The proportion of workers who do hybrid work has risen from 13% in early February 2022 to 24% in May 2022, according to the Office for National Statistics. These numbers aren’t as big as they were during the pandemic, sure, but this upward trend shows it working for a lot of the population.

And with home comforts, zero commute, and more time spent with family, who can blame them? In this article, we’ll be going over how you can best implement your own strategies for allowing your employees to work remotely. Don’t worry – we’ll provide links so you can start right away.

Remote working is any work done away from the office, using electronic devices or otherwise to do the same tasks as you would do were you physically at work. The pandemic made remote working a necessity, at one point the only option aside from the costly and unproductive alternative of placing employees on furlough, but it is here to stay.

Businesses should be considering whether they can make remote working an option for their workforce, allowing remote technology to have a permanent position both in and out of the office.

Outside of office work, remote working tools (which we’ll cover shortly) mean there is improved accessibility for those with disabilities. Those with physical impairments can ditch the hassle of stairs, commuting and other obstacles whereas those with ADHD or dyslexia, or any other similar conditions can use technology to make their lives a lot easier. Caregivers and parents also could rely on remote working to work without worrying about childcare, missing medication administering times or being held up in traffic in case of an emergency at home.

Working remotely can improve the work environment and make the workplace more accessible – those with movement limitations or busy family lives can now have the same options to work, removing the hassle, stress or implausibility of travelling into the office. Employees of all backgrounds, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, or background can now communicate freely, even if they’re separated by a distance of a different continent or timezone.

Remote working shines particularly in the areas of recruitment, employee training, communication, and well-being – there are many different ways of using technology to improve the experience for everybody involved.

Logistics, communication and productivity software are examples of the broad categories covered by remote working tools. Remote work covers a wide range of areas, making this approach to work one of the most freeing and all-inclusive.

Logistics

• Files can be stored and shared using Dropbox, a cloud-based program offering huge security and storage packages. There are many different plans to choose from, which makes it easy to share files with coworkers or customers.
• Microsoft 365® is used by a wide array of companies and offers all the Microsoft programs you might expect including Office. It also includes Microsoft Teams, a communication and logistics-based piece of software. It is more commonly used for messaging or video calling, but comes with additional file-sharing capabilities too, in the form of Microsoft OneDrive.

Communication

• Slack is an easy-to-use communication tool where you can send direct messages to team members, or involve everyone in a group chat. It is excellent for a remote team, and has the power to unite in-office workers with those elsewhere.
• Similarly, Zoom allows you to message people; but its main draw is that it’s a video-calling service, allowing you to broadcast screens and physically see your team members. As well as being used for remote interviews, you can use it for bigger team meetings.

Productivity

• Trello is a project management system, meaning that you can keep track of the workload, and even plan and organise work processes. It’s intuitive and easy-to-use, and is a favourite of many companies with remote work options.
• Another project management tool is Asana – allowing you to manage complex work easily, and switch between timelines or lists to make sure everyone knows what’s going on, whether they’re in the office or not.

Hopefully this has given you an insight into the world of remote working, along with some of our best recommendations for starting to use remote working tools in your business. It allows more freedom and wider connectivity, so you can get the best from your employees.

If that sounds good, get in touch with us to discuss other ways to digitalise your business. We offer academic support, meaning you can recieve advice from experts.