Productivity Tools for Your Remote Teams

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At least at the height of the pandemic, the future of work looked almost entirely remote. But even with vaccinations rolled out and a glimmer of normality dazzling the eyes of employers, the idea of returning to the office may still seem just out of reach. Why? Maybe these stats can shed some light:

• 91% of US workers experiencing remote/hybrid arrangements hope the ability to work from home continues even after the pandemic.
• 54% of employees who work from home or remotely at least part of their workday would prefer a hybrid arrangement alongside 37% who wish to work exclusively remotely and 9% who want to be back in the office.
• 3/10 remote workers have no problem looking for opportunities elsewhere if work from home is off the table with their current employer.

Even though employees may not be jumping at the opportunity to return to the office, productivity and engagement, contrary to belief, hasn’t suffered in the slightest. In fact, hybrid and remote working productivity levels have increased when the right tools and resources are in place.

What tools are these, you may be wondering? And how can your teams benefit? Let’s see:

Types of tools for work from home productivity

1. Team & Task management

With clear-cut goals and overviews of projects and responsibilities, even remote teams can keep their eyes on the prize when it comes to productivity.

2. Calendars & Scheduling

Keeping track of important deadlines, meetings, reminders, and so much more is essential for a job well done, whether remote or in-office.

3. Note-taking & Connectivity

Scattered notes across platforms and note-taking, in general, can cause unwanted and unintended distractions, allowing productivity tools to really shine.

Top 10 productivity apps, programs and platforms for remote teams

Team & Task Management

Having all of your high performers across teams on the same page can be difficult if you have a workforce of both in-office and remote employees. Make file sharing and keeping everyone in the know and on the right track a no-brainer with these productivity apps that can help everyone work together effortlessly. 

• Monday: This easy-to-use and aesthetically pleasing platform makes tracking productivity on small and large scales a breeze. Employers can trust Monday’s seamless overview of processes even when their teams are working remotely.
  A key feature of theirs is their multi-view dashboard that maps out projects in different visuals for in depth and at a glance perspectives.

Alternatives for consideration: ActiveCollab, Wrike, and Trello

Time tracking

Efficiently tracking productivity and time is a step towards a well-rounded, high-performing team. Work from home productivity can be a handful to track on a large scale, but giving your teams, remote or otherwise, the tools to better understand and improve their workflow can make all the difference. These productivity apps can help with time management and keeping your team focused on the goals ahead.

• Clockify: If your teams could use a hand in finding out where all their time goes, time tracking apps such as Clockify may be what’s missing from your productivity arsenal. Free to use and subscription plans can help visualize remote working hours per task and project so that efforts are appropriately recognized and accounted for.
  Clockify is free to use with no limits on team size, so team leaders can sit back and review detailed time tracking and reporting no matter the size of your organization.

Alternatives for consideration: Toggl Track, Paymo, and Jira

Scheduling

Staying on top of due dates and having a go-to app or platform that allows you to set reminders for meetings and stay updated with the progress of individual projects and teamwork will come in handy for tracking productivity. Schedule an appointment to test out these two options:

• Calendly: This productivity app may already be well known and used for iPhone users. But android users need not worry, there’s a web version available for all. With this simplified calendar tool, your teams can plan meetings, set appointments, and take control of their schedule no matter where they’re working from.
  What’s great about Calendly, is that it can be used across time zones and has a variety of meeting options that can help teams customize their virtual meetups.

Alternatives for consideration: Doodle, Acuity Scheduling, and Schedulicity

Note-taking

Productivity apps that provide note-taking, dictation, and speech-to-text recognition may not seem like the most obvious helping hand. Still, they’re incredibly useful for all kinds of day-to-day responsibilities. Remote workers and those in-office warriors can use tools such as the two listed below for distraction-free meetings and giving keyboard clacking a rest.

• Otter: This transcription software is great for hands-free and distraction-less note-taking while in meetings and reviewing recorded video. Your employees can make edits, identify different speakers, and get highly accurate results in the free trial. The free trial also includes a hefty amount of transcription time, but subscription plans are available if you’re looking to up the features or allotted recording and upload time.

Alternatives for consideration: Dragon, Rev, and Verbit

Automation & Connectivity

One of the most frustrating parts of being productive is staying organized and having everything you need across the various apps and programs you use. Virtual workflow platforms don’t always play well with others, but these productivity apps will help you “trim the fat” from workday routines and stay connected:

• IFTTT: With a free trial AND free version to try out, it’s no wonder their typical customers can range from independent freelancers to large enterprises.
  Compatibility between apps and platforms can bring your teams’ productivity to a halt. Thankfully, IFTTT can help put users in control of what and how information is shared across platforms.If it sweeps you off your feet, give their subscription a go and help your teams improve their tool efficiency.

Alternatives for consideration: Zapier, Boomi, and Workato

Motivation and wellness for in-office & remote workers

Keeping up overall productivity and engagement is only half of the equation. The other half is making sure your teams are well equipped with the space and mindset to do and BE well.

Topics about mental health in the workplace have been trending upward for some time now, and organizations are picking up what their employees are putting down. Overworking and failure to disengage from work itself is a recipe for burnout that employers cannot afford, not only for their remote employees but for their workforce as a whole. 

So, be mindful that a healthy approach to productivity balances both the mental drive and the rest needed for your teams to continue performing at their best.