Mell The outbreak of the COVID pandemic resulted in workers packing up their desks and doing their jobs from home. Most companies assumed the arrangement would last for a few weeks, but alas, 18+ months later, a huge chunk of the workforce is still working remotely. And it is believed that the spread of the delta variant and Omicron will further postpone re-openings. According to USA Today, the US workforce is expected to continue working from home until Spring 2022 and maybe beyond.
Since the work from home module is expected to continue, employers and employees need to utilize remote work tools. These tools are specifically designed to help remote workers communicate, collaborate and accomplish work in tandem with their colleagues and managers, irrespective of their location.
For example, if you are using a Mac, built-in tools and features enable seamless remote login Mac no matter your location and device. Users can use Apple Remote Desktop or Screens to gain access remotely and work collaboratively. Mac users can even share files between devices using AirDrop or FTP. Of course, there are also third-party apps that you can use too.
To make remote work as smooth and fun as possible, here’s a list of the must-have tools for Windows & Mac in 2022.
- Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams let users collaborate on chat, documents and video calls. Users can create separate teams where members can publish posts, assign tasks, leave comments and share documents. The software offers access to all the important Microsoft software from a single place and makes it easier for companies already using Microsoft tools for completing other tasks.
- Asana
Asana is a ticketing system helping teams remain focused on daily tasks and projects that move the enterprise forward. It is a great software for collective team knowledge, and users can create projects with different sections in them. The tickets that users write for the varied tasks will move around within these sections, enhancing the tracking process and maintaining complete transparency.
Users must put down everything on tickets that have happened in the project or business to help with collective knowledge. It’ll be easier for the teams to understand why attempts in the past have failed, what can be done better, etc.
Put simply, teams can use Asana to remember every little detail that matters and help new teammates pick up old tasks. Thanks to the Asana workflow, your work as a team manager will become easier, and you can easily track the efforts of your remote team and offer them guidance whenever they’re stuck.
- 10to8 Meeting Scheduling Software
Team meetings are a crucial part of any business, and that’s where the 10to8 Meeting Scheduling Software comes in handy. It helps remote teams sync up and arrange meetings, such as cross-department meetings, daily stand-ups, virtual coffees, etc.
Is your team spread across different time zones? If so, 10to8’s timezone management feature is what you need to ensure every member of your team attends the scheduled meetings. There’s no need to download a separate application for converting EDT to BST because 10to8 does it for you.
The software even eliminates the confusion of being double-booked for meetings because it comes with a built-in feature of 2-way sync. So, users can maintain an organized calendar and even automate reminders for meetings.
Thanks to the native Zoom video integration, users can easily conduct video calls and help remote teams reach their full productivity.
- Pumble
Pumble is a workplace communications application that connects employees and keeps them organized. One of the fundamental problems with remote teams is staying connected, and this app eliminates this issue.
Using Pumble, users can create public and private channels, reply to threads, etc. You can tag people in posts or comments or directly message them. You can also share images, files and documents with your team members. An updated status feature allows you to let your teammates know what you are doing.
- Userlane
Userlane is one of the most popular digital adoption solutions for employee training and onboarding. The app transforms the way large enterprises use and adopt software by offering onscreen virtual assistance and interactive guides. The software walks new employees through all in-app processes of all the browser-based software apps that they might be needed to navigate and use.
Userlane provides employees with an interactive experience, along with contextual performance support. Employees can quickly learn to use software apps while performing their tasks in real-time.
- Popwork
Popwork assists managers to work better with individual members of their team by setting up efficient and simple management rituals, such as monthly step-back sessions, one-to-one meetings and long-term goals tracking. The software helps prepare and follow up on each ritual.
The software has been built for teams and managers first, not executive teams or HRs.It focuses on asynchronous actions to simplify remote working.
- 3veta
3veta is an all-in-one software that empowers creators, consultants and service providers to get booked or scheduled, host video meetings, build a website, get paid instantly, etc. The tool is specifically built to synchronize the entire workin a single place.
- Slack
Slack is one of the best communication tools for remote working, and it is expected to continue holding its supremacy over other tools beyond 2022. The tool allows users to go back and forth with their peers in one-to-one conversations or group conversations (rooms).
Slack is similar to using Facebook Messenger at work, and it comes with specific integrations with Trello, Google Docs and other remote working tools to make it easier for users. No matter what collaboration and communication problems you are facing with your remote team members, Slack can solve them all.
Wrapping up
These are a few of the must-have remote working software tools that small and large companies need to adopt and use in 2022. Since nobody knows what the coming year will hold, enterprises need to step up and use remote working apps to streamline their business processes.