Sanjeev Thakur
Ever since the pandemic stepped in, the world has found a number of innovative ways to stay connected with their work. The Hybrid Workplace model is one example where people found a way to hold their work come what may!
What Is a Hybrid Work Model?
The benefits of both worlds are accessible to an employee in a hybrid structure, to put it simply. They have the option of working from home or another place for a set amount of the workweek and going into the office for the remainder. Due to the fact that it doesn’t take an all-inclusive strategy, this work model is much preferred. Because of this, it is easily adaptable to the various demands of any company. For instance, some businesses have instructed that employees work a minimum of three days away from the office, while alternating in-office and remote work weeks are advised for employees who live far away. A hybrid work mode has many advantages that are needed in this era.
In the United States, 74% of employers say they want to utilize, or currently do use, a hybrid approach to their office arrangement, while about 83% of employees feel hybrid work is great for them. Despite being appealing, this format also has certain difficulties and barriers. Employers must thus ensure that the appropriate tools are available.
For the time being, technology is keeping up with the steadily increasing pace of hybrid work. By 2029, the value of the video conferencing sector alone is projected to reach over $14 billion.
To make your hybrid workplace experience amazing, we have made a list of perfect tools for work management. These workforce management tools will help you manage workflow as well as support employee friendships.
11 Best Tools for Hybrid Teams
1. Jira
2. Confluence
3. Excalidraw
4. Zoom
5. Loom
6. Slack
7. Google Workspace
8. Envoy
9. Airtable
10. PandaDoc
11. Toggl
1. Jira
An Australian software startup called Atlassian offers a platform called Jira that enables engineers and software developers to monitor processes and bug concerns in real-time. The Jira UI is simple to use. Additionally, supervisors and staff get an open view of all ongoing and current work. Jira is the perfect solution for agile development teams because it was created exclusively for software and engineering teams. Before the recent hybrid work trend, many firms used Jira internally, but its project visibility capabilities made it an especially vital tool for hybrid tech teams who can’t hold in-person huddles.
Establishing a single site for coordinating bug fixes and technical activities is essential for teams who are geographically or regionally dispersed in order to keep development moving forward. In the alternative, engineers waste valuable time sorting through jumbled email requests or Slacking one another to frequently clarify problems.
2. Confluence
Technical documentation platform Confluence fundamentally functions as an internal wiki for archiving and updating business information. In order to prevent communication pipeline gaps, it is intended to standardize and automate technical documentation procedures. Confluence also has the advantage of being able to sync with Jira because it is an Atlassian product, which enables companies to preserve information on technology upgrades and bug patches in their knowledge base for future use. Confluence makes it simpler for other team members to avoid mistakes and use previous knowledge to address difficulties in the future.
3. Excalidraw
Excalidraw is a digital whiteboard alternative. Teams can brainstorm potential projects and discuss ideas both virtually and in person. Smaller teams can access a version of the platform with core functionality like sketching tools, text editing, and picture attachment for free. The site also offers a premium variant with more sophisticated features. Netflix, Datadog, Facebook, and Swappie are a few major internet businesses that use this brainstorming tool.
Users of Excalidraw are unable to save or retain their whiteboards for usage in the future, which is a significant disadvantage if you want the option to collaborate on or record brainstorms over the long term. However, by emulating the appearance and feel of a conventional whiteboard, which each company uses, it has assisted the firms in bridging the gap between in-office and remote workers.
4. Zoom
Almost everyone is now familiar with Zoom. At the start of the pandemic, it was a lifeline, but it soon became a cause of screen fatigue. It is now among the most widely used apps for video conferencing. According to Business of Apps, the company’s user base increased by 2,900% during the pandemic. The platform provides collaboration tools including breakout rooms and chats boxes together with HD video conferencing solutions for 1:1 meetings, team huddles, and company scrums. Unfortunately, Zoom may not make sense for businesses on a tight budget or who need to discuss sensitive information during video meetings due to its subscription fees and patchy encryption.
5. Loom
Users can pre-record videos/movies with messages for their colleagues using the asynchronous video communication tool Loom. Loom is a service that users can use to “send quick videos when calendars won’t line up and you don’t have time to type a wall of text,” according to the business website. Through the use of a webcam and Loom, users can video themselves chatting and showing their screens, which they can then share with their friends, family, and coworkers so they can view them at their own leisure. It offers a low-effort method of conversational communication without the need to plan video sessions or organize availability.
