The growth of COVID-19 is motivating an increasing number of companies to allow workers to work from home. Have they, however, equipped their workforce to do so? Modern businesses are jam-packed with technology and infrastructure that allows people to work, yet most households lack even a portion of such assistance.
The global economy is changing, technology is expanding quickly, and the number of remote employees is more than ever. Employees have swiftly turned to remote work to address the issue presented by the current atmosphere. However, this work arrangement helps employees to better combine work and family obligations. Employee productivity, on the other hand, frequently suffers because of numerous distractions at home. Employees can use a variety of tools and devices to boost their productivity. Here are some of the top tech solutions for remote work that employees may use:
- Adaptive Wi-Fi
- Video Calling Services
- Instant Communication Tools
- Project Management
- Digital Assistants
- Cloud-based sharing systems
- Time Management
- Avoidance of Distraction
Adaptive Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is important and you need an internet service that adapts to your needs dynamically if you want to stay connected with your co-workers. Here comes Adaptive Wi-Fi. Unlike mesh Wi-Fi, Adaptive Wi-Fi use artificial intelligence to determine where and when your home and gadgets utilise Wi-Fi the most. The relevant bandwidth is subsequently allocated as a result. Consider it the air traffic control system for your connected house. This technology ensures that not only does everything in your home get Wi-Fi, but that the most heavily used devices have the most powerful and secure service available.
Video Calling Services
As employees return home, Zoom, one of the world’s most popular video chat systems, is ready to make significant gains. Face-to-face meetings are the foundation of many firms; eliminating them is not an option. Platforms such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts make it simple to communicate with co-workers or clients across long distances. While video chats do not have the same feel as face-to-face meetings, they are an efficient replacement in many situations.
Digital Assistants
Every year, the market for digital assistant devices rises by more than 50%, so there’s a high possibility you already have one in your house. Most employees are already familiar with digital assistants, whether it’s an Amazon Echo, a Google Assistant, or a Siri-enabled Apple device. However, few people are now utilising them to their full potential on the job.
Digital assistants can make phone calls, send emails, take notes, and handle a variety of other tasks. While using one at work would generally be distracting, using one at home allows you to continue working while cooking, cleaning, or doing other critical household tasks.
Project Management
Project management solutions are extremely beneficial for people who manages a remote team. There are several solutions on the market. Some are more feature-packed than others. Most organisations utilise a project management tool. These, however, take on new significance once workers return home. Staying on top of various programmes and goods can rapidly become cumbersome if you are unable to check in on a frequent basis in person. While these obstacles are not easily overcome, putting your business on a single platform is an excellent place to start. Managers can simply identify the optimal match based on the size of the virtual workforce and its demands. Project management software, such as Basecamp or Asana, enables managers to assign tasks and projects to employees and track their progress. Furthermore, each team member receives a detailed to-do list outlining their roles and obligations. More significantly, they may collaborate and discuss together, as well as assist one another in ensuring that all tasks fulfill strict deadlines.
Instant Communication Tools
For remote teams, effective internal communication is critical. Remote employees must communicate not just more frequently, but also more effectively than normal. Maintaining contact makes the work simpler. As useful as video calls are, not every issue demands face-to-face resolution. You’ll need to text your co-workers if you’re working from home. While email is convenient, continually checking your inbox and structuring your messages can be time-consuming. They receive all important information immediately and communicate with co-workers in the same manner as they would in a traditional office. As a result, managers should encourage their staff to interact not only as a team but also across departments on a frequent basis. Internal communication software is the simplest solution to improve communication in the virtual office. Slack, Instant Messaging, and Telegram are just a few examples of communication technology platforms. They all link employees and management and allow them to communicate via text messages on a regular basis.
Cloud-based sharing systems
Virtual teams lack access to what is generally referred to as the file room. Team leaders and managers, on the other hand, should ensure that they have access to the virtual one. Employees can upload, share, and download company data if all files are kept on the cloud. Procedures, rules, policies, guidebooks, and other important papers may be uploaded and accessed by staff as needed. Dropbox and Google Drive are the most popular document management systems. Teams, for example, may store, share, modify, and add new papers online. The disadvantage is the low storage space. If a team need extra storage capacity, they must upgrade to a commercial version of the programme.
Time Management
Knowing how easy employees can become distracted, software developers have created time monitoring applications to assist them in being focused at all times. The applications are especially handy for employees who work from home. Superiors cannot supervise their conduct in the office while they work from home. As a result, time monitoring systems demonstrate to employees how they spend their time during working hours. Some of the most popular apps include Clockify and Toggl. At the end of the workday, apps create information that employees may evaluate to discover which tasks take the most time to accomplish. Employees may boost their productivity and prioritise better if they are aware of how they spend their time.
Avoidance of distractions
As previously said, home offices are filled with interruptions. They make it difficult for remote employees to complete their tasks effectively. That is why people should download and install distraction-blocking applications on their gadgets. Most of these applications prevent distractions on all connected devices at the same time. Every remote employee’s best buddy is Forest and Freedom. These applications allow users to plant a virtual tree that will continue to grow if the user is attentive and may be used to limit access to a web browser, social media, or any other program or website chosen by the user. Nothing can stop employees from reaching deadlines if they avoid distractions.