work from home Archives - Tech Research Online Knowledge Base for IT Pros Thu, 27 Jul 2023 13:58:22 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.5 https://techresearchonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/full-black-d_favicon-70-70.png work from home Archives - Tech Research Online 32 32 Logitech Launched All New Dock for a Great Work from Home Experience https://techresearchonline.com/news/logitech-launched-all-new-dock-for-a-great-work-from-home-experience/ https://techresearchonline.com/news/logitech-launched-all-new-dock-for-a-great-work-from-home-experience/#respond Wed, 08 Sep 2021 12:32:11 +0000 https://techresearchonline.com/?p=54852 Logitech recently announced its new all-in-one dock. The dock is specially designed for a hybrid workforce post-pandemic.   Scott Wharton, general manager and vice president of Logitech video collaboration, says “When the pandemic hit, we spent an incredible amount of time with our end users to understand their needs and pain points in a work-from-home world. The result was Logi Dock.”   The Logi Dock, which costs around $399 allows you to connect up to five USB devices and two monitors. Additionally, it also lets you charge a laptop while doing so with a single cable connection.   Image source:- Logitech The dock is a giant speaker as it lets you design meetings in mind. It also offers a variety of features such as meeting controls to let you quickly mute or disable video in Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.   The company as went even beyond to include a built-in noise-canceling speakerphone to make joining meetings simple without the need for a separate dedicated microphone or headset.  Moreover, Logi Dock also integrates with your calendar. So, if a meeting is about to start, the Dock will turn on to alert you, and you can join just by tapping it.   You will also have an option to use the Logi Dock as a speaker for your PC or any Bluetooth-enabled device if you are not using it for meetings.  The Logi Dock comes with …

The post Logitech Launched All New Dock for a Great Work from Home Experience appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
Logitech recently announced its new all-in-one dock. The dock is specially designed for a hybrid workforce post-pandemic.  

Scott Wharton, general manager and vice president of Logitech video collaboration, says “When the pandemic hit, we spent an incredible amount of time with our end users to understand their needs and pain points in a work-from-home world. The result was Logi Dock.”  

The Logi Dock, which costs around $399 allows you to connect up to five USB devices and two monitors. Additionally, it also lets you charge a laptop while doing so with a single cable connection.

Logitech-Logi-Dock-setup  Image source:- Logitech

The dock is a giant speaker as it lets you design meetings in mind. It also offers a variety of features such as meeting controls to let you quickly mute or disable video in Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom.  

The company as went even beyond to include a built-in noise-canceling speakerphone to make joining meetings simple without the need for a separate dedicated microphone or headset. 

Moreover, Logi Dock also integrates with your calendar. So, if a meeting is about to start, the Dock will turn on to alert you, and you can join just by tapping it.  

You will also have an option to use the Logi Dock as a speaker for your PC or any Bluetooth-enabled device if you are not using it for meetings. 

The Logi Dock comes with two USB-A 3.0 ports at the rear, alongside a DisplayPort, an HDMI port, two USB-C 3.1 Gen 1 ports, USB-C upstream, a Kensington lock slot, and a Bluetooth pairing button.  

Logitech’s Logi Dock will be soon available by this winter in white and graphite options for $399. 

Also Read:-  Zoom Launches ‘Focus Mode’ Feature to Allow Students to Stay Attentive

 

The post Logitech Launched All New Dock for a Great Work from Home Experience appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
https://techresearchonline.com/news/logitech-launched-all-new-dock-for-a-great-work-from-home-experience/feed/ 0
Must-Read Survey | Work from Home(WFH) Or Work from Office(WFO)? https://techresearchonline.com/blog/work-from-home-wfh-or-work-from-office-wfo/ https://techresearchonline.com/blog/work-from-home-wfh-or-work-from-office-wfo/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2021 10:59:25 +0000 https://techresearchonline.com/?p=17094 Introduction We have featured 10+ thoughts – Work From Home or Work From Office? These are the questions we asked to Founder and CEO, Chief Editor, Co-Founder, VP Marketing, B2B Writer, Director of IT, Contributing Writer, Keynote, and TEDx speaker, Award-Winning Author Questions: 1. Please Rate Out of 10 Work From Home OR Work From Office 2. Top 5 Unique Reasons for High Rated Option 3. How is/was your Experience with WFH in terms of Work Productivity and ROI? 4. What will the best FUTURE TREND (Work From Home OR Work From Office) for Your Company’s Employee 5. Do you love to manage everything remotely? 1. Anil Menghani : Co-Founder | 20+ years Experience | Partnership, APAC | #60SecGuy ⏱️ | B2B Growth Expert ? | Asia’s Top 10 LinkedIn Modern Sales Awardee ? Work From Home - 9, Work From Office - 6 Good mix of work & play Fewer distractions and more focus Used commute time for Netflix 🙂 Developed up a few habits – cooking & meditating Picked up a Standing Desk as work hours increase sitting and that helped to nurture a new working style I have never WFH and didn’t know the pros & cons but post-pandemic – WFH was …

