The Best Tools for Remote Teams & Hybrid Work in 2022

Prepare yourself and your team for new ways of working

We see a shift and we can tell the workplace is changing. Our modern workplace fewer people are there as employees are able to work the rest of their working day from home, which allows employees flexibility. This can cause a changing team dynamic that requires careful management. It's important that you take an active approach to your hybrid team and lead it to success.

Ten years ago, who would have predicted the rise of remote work? In 2022, it’s estimated that over 70% of the workforce will be working remotely at least part-time. But with great flexibility comes new challenges for HR officers. How can you make sure your team is productive when they’re not all in the same office? And how do you manage a mix of remote and on-site employees? Check out our list of the best tools for managing remote teams and hybrid work in 2022.

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Remote Team Communication Tools

What does hybrid collaboration mean?

It's a process where both employees in-person meet and collaborate for a project as a hybrid team, with some team members doing remote work and others from the office.

Zoom

Zoom allows you to join an online meeting or hosting one with only a simple registration process. The free version hosts up to 100 people at any given hour with secure internet connections and convenient sharing screens. A scalable payment plan will give you flexibility to select the functions you need.

Slack

Slack is an app that we all know. Slack allows for instant communication and shares data between different organizations for simplified communication. Slack may be split into channels that are intended for teamwork or used to communicate individually and to talk about a colleague. Voice or Video call is easily made using Slack. Are there any ways to improve your collaboration skills? Check Slack integrations for hybrid working, like the hybrid scheduling integration from Pult.

Loom for asynchronous video communication

Loom is launching an introductory free program, which allows the recording of 25 movies per person (15 minutes per video). Upgraded Business Plans are available for the creation of unlimited films and recordings from a fee starting at $8/create / month (billed annually). If you need help explaining an object that is complex or visually appealing, but do not want to have an interview then Loom is for you. Loom lets you record voice or screen to tell people something about something on a computer. A viewer can also accelerate the recording.

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Microsoft Teams

MS team allows hybrid teams to communicate with each other on the same page, and to collaborate with each other in one place. MS Teams provides excellent security for teams and especially useful for those teams who have already joined Microsoft. How do team members get the more out of the remote work? It's easy for colleagues to collaborate on file projects and collaborate remotely with one another. You can easily send files with a few clicks.

Project management tools

What hybrid team means?

The same applies to hybrid working models / a hybrid team. The term describes the workforce which includes team members  who work mostly remotely, those who mostly work in offices and people who work in both.

Asana for project management

All teams have the need to have a project management solution to manage projects to optimize workflows. Asanas are an easy and popular choice. It helps you to understand the work you do according to the view you like: board or timeline / calendar. When your teams can be remotely distributed, it's difficult to determine who works on which project. The Asana system offers a sense of security.

Asana's Basic plans are free and include free tasks, projects and messages. Upgraded plans offer free timelines, unlimited dashboards, and more.

An alternative: Trello

Trello is an ideal solution to manage small or special projects . A simple Remote Work Tool, the tool was developed using Kanban Board. A project management system started in 40 by industrial engineers. Card is Trello’s basic structure and can be organized into different phases. You are also allowed to color-code and upload photos onto branded cards, and ask team members to participate in an interactive board with you.

Miro for virtual whiteboard collaboration

Miro is an online Whiteboard App. Whiteboard can be used for many roles, from scrum masters to school teachers. If you have missed these messy, magical brainstorm-symbiotic discussions—Miro is going to replicate that for you.

Pricing: Miro provides an unlimited team member package and 3 editing boards. You can access unlimited editable board options with our paid plans. The pay plan is $11 per member/ month (billed monthly).

Calendly for scheduling

Calendly is a great tool that helps with scheduling appointments. You can choose what type of appointment you would like to schedule and when you would like to schedule it. You can also share your calendar with others so they can see when you are available. Calendly makes scheduling appointments easier and more efficient.

