The coronavirus pandemic has increased the number of people working from home. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the ILO estimates that 7.9% of the world’s workforce (260 million workers) worked from home on a permanent basis.
According to Buffer’s 2019 State of Remote Report, “remote work isn’t always as Instagram-worthy as it may seem. In fact, many remote workers struggle with unplugging from their work, loneliness and communicating.’’
The apps and platforms we are looking at today will help address some of these challenges.
- Asana
Is a web and mobile application designed to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. It is free to use for up to 15 people. A bigger team will require a premium version.
- Slack
Is a proprietary business communication platform developed by American software company Slack Technologies. Slack offers many IRC-style features, including persistent chat rooms organized by topic, private groups, and direct messaging.
The platform offers a free version and paid options from £5.25/mo per user.
- Zoom
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. is an American communications technology company headquartered in San Jose, California. It provides videotelephony and online chat services through a cloud-based peer-to-peer software platform and is used for teleconferencing, telecommuting, distance education, and social relations
- Google Drive
Is a file storage and synchronization service developed by Google. Launched on April 24, 2012, Google Drive allows users to store files on their servers, synchronize files across devices, and share files.
Basecamp is a real-time communication tool that helps teams stay on the same page; it’s less for traditional project management tasks (e.g., resource planning and long-term scheduling). With to-do-lists, calendaring, due dates and file-sharing, Basecamp provides a way for teams to keep track of priorities and actionable items.