The post Must-Read Survey | Work from Home(WFH) Or Work from Office(WFO)? appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
Introduction

We have featured 10+ thoughts – Work From Home or Work From Office?

These are the questions we asked to Founder and CEO, Chief Editor, Co-Founder, VP Marketing, B2B Writer, Director of IT, Contributing Writer, Keynote, and TEDx speaker, Award-Winning Author

Questions:

1. Please Rate Out of 10 Work From Home OR Work From Office

2. Top 5 Unique Reasons for High Rated Option

3. How is/was your Experience with WFH in terms of Work Productivity and ROI?

4. What will the best FUTURE TREND (Work From Home OR Work From Office) for Your Company’s Employee

5. Do you love to manage everything remotely?

1. Anil Menghani :

Co-Founder | 20+ years Experience | Partnership, APAC | #60SecGuy ⏱ | B2B Growth Expert ? | Asia’s Top 10 LinkedIn Modern Sales Awardee ?

Work From Home - 9, Work From Office - 6
  • Good mix of work & play
  • Fewer distractions and more focus
  • Used commute time for Netflix
  • Developed up a few habits – cooking & meditating
  • Picked up a Standing Desk as work hours increase sitting and that helped to nurture a new working style

I have never WFH and didn’t know the pros & cons but post-pandemic – WFH was a BIG surprise for me as my productivity levels increased drastically. I could plan my day as I would want as per my body clock. I could make maximum use of the time and work until late evenings as I would have taken my running breaks early evening and would be more mentally ready to work which would be unlikely in WFO. ROI also went up for most as it mostly zoomed calls between external customers and internal teams which translated to short precise conversations resulting in higher revenues.

I believe it will be a good mix of WFO + WFH and they should keep certain days as WFO were socializing and community building can be done which is critical for uplifting the energies and 2 days could be set aside as WHF. 5. Do you love to manage everything remotely? Honestly, if you ask – since I have been more prone to WFO over the past two decades and being more of a social person – didn’t like managing remotely but with the current trend shifting, have adapted to the same and now as things move – have started liking the remote culture too.

2. Tom Mitchell

Founder and CEO at Melodoo

Work From Home - 6, Work From Office - 8
  • I normally work in a WeWork office which has a wonderful community and an interesting conversation is only ever a few meters away.
  • Working from the office gives structure to my day and separation between my social and work life.
  • I feel networking is essential to most startups and a co-working space enables plenty of it regularly.
  • I have yet to find the home equivalent of tapping your colleague on the shoulder, quickly solving a problem, and going about your day.
  • I’m a massive people person and I feed off energy so motivating myself during the tough times is easier with the company.

My productivity’s been good and bad during WFH. At times I’ve been able to focus more due to less regular interruptions, likewise, there have been situations that could have been solved instantly in an office environment. I’ve missed the energy that an office can bring with people bouncing off each other so those wonderful ‘aha’ moments that are crucial to startups are far sporadic.

I’m a big believer in most things having pros and cons so having gone through this pandemic it seems very obvious to me that my future is a mixture of WFH and WFO. Utilizing both spaces for their benefits and adjusting the work structure accordingly. Plus WeWork never runs out of biscuits whereas my flat seems to regularly.

I struggle to manage everything remotely because I crave a face to face check-in. I believe evolution has given us this wonderful ability to pick up on all the nuances to figure stuff out and it didn’t bank on us doing it as floating heads on a screen.