Calendly You can also send Calendly links to another person for a reservation on your schedule.  Calendly is compatible with a number of applications.

Okta

Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management service that offers a single sign-on experience for applications in the cloud, on-premises, and mobile. It allows users to securely access their applications from any device or location. Okta also provides an API that developers can use to build custom applications that integrate with Okta's identity management capabilities. In addition, Okta offers a variety of features that administrators can use to manage user access, including password management, multi-factor authentication, and user provisioning.

Doodle for picking the best meeting time across time zones

A hybrid team can sometimes involve people in multiple time zones, requiring coordinating meetings difficult. Doodle aids with this by giving users the chance to make a choice between available time for a certain period. Doodle was actually launched in Switzerland in 2007 with the goal of making a potluck more fun for students. Pricing: Doodle has free use but for premium features like no ads, Zoom integration, deadlines and reminders, a pay plan will be required. Payable plan starts at 6.95 USD per user monthly (billed annual).

Document management: File Sharing and Syncing

To support hybrid workers and remote employees, organizations require software for capturing and transferring electronically stored data instead of just using paper. Shared files allow organizations to store files on their servers or move data from one location; prices typically vary depending on the amount of data the file has. Some apps remove the transfer process from e-mail messages, allowing for fewer notifications

PandaDoc for e-signing and sending documents (for free)

Pricing: PandaDocs free plan provides unlimited electronic signature and document upload option. To receive the template support 24 hours a day, upgrade to the free program. Paid subscriptions begin at $29.99 each month and are charged monthly. With PandaDoc, you can sign documents onboarding employees or clients quickly. Upload a document or send an e-mail to obtain signatures. In the Dashboard you will see if a document was scanned. You will also get an E-mail if both parties have agreed. How are things going on? PandaDoc is totally free to upload documents, or electronic signups.

Google Drive

Google Drive offers centralized tools for sharing documents with each other in unified and collaborative formats. The best thing about a Google Drive is the ability to use it at any moment. The Google Drive is specifically geared at businesses that store large volumes of information and files. A privacy policy also ensures only the person invited to read the document is allowed to view it. GoogleDrive also has the capability to integrate Hive for easy file-sharing via the web.

Bonus: Grammarly to improve written communication when sharing documents

The Grammarly free plan checks spelling, grammar and punctuation. For the more advanced corrections, the pay plan can also help. Paid plan starts at USD 12 monthly. When remote or hybrid teams communicate, written messages become standard. Therefore communication with text is effective. Grammarly has many useful features that it uses for editing. I find these helpful when emailing, because sometimes when it gets too late I do not appear as welcoming as I would like.

Hybrid Work Scheduling

What is a hybrid schedule for work?

Hybrid working schedules are arrangements in which employees work remotely or in an office. Here employees can be considered as part of a comprehensive plan, while setting the organization's objectives. There are different hybrid schedule types, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

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And last but not least: PULT for hybrid scheduling, hot desk booking & on-site safety protocols

It has always sounded like the hybrid workplace model had many advantages but was also logistically nightmare.

In today's workplace, more and more companies are embracing a hybrid work model, with employees splitting their time between the office and home. While this can offer many benefits, it can also present some challenges, particularly when it comes to scheduling and coordination. Pult's desk booking and hybrid work scheduling features can help to overcome these challenges. Desk booking allows employees to reserve desks in advance, ensuring that they have a dedicated workspace when they come into the office. Hybrid work scheduling makes it easy to see who is working from home and when, making it easier to coordinate meetings and avoid overlap. As a result, Pult's features can help to make hybrid work teams more productive and efficient.

Conclusion

The takeaway is that in 2022, the best tools for remote teams will be those that can help manage the team’s dynamics and communication. Leaders of hybrid workforces should focus on building trust and maintaining a positive company culture. There are many great tools out there to help with this, but it starts with understanding your team and their needs. Are you ready for the future of work?

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