Ten years ago, no one would have imagined a successful company with full-time employees working from home, a co-working space, or a coffee shop. Today, a company without remote workers and unified communications platforms is a rarity.
Conferencing on Skype and Slack, joint editing of documents online, conversations for employees who rarely appear in the office are commonplace in both small businesses and large international companies.
However, to organize a remote workspace at home, you should first of all make sure that you have all the necessary software for safe and efficient work.
Let’s take a look at some of the basic kits that you should have at your disposal.
1) Text editors
We used to talk about Microsoft Word as an indispensable text editor for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android. In Word, we can enable syncing via OneDrive, format the document with colleagues, add hidden text, and even work in the browser. But there are many analogues that not only have the same function but also complement it.
Google Docs is a great alternative to Word and can be used in both the browser and the app on iOS and Android. The decisive advantage of this tool lies in the online version, thanks to which several participants can work on one file. They have rights like reader, commentator, and editor. The first allows you only to view the document, the second – to access comments, and the third – to edit the text.
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2) Email
2) EmailGmail and Outlook belong to the most used mail services worldwide. However, some companies prefer less widespread postal tools or even special postal services developed for internal communication within the company.
Here the choice is usually on the part of the company, so you just need to follow the requirements of the company. Also, you often need to migrate from one postal service to another or restore archive correspondence. For convenient storage, you can use online tools for Convert MSG to PDF.
3) Remote communication tools
To be a useful member of a virtual workgroup, the remote worker must be familiar with modern standardized communication and collaboration applications. Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business, Zoom, Slack – Using these and other tools should not cause any difficulties for the employee.
Moreover, it should be noted that the remote operator must use professional audio terminals designed specifically for unified communications.
4) Time management applications
KPI Tracking (KPI App) is an important tool for any business that helps you monitor employee performance and optimize your company’s payroll costs. Toggl is a simple yet highly effective time tracking app that helps freelancers work on multiple tasks. It not only takes into account what you spend time on, but also shows how many hours a particular project took.
You can also use Evernote or any other note-taking app to help you organize and sync your notes, to-do lists, and online resources across devices, create reusable templates, and share them with friends and colleagues. You can also use some of the built-in productivity tools if you use Microsoft (MS Outlook) or Google (Google Keep) products.
5) Online banking
You can manage your money online, get paid, save money on transfers, avoid going to bank offices and queuing at cash registers. Moreover, access to your account is available anytime and anywhere with internet access.
Modern Internet banking is a symbiosis between a bank and a social network, ensuring online access to almost any service connected in some way to a financial transaction.
These online banking services should be able to do just about everything – from keeping track of the family budget to booking football match tickets. If you have a specific bank that your employer prefers – use it. Instead, choose something that works for you and is appropriate for your country of residence.
conclusion
There is an opinion that remote work is almost a dead end. But a quick look at the statistics is enough to understand that this is a strong international trend. There are many examples of successful career development for remote employees in both large companies and small businesses. But it’s important to remember that effective remote work requires specific skills and programs. With them, a remote worker can be as productive and successful as anyone else in the company.