Most of us have been working from home for the past three months. With the current work from home orders extended, it looks to be the case for most of this year. And while people are reporting that they don’t miss the commute or distractions that can occur in open-plan offices, there are things we miss. Such as interacting as a team on a casual personal level.
While an app or online experience can never fully replace organic human connection there are apps out there to help ease this communication problem. We have gathered together our favorites below.
- WooboardÂ
A compliment on our work from a colleague can really make our day. With the current working contradictions making it difficult for spontaneous interactions to occur this app can help with creating nice moments for staff. Especially now when so many are feeling more distanced from team camaraderie. With the app Wooboard it is still possible to create a positive, encouraging culture and improve morale by calling out employees who are doing a fantastic job. This app gives team members the ability to earn points and badges through a rewards system that acknowledges their hard work! Team leaders also have the option to allow their members to earn prizes such as gift cards with their points. In stressful times, this app can help employees grow closer despite their distance and keep team morale high.
- DoodleÂ
Figuring out meeting times that will work for a large team can feel like a comedy of errors in an email or chat chain. However, the Doodle app can help to simplify the process. Doodle allows users to create a poll with options for others to vote on. When the poll is complete the group knows which times work best for everyone. This can help your team save time involved in decision-making and scheduling processes. It can also be used for organising fun based activities such as quizzes. For example, who has the best COVID hair cut or the cutest pet working from home.
- Basecamp
Basecamp has been specifically designed for remote workers. Because Basecamp itself is a remote company, they really understand what employees need when working from home. The app combines elements of all the tools your team will need to be productive, such as message boards, to-do lists, automatic check-ins, and file sharing. Basecamp draws on their years of experience as a remote-worker-company to provide tons of tips, within the app and their website, on how to improve your team’s productivity during social distancing!
- Microsoft Teams –
Microsoft Teams is not a new product, but we find there is still confusion about what it is, and how it can improve workplace productivity. It is more than just a chat-based app or an online meeting platform. Microsoft Teams is an extremely powerful application that can be used to enhance teamwork through enriched collaboration and communication. Microsoft Teams improves employee communication, productivity, and teamwork by integrating all forms of collaboration into one single user interface – this includes, chats, documents, shared files, meetings, etc. It even allows team members to communicate with popular features like emoticons and GIFs.
 The road ahead will be full of pivots and turns that we cannot predict, but one thing is certain a good app that makes life easier during this current crisis will also be useful in the future when things return to normal. Please reach out if you have any questions or need help installing apps for your teams.
