The pandemic forced companies to look for quick and easy solutions to keep working, and that is how the use of hybrid work tools exploded. They were not unknown since many were already in use before this situation but, probably, not for the same reasons as today.
The year 2020 was a year marked by radical changes, including the need to shift from working in the office to working from home. Although this work model is not something new, it has been implemented by most companies.
But COVID-19 has forced companies to change their strategies and rely on hybrid work tools. Undoubtedly, they have been one of the allies needed to make this mandatory change more bearable.
The best tools for hybrid work
This work model was born out of the global crisis, but it does not seem to be going away anytime soon. It has proven beneficial to both companies and workers. Therefore, it is worth considering some of the tools for hybrid work according to different categories:
A.- Remote management
The first thing you need to do to implement hybrid work is to organize and manage your work teams. This way you can continue to perform tasks as effectively as if they were everyday in the company. For them you will need some of the following tools:
1.- Ganttic
It is an online planning software where you can visualize resources, tasks and projects through Gantt charts. You have the ability to manage tasks in no time, thanks to the drag and drop function, and then share them with all your team members.
It has dedicated project management features such as capacity planning, reports, charts, Kanban boards and more. And you can also use the app’s integrations with Outlook or Google to send notifications to your team.
2.- Lumeer
This is a hybrid work tool that handles collaborative team and project management. You will be able to digitize and automate workflows, transparency, ad hoc reports, and get information about what to do, how to do it, and why it is important.
It allows you to work on tasks, clients, projects, features, bugs, invoices, inventories, budgets, expenses … all in one place. You can use the visualization that fits your needs and incorporate team collaboration, anywhere, anytime.
3.- ProofHub
Another online project planning software that has a wide range of features is ProofHub. This tool provides Kanban sheets, Gantt charts, collaboration and testing capabilities, as well as project notes, calendars and more.
Notably, everything is organized in one central location. In addition, different roles can be assigned within the tool so that the project manager has the ability to track the progress of their projects with summaries and task sheets. And the mobile application is a plus, since you can use it anywhere.
B.- Communication with the team
Managing your team is critical, but it will be useless if you don’t have good communication. To do this, you will need hybrid work tools through which you can keep in touch with workers in the company:
4.- Zoom
Although Zoom had been on the market for several years, its popularity grew in 2020. It is a ubiquitous remote tool through which you can video chat with your entire team. You will be able to have business video conferences, online meetings, and use the group messaging of this platform.
With Zoom you have the ability to participate in a meeting without the need to download any additional software. You can organize one simply by registering, keep in mind that the free version allows you to host up to 100 people for up to 40 minutes. It has stable connections and you can share a screen if you want.
5.- Skype
Among the tools for hybrid work in the communication category is Skype, which is also widely used. It is a video calling and chat software that allows you to create group chats in which up to 600 users can participate. And you can call from your smartphone or desktop with a limit of 50 participants.
It also has a free version and you can use it from anywhere as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection. It has end-to-end encryption, which means all your messages are safe.
6.- Discord
In this search for communication tools, you will find an open source software originally developed for gamers. This is Discord, an easy-to-configure tool with a smooth user interface.
The platform itself is described as a “free all-in-one voice and text chat.” It also points out that the software is secure and works on both desktop and mobile devices-you just have to try it to understand why many companies are considering this tool.
C.- Collaboration Tools
Now we need to talk about the third category of tools for hybrid work, ideal for team collaboration. You will not need a physical space because with these virtual windows will be more than enough:
7.- Weekdone
Among these collaboration tools is Weekdone, which is very useful for planning projects and tasks. You can also share updates and congratulate your team on a job well done, which is why it is likely to become a reference for remote work in 2021.
Take advantage of the asynchronous communication and news feed that this tool offers, as they allow you to get crucial updates. Not to mention that you have a perfect weekly schedule and a reward system for jobs well done.
8.- Explain Everyting
Collaborative software that is cloud-based and gives you the ability to visually express your ideas in real time. This is what Explain Everything does, you can use it in a meeting or record a presentation and send it to the people you want.
It is a startup that has a high-quality voice chat that allows you to take notes on the web-based interface. In addition, you will have the opportunity to record meetings or video presentations, add pictures or draw your own in the tool. You can synchronize all devices with IOS and Android apps.
9.- Conceptboard
Conceptboard is nothing more than an endless online canvas that serves as a central hub for your team’s content and ideas. By having a shared workspace you have the ability to manage all your projects without hassles, of teams and time zones.
Also, with this tool you will be able to monitor actions, share screen or video chat. Therefore, no matter if you or your team are at a distance, you can still collaborate together.
D.- Share files with your team
Do you want remote work to be really effective? Then you need to work with the fourth category of tools for hybrid work. They are nothing more and nothing less than those that allow you to share and synchronize files:
10.- Samepage
Samepage is a tool that takes care of storing all your files in one convenient location. This way you can easily store, edit and share them with your team. It combines chat, video conferencing, screen sharing, task management, and file sharing.
In addition, real-time document collaboration can be done in one cloud-based space. You only need to drag and drop files onto a page, edit them, and share the changes. You can also edit them from Dropbox and even from a desktop computer.
11.- Wimi
Wimi, gives you online file sharing and storage that you can access from any computer. This tool makes your information synchronized and available whenever you need it and from all kinds of devices.
It allows you to create workspaces for secure, customized file sharing and offers a preview or option to edit most file formats. If you wish, you can manage access rights and send download links in case the files are very large.
E.- Virtual Office
And the last category of tools for hybrid work corresponds to virtual offices. This is a more educational option in case you want to make this experience more fun for your work team:
12.- My Digital Office
Starting with My Digital Office with which you can recreate the feeling of being in the office and connecting to your remote computers. This virtual workspace stores documents as well as online chat and whiteboard functions.
It represents a viable and creative solution for those people who feel disconnected from their colleagues. It offers users the opportunity to create their own digital workspace. They can have desks, an office phone for chatting with colleagues, and meeting rooms with an online whiteboard.
13.- Qube
Qube is another virtual office that transforms remote work by providing an online office context. You can find out who is talking to whom, who is out of the office, and who just went out to lunch. The best part is that it can be connected to Slack and Zoom, so you can chat with your team in common rooms or private meeting rooms.
If you enable the “Watch” feature, the tool will send you a notification whenever the person you need to talk to is available. It also sends you a list of people who want to get in touch with you.
14.- Horizon Workrooms on Facebook
But if you are looking for an all-in-one, a good alternative is the one offered by Facebook, Horizon Workrooms. It is available for free download on Oculus Quest 2. This tool allows people to come together to work in the same virtual room.
It offers several features that make it one of the most comprehensive hybrid work tools:
- Virtual reality: allows you to bring your physical desk and a compatible keyboard into the virtual room, you can see the people sitting at the virtual meeting table in front of you.
- Avatar and spatial audio: offers a wide variety of customization options that make them more expressive and natural. Conversation is more realistic with high quality audio.
- Blackboard: draw in real time and use the controller by rotating it and writing with a pen. You can also use images from your computer to whiteboard, then mark them and review them with your colleagues.
- Virtual room: focused on collaboration, conversation or presentation, there is a design for every occasion and it adapts to the size of your group.
- Video call: you can call or invite others to dial in by sharing a link to the meeting. Up to 16 people can participate in virtual reality and up to 50 people total in a call.
- Meeting notes, file sharing, chat and calendar integration: simplify collaboration, in VR or on your computer. In addition, you can synchronize Outlook or Google Calendar to simplify scheduling meetings and sending invitations.
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