Top 18 Remote Working Tools You Simply Need in 2023
Remote workers need proper tools for their daily work to avoid data leaks or data theft. According to McKinsey, in 2022, 35% of jobholders could work remotely. Therefore, remote work is not going anywhere, but the new trend on the block is hybrid work.
This means employees visit. They work remotely on specific days. Replicating the same workplace atmosphere can be challenging. Fortunately, there are remote working tools that help you improve productivity.
Let’s not waste more time anymore and start discussing tools right away! However, before you note the best tool to install on your system, you need to know that we will discuss these tools according to their use case.
Remote work communication tools
Remote communication is important, especially in a hybrid setup. Because you never know when you may have to connect with colleagues over a project.
1. Zoom
Yes, you may deem Zoom an overrated communication tool. Most users do not discuss some features. Zoom offers an advanced level of audio fine-tuning for meetings. Further, you can record meetings locally on your devices.
This is important for remote workers because often, there are presentations and key meeting moments that they want to refer to after the meeting is over. Similarly, adjusting the audio is important while working from home because background noises can hinder communication.
However, if your employer is offering a Microsoft 365 account, two communication tools are important for you-Microsoft Teams and Skype.
2. MS Teams
When it comes to communicating with your colleagues and collaborating, MS Teams is a great option because it has many features for effective communication, virtual meetings, and presentations.
However, one of the most useful features of MS Teams that make it a must-have tool for remote workers is the ability to integrate other apps and services like Jira. You can use MS Teams to create different channels, communicate through them, add polls, access whiteboards, and even have conference calls.
3. Skype
Skype is another communication tool that you can use for communicating and collaborating with fellow employees remotely. Apart from the virtual conferencing features, Skype now offers the power of generative Artificial Intelligence.
Skype has Bing Chat integration now, meaning you can ask anything to the AI-based assistant in the app to get answers. Generative AI allows you to get information regarding any topic or query you have during the meetings and even work while you are working remotely. It can generate text and help you with resources for better research.
4. Slack
Slack is another key tool remote workers can use to communicate, share files, and even have calls. Slack has been a popular medium for employees to collaborate and communicate effectively, improving remote teams’ productivity.
Especially if direct messaging and group messages are a part of your daily routine while working from home or any other location, Slack is a good platform.
5. Blink
Blink is an app for remote workers to communicate, increase productivity, and stay updated. It has customizable feeds, calendars, messaging, and search. This app helps in improving the employee experience by providing a unified communication solution.
Communication is a crucial part of the work from home routine. However, collaborating and taking design approvals can get challenging if you are a designer working remotely. Fortunately, there are tools that you can use to create designs remotely and collaborate with other employees.
Design tools for remote work
Most of the design tools that remote workers use need design features and other collaborators’ ability to access designs.
6. Canva
Whether you are a designer or a marketer, designing is crucial because it elevates the content your company aims to publish for users. Canva is hands down one of the most effective design tools designers, marketers, or any other working professional can use.
It provides various design features, including blog graphics, flyers, brochures, presentations, social media posts, and more.
What makes Canva an effective tool for remote workers is its web-based version. Graphics creation is a resource-intensive task and requires a high-end machine.
However, if you are a remote worker, there may be device limitations to generate high-end graphics. Canva solves this problem through the web-based version that does not require a graphics card on your device.
7. Figma
If you are considering a graphic design tool for your remote work, Figma must be at the top. A cloud-based design tool offers features to design user interface prototypes and different types of graphics.
Figma allows multiple users to collaborate and design while giving real-time feedback to improve designs. It offers features for users to create libraries and store reusable components, reducing the time for designers to create them from scratch each time they start a new project.
Further, Figma provides features for remote workers to generate CSS, iOS, and Android code snippets, which they can implement easily.
Designing is not the only task where remote workers struggle without an effective cloud-based tool. Here, the significance lies in data management.
Data management tools
Designs are data-intensive, so a cloud-based tool is preferable and offers real-time collaboration features. However, some tools help manage data for remote workers.
8. Google Sheets
With Google Sheets, users can create spreadsheets in their web browser without downloading extra software. This tool can handle various types of spreadsheets, including budgets and timetables.
It includes essential features like built-in formulas, tables, charts, and conditional formatting. In addition, people can collaborate on the same file, making changes and commenting in real time.