3. Alison Murdock

Founder | Chief Market Officer | GTM strategy for early-stage startups | Top Women in SaaS 2018

Work From Home: 8, Work From Office: 7
  • Flexibility
  • No commute
  • Ability to multi-task
  • Cozier
  • Fewer interruptions
It was great and certainly less expensive than having an office or commuting. 
Flexibility – the downside of WFH is lack of IRL interactions. As humans, we need that. So in the future, we will embrace a hybrid model of WFH and office for meetings and key interactions. 
Yes, my business was built in 2020 and every interaction – with the workforce and with customers — has been remote. Sometimes a quick, live convo saves time but technology can now support these short interactions. The only thing I miss is giving someone a hug or a high-five, in person!

4. Simon Cocking:

Chief Editor Irish Tech News, & now also Editor In Chief at Crypto Commonwealth

Work From Home: 10, Work From Office: 0 - haven't worked from an office since 2015
  • Zero commute time
  • Time to see the kids, do the school run
  • Flexibility to deal with clients in other time zones
  • Ability to respond to local real-world issues/jobs that need doing
  • See more of loved ones

2018, 17 & 19 were very successful and productive years, not having to commute to an arbitrary workplace elsewhere removed barriers to productivity. 2020 was challenging but not because of working from home.

We now have new employees who are more open to remote working than they would have been prior to covid-19

Most things can be done this way & for the last year, it has not been a matter of choice anyway – rather something that just needed to be done this way.

5. Yonason Goldson

Ethics ninja | Keynote and TEDx speaker | Leadership coach and trainer | Podcast guest and author | Hitchhiking rabbi

Work From Home: 10, Work From Office: 0

Although my wife occasionally gripes about going off to work, she grudgingly admits to being much more productive away from home. As for me, my home office is a piece of heaven on earth.

There’s no doubt that introverts handle shelter-in-place better than extroverts, which explains our respective inclinations.

However, the additional perks are many:

  • No travel time. I’m up early each morning, grab a quick breakfast, and usually settle down in front of my computer by 8:00.
  • Reference books are close at hand.
  • If I want a change of scenery, I can set up shop in the dining room or on the front porch.
  • I don’t have to plan ahead for lunch.
  • If my workload is light or I can’t get my mind focused, I can head for the basement workout room or tend to household chores that would need to get done later.
  • If a repairman needs to come by or UPS needs a signature, I don’t have to rearrange my schedule to be home.

There is one downside. Sometimes my wife is on vacation, which reminds me that to really make a home office work, you have to get everyone else to leave.

6. Natalia Vasilyeva

VP Marketing, Anzu.io

Work From Home: 4, Work From Office: 7
  • An ability to have face-to-face (more human and open) communication with the team and other departments
  • Much easier team-building and higher employee satisfaction+retention
  • A healthier work-life balance
  • Opportunities for socialization
  • Much more movement and ‘natural’ physical activity

I’ve been working from home for 3+ years, so I didn’t feel a great change! In my experience, work productivity and ROI are much higher without coffee breaks and small-talk with co-workers. And I nail more hours, as it’s challenging to draw the line between work and home now. This is an issue for the majority of people — numerous studies reveal that people have been working more hours during the pandemic.

As a manager, one of my goals is to empower my team to work passionately and willingly, rather than just putting in 9 hours and calling it a day. We’ve had a chance to taste a work-from-home mode and a lot of us are not that eager to come back to the 9-to-6 fixed working hours. In my opinion, the best future trend will be to combine the possibility of working from home 1-2 days a week and enjoy the social office life for the remaining 3 working days. I’d go for it as well and I’m not alone! The research states that 72% of surveyed workers would prefer a mix of remote and office work.

I’d describe it as a ‘love-hate relationship’ 🙂 It’s a wonderful experience that allows me to ‘feel and read’ people much better, as well as to be creative as a manager and solve unusual challenges. And it’s a great chance to build relationships with a team based on consciousness and trust.

Is it always easy? Not. The office work allows for a more personal approach and can save a lot of time spent on the numerous conversations and explanations over Zoom. We’re social creatures that need a ‘human’ touch, eye-to-eye contact, and, sometimes, inspirational or useless talks during coffee breaks that contribute to team-building much more than regular video syncs!

