Covid-19 has had and continues to have a huge impact on a significant percentage of people's work-life. Most of the companies currently work remotely and 80% plan to allow employees to continue working from home after the pandemic. This comes with its advantages and disadvantages. Some people embrace the flexible hours and comfortable atmosphere while distance-work when others find it distracting. They simply don't feel like working while being in a home environment. One of the biggest problems nowadays is the lack of motivation and time management troubles. Here are some effective and cost-efficient cloud tools that we think are great motivators for working remotely.

Project Management Tools

Following apps combine both collaboration and management tools. Asana and Jira have gained worldwide popularity for their countless functions and features that they provide you with. Mentioned software tools are crafted to help teams organize, track, and manage their work. The two apps share features like task management, workflow management, and other modules. While Asana seems to be one of the best project management tools that focus on task progress and fulfillment, Jira is specially designed for software developers with functionality that helps with bug management, tracking coding, software updates, etc.

Cloud Storage & Document Management

Cloud Storage is a tool that simply stores data. However, apps that combine cloud and document management tools also allow you to share that information with your co-workers. This grants them the permission to collaborate on and edit the mentioned documents. One of the most popular platforms nowadays is Google Drive and Dropbox. Google gives you 15GB of free space while Dropbox gives you only 2GB. Luckily, inviting each friend on Dropbox gives you an additional 0.5GB, adding up to 19GB. On the one hand, Google offers you more space for less price when it comes to expenses. On the other hand, Dropbox syncs faster and has more advanced features.

Corporate Communication Apps

Nowadays, it's a must for any company with a remote team to ensure them with online communication tools. After the Corona outbreak, numerous business corporations started using either Slack or Microsoft Teams. Both apps provide you with unlimited messages and users for their free plan; the only difference is that Slack doesn't let you search up to 10,000 messages. As for design, Slack has a smoother look, and it's easier to navigate through the app. Slack also has a few additional features guaranteeing easy communication with the team. Regarding the calls, Microsoft Teams is way more flexible and allows the users to screen share with their colleagues, while Slack is limited and needs a paid plan for those features.

Time Tracking Apps

Lots of people struggle with time management during this period. That's why we recommend using time tracking apps; for instance, Hubstaff and Toggl appear to be the most popular time tracking apps at the moment. Hubstaff uses employee monitoring, screenshot function, and tools that show insights on time wastage. Toggl identifies the tasks that the team spends most of their time on. Depending on the results, the app estimates their employees' budget itself.

Many other cloud apps that we didn't touch on can help you with telecommuting. These simple tools can make your work easier and a lot more enjoyable. What are some of your favorites? Should we cover more blogs like this? Please email us here.