9. Airtable
Airtable is an application that helps users enhance their team’s agility and creativity. It provides developers with a customizable database, allowing them to model objects, establish connections, and create personalized views for their work.
With Airtable, teams can create tailor-made solutions to improve their productivity.
10. Google Drive/OneDrive/ Dropbox
Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox are cloud-based storage and file synchronization platforms You can use all three or either of them to store crucial data remotely securely. Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage space and offers integration with other Google tools.
On the other hand, OneDrive is Microsoft’s cloud-based storage, and it offers integration with Microsoft applications. Lastly, Dropbox is another popular cloud storage, which you can use to store, organize, and share files for file versioning.
All three platforms allow users to access their files from any device with an internet connection, making remote work easier and more efficient.
Project management tools
Virtual project management in a remote setup needs an effective tool that helps track every task and allows feedback integrations.
11. ProofHub
ProofHub is a leading all-in-one project management and team collaboration tool that helps you manage all of your projects, teamwork, and team communication from a centralized place. It is an ultimate productivity tool to streamline your workflow for efficient business operations and keep everyone on the same page to collaborate effortlessly.
You can create, delegate, and track tasks from a centralized place, set task dependencies, manage resources, create project reports, track productivity, communicate with a team, and collaborate on documents for efficient work operations.
With ProofHub, you can create a central source of truth for everyone in your organization.
12. Trello
Trello is one of the most popular project management, enabling remote workers to manage multiple tasks simultaneously. The layout makes Trello a must-have task management tool, where users can create task boards and track each activity.
It allows users to add documents, images, and comments on the board, making tracking activities much easier for remote employees. Further, Trello also allows the integration of Google Docs and Sheets, creating an ecosystem for enhanced workflows.
13. Teamwork
Teamwork is a project management platform built to help agencies manage the entire lifecycle of their client work in one place while working remotely. Teamwork provides all of the features you’d expect, as well as integrated time tracking, financial management, robust reporting, and free access for clients, to ensure your projects are delivered on time and on budget.
14. Asana
Asana is another project management software like Trello created by the founders of Facebook. Especially if you are working remotely and need a creative task management tool, Asana offers tons of features. It offers a dynamic format and design, making task management more fun than a menial chore.
Scheduling and time management
Working remotely has its challenges as you are in an environment that is not always suitable for specific tasks. Apart from the environment, managing time between work and family is also difficult. Fortunately, some tools help you manage time and schedule tasks as per requirement.
15. Clockify
Tracking working hours while employees work remotely, helps manage project schedules. Clockify allows companies to track employees’ work hours, attendance, and breaks. It is a kiosk-based software where you can create a kiosk and allow employees to clock in and out of their working hours.
16. Calendly
Scheduling your meetings is key to project success, and that is where Calendly helps by offering free online appointment scheduling software. This is especially helpful for managers who need to schedule, conduct one-on-one, and take follow-up meetings.
Security and data protection
Remote workers need a secure network environment to protect sensitive data. Right from password protection to using VPN and more, secure measures are crucial for every remote employee.
17. ProtonVPN
ProtonVPN is a free tool that you can use to mask your IP addresses to ensure your data is secure from online hackers. It provides servers for the free version from several countries like the United States, Japan, and the Netherlands.
However, you must take the premium subscription if you want access to more servers. VPNs are crucial to secure data exchanged over the internet. It blocks trackers online, which can provide details of your device, IP address, and other information.
18. LastPass password manager
Securing passwords is important as weak passwords can lead to cyberattacks and data loss. LastPass is a free password manager and vault app that allows remote workers to securely store and manage passwords. Its automation detects new accounts, usernames, and passwords, so users only need to remember their LastPass Master password.
Password managers are a great way to secure root admin passwords for remote workers. It allows companies to secure root access to their website.
These password managers come with SSL certificates. However, SSL certificates have become essential for data security. You can find many low cost or cheap SSL certificate to ensure there are no man-in-the-middle attacks or data spying activities. This is important when you have remote workers at your company.
Because hackers often target the data in motion while remote workers try to access data from your server. An SSL certificate ensures no data breaches during the connection between the server and remote devices.
Key takeaways
Tools are just enablers, but they are still essential to each remote worker’s daily routine. Right from scheduling tasks, tracking them, securing data, and designing. Some of the tools we discussed come with advanced features like AI, but more importantly, they enable remote workers to ace their projects and improve productivity. Which tools to use will always depend on your specific needs.
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