Also Read: Top 5 Best Productivity Apps For Working From Home

7. Nataliya Oteir

Professional B2B Writer/ Marketing Blogger / Blog Content Strategist/Content Marketer and Writer For Hire

Work From Home: 10, Work From Office: 0
  • You can save a lot of money as there is no extra expenditures on transport
  • A chance to choose your work location
  • A chance to enjoy being an introvert
  • A chance to improve your health conditions
  • Ability to focus or “better focus alternative”
  • Flexibility of your working schedule
  • Improved quality of your work
  • No job validation procedure
  • No stress that comes from work environment
  • Overall health improvement that comes working at home
  • To be more environmentally friendly. You get a chance to set your own rules

I am not an office person. Mostly, I work from home.

  • Wake up at the same time every morning
  • Create a Designed Work Area
  • Stay connected
  • Taking Breaks
  • Take new courses and get extra professional knowledge

2019 was a successful year as I have been working at home for an IT company where I have got a lot of technical knowledge that further allowed me to become a successful tech writer. 2020 was less successful and more challenging as I had to shift from working online for a regular salary to working from home as a freelance. It was rather difficult to search for new customers and to find them.

The employee experience will continue to be a top area of focus for many companies as many of them are struggling to improve their performance by creating a diverse and inclusive environment and by adding high levels of touch throughout the employee life cycle.

Yes and no. To some extend I like managing things remotely but definitely not everything…So I will put it like 50/50. Yes. I like that I have some privacy that comes with my home office job, but at times you feel like you want to discuss some issues with your colleagues and there is no such a chance. Lack of communication is something I do not like about working remotely. Also, sometimes I miss my office and the comfort of working with others like drinking coffee with them and enjoying my time in the company of like-minded people.

8.  Paul Salmon

Paul SalmonDirector of IT at XBITE

 Work From Home: 10, Work From Office: 10
  • Both can be 10, depending on the company and colleagues.
  • Communication, Teamwork, Empowerment, Trust, and Drive – top 5 for both.
  • Better WFH for both but at the expense of less downtime.
  • More WFH but balanced with an office for staying aligned.
  • No. Face to face is better for some situations and rapport.

9. Dan Tyre

Dan TyreDirector HubSpot

Work From Home: 10, Work From Office: 10

HubSpot is very accommodating to different work styles and process

I am extremely productive in both formats

What will the best FUTURE TREND (Work From Home OR Work From Office) for Your Company’s Employee : Standing desk

I don’t love it – but it is the way we need to manage to be safe

10. Riaz Kanani

CEO/Founder, Radiate B2B – the Account-Based Marketing and Advertising platform. Mentor@Techstars. Advisor/NED

Work From Home: 8, Work From Office:8

I have always been a huge proponent of working from home. I tend to be more productive as I have fewer interruptions and I can cut out a long commute. As I have a dedicated office space, my quality of life is better and I get to spend more time with my family. Meetings also tend to be more focused and shorter.

But I scored them equally because there are downsides to working from home. It does not work for everyone. If I didn’t have a dedicated space, it would be harder to be as focused, it may be noisy or it may be cramped. You also lose a lot of the social benefits of working in an office. I also believe that you have to work harder at brainstorming and create opportunities for serendipitous moments to occur. That is much harder to deliver when everyone is remote.

There is no question the reduced physical interruptions and lack of an open place office increases work productivity but it also means you have to proactively make time for breaks and activity others over time productivity can fall. Of course from an ROI standpoint, the office is often one of the biggest expenses for a business, so reducing the size of an office can potentially increase ROI. Though some of that savings will be required to manage a remote infrastructure and ensuring the health of your employees.

I do not see the office going away completely. I think the structure of an office will dramatically change. There will still be areas for desks albeit smaller in number. I also think there will be opportunities to take over larger spaces where groups or the entire company can come together to meet, collaborate, and relax on a relatively frequent basis.

For most companies, managing everything remotely is a challenge. The best practices for remote working across entire companies are still being defined as the numbers of companies doing it has been low up until now. Over time though new ideas and approaches will become standard and delivering a remote experience for employees that delivers on all the key employee metrics in terms of productivity, collaboration, brainstorming, and of course health – both mental and physical will be possible.

11. Dvir Doron

Dvir DoronGM North America at Cedato | Programmatic Marketing and Advertising Executive

Work From Home: 8, Work From Office:9

It’s a close match between WFH and WFO – with pros and cons to each. During the high times of the pandemic (which unfortunately is surging again), working from an office poses too many health risks.