6. Slack
Slack was first introduced in 2009, but as a classic of modern tech firms, it seems to have been around for much longer. Slack revolutionized workplace communication by making it simple to send messages about tasks related to your job, updates on your organization, or just to chat. Teams, departments, ERGs, and social groups can all be organized on Slack using different channels. Users of Slack may also set up channels to talk about other interests, provide music suggestions, upload images from vacations, and share pictures of their pets. Users can use the platform to let coworkers know when they are available and to indicate whether they are on vacation or sick leave. It also integrates with other apps like Google Calendar. One of the most well-liked tools for business communications is Slack, which is used by over 100,000 teams at firms. Although there are other tools available, Slack’s usability and effectiveness have contributed to its rise to prominence. Alternative messaging services like Google Chat, Discord, and RocketChat all provide many of the same functionality as Slack while having unique quirks of their own. Slack is known as the best teamwork project management tool.
7. Google Workspace
It should go without saying that Google is a giant and that you have undoubtedly utilized Google Workspace at some time in your career. Google has positioned itself to be a platform that caters to entirely remote, hybrid, and in-person teams after changing its name from G Suite in 2020. The platform continuously introduces new features, and it soon intends to release one that lets users attend meetings inside of spreadsheets and documents for more efficient collaboration. Malware alerts for possibly compromised files and client-side document encryption are some more capabilities that are in the works to assist businesses in better safeguarding their resources and knowledge. Due to the fact that Google Workspace is totally web-based, one drawback is that it could not be as robust as desktop software options like Microsoft Office. In contrast to certain other spreadsheet or document tools, Google Workspace’s cloud functionality enables immediate real-time collaboration. This indicates that businesses may utilize their collection of tools to exchange information and interact without having to deal with complex access rights or email attachments.
8. Envoy
Envoy is a software platform that was first created for managing hotel reservations and is now used by various businesses to manage their actual office locations, maximizing their real estate utilization and planning when employees come to work in person. Employees may reserve desks with Envoy in advance to ensure that they will have a workstation waiting for them when they come. Along with other features, Envoy’s products assist customers in scheduling office deliveries, reserving meeting spaces, and approving visitor arrivals. Envoy is one of the most used tools for coworking spaces.
9. Airtable
To put it simply, organizations like HBO and IBM utilize Airtable, which is just a fancy spreadsheet, to keep staff members on target and monitor progress. Employees and managers can post comments on one other’s work to offer advice or guidance and communicate updates without leaving Airtable. For more standardized processes, the platform’s automation capabilities can be configured to send emails or Slack messages when certain records are altered. They can also interact with hundreds of different apps, like Salesforce, Hootsuite, and Zendesk. Users can select from a range of layouts, including grids, spreadsheets, calendars, and Kanban boards, depending on their preferred working methods. The attractiveness of Airtable as a workflow management tool derives from its inherent flexibility. Airtable is among the most used remote employee monitoring tools.
10. PandaDoc
With PandaDoc’s free plan, you can upload as many documents as you like. Upgrade to a subscription plan to access templates, round-the-clock support, and more features. Paid services begin at $29 per user per month (billed monthly). Digital signature has become simpler with PandaDoc for anything from client contracts to paperwork for new hire onboarding. To get signatures, just email the papers and submit them. You can see when the document has been seen on the dashboard. When everyone has signed, you’ll also receive an email with a link to the signed document.
What’s best? For e-signatures and limitless document uploads, PandaDoc is totally free. It will be difficult to find another e-signing program that provides that much benefit.
11. Toggl
You get unlimited access to time tracking, projects, clients, and tags with Toggl Track’s free plan. You’ll need a subscription plan to access billable rates, time rounding, and other features. Paid services begin at $10 per user per month (billed monthly).
Even if your company doesn’t mandate timesheets, keeping track of your time might still help you be more productive. You can manage your time more effectively if you have an understanding of how your time is spent and which tasks take the longest.
Toggl Track has been a go-to time tracker for years because of this. It offers desktop, mobile, and browser-based software in addition to a Chrome plugin that enables time tracking on any open page.
Here are some of the hybrid team tools that will enhance your hybrid workplace experience. Some of these are free remote working tools or very low-cost consuming tools. We wish you a very calming experience!