
At Yeeply, we believe that working remotely is the future of many companies as it increases productivity, boosts efficiency and reduces stress levels. We hope that these tools and advice will help you to make working from home easier.