Nevertheless, added benefits of working physically together, such as enhanced idea sharing and creativity, streamlined collaboration, and frictionless communication, are important to maintain the company’s culture and ‘spark‘.

Therefore, a hybrid approach (2/3 days at home and in the office) makes the most sense and captures the best of both worlds, even after the pandemic alleviates.

Working from home has always been something we saved for exceptions, but ever since the pandemic started, we started to realize the benefits of having large teams working remotely.

Along with the immediate benefits of keeping everyone safe from potential infection and not wasting time on a daily commute, I believe the biggest benefit is flexibility.

Flexibility to see family, cultivate non-work activities (training, cooking, home improvements) that you never found time for, and to be able to do all of that while staying fully on board and in sync, and in full productivity.

As mentioned before, we will embrace a hybrid model, that will enable more flexible hours and office-time, contributing to a much better work-life balance.

At the same time, we will continue to cultivate a strong culture of excellence and innovation, which requires people to be physically together, at least once in a while.

Personally, I enjoy working remotely, but miss having a busy office and informal discussions in hallways and at the coffee machine.

12. Doug Thompson

Doug ThompsonTechStory Podcast Host | Keynote Speaker | Storytelling  Techsplaining

Work From Home: 8, Work From Office:4

In field sales even before COVID, I spend as much time as possible out with customers so working from home usually saves me travel time, etc. I do miss the “drive-by” conversations with workers and feel a bit less connected with them not going into an office.

I am more productive because I have no commute time and I get to balance things out with home to take care of a reasonable amount of personal matters. I tend to have better equipment at home and other than the occasional need to get on the VPN to access resources I have better network speed.

(The need for VPN is getting less necessary every day.)Through the use of Video conferencing etc. I can stay connected and am happier at home.

My experience is probably different as I have been in sales for the last 3 decades and have worked from home a majority of the time. I have teammates that need the Office Experience to feel connected so I hope going forward that the option to WFH or WFO are selected by the employee to where they perform best.

13. Julie Canfield

Contributing Writer at Medium, Award-Winning Author Developmental Editor, Motivational Speaker, Workshop Presenter

Work From Home - 10, Work From Office - 0

WFH changed nothing for me

I’ve done this for years

Working from home is a novel concept for some, but for me, it’s been my way of life for years. I rate the experience as a 10. I get more done by lunchtime than I did when people could enter my office at any time. WFH-ing has made me a better time manager, a better prioritizer, and a better issue juggler. 

When I began as a writer for CWI, I was entering the workforce after a fifteen-year absence. At first, I was leery of this concept, write at home, submitted by a deadline. Would I be productive? Would I be able to work with no one to bounce an idea off of instantly? Would I get too distracted by the chores needing my attention, such as laundry?

Instead, what I found was, I had to become self-disciplined. That has spilled over into other parts of my life and made it better. I now prioritize better, can multi-task more effectively, and find I not only meet my deadlines but beat them. 

Like everything in life, there are downsides. Mine is working with people who are in different time zones. No longer can I pop into someone’s office to ask a question. Instead, I send an email or text, then must wait. I had to learn to set deadlines by a writer’s time zone. Not all my writers were on USA time. Yet, from this downside, I learned to have patience. 

Both CWI and CDUSA were always on the work from home system, long before Zoom and mandatory lockdowns happened. For me, business never changed, and my life needed no adaptions.

The best part of Work From Home is; the opportunity to work with fellow writers from all over the world. If we had to be in one location, this would not be possible.

Email changed how company employees could ask questions of others during the day without seeing the recipient. Texting changed how people communicated without speaking via phone. 

Walt Disney predicted there would be a world where we shopped and worked from home. That world exists now. Technology has created a smaller, more connected globe. Companies can now hire from a larger talent pool. No longer is weighing out if the potential talent is worth the relocation costs a deciding factor in a job offer. The future issue will be employees and companies keeping up as technology changes faster than fashion.

 

14. Jason Krantz

Jason Krantz

CEO/Founder | Analytics & Strategy | General Management | Private Equity | Board Member | Advisor | Investor | Speaker

Work From Home - 9, Work From Office - 6

Our company has operated 100% remote from its inception, so not a lot has changed for us in the past year. Our team culture embraces an outputs based approach, so performance declines have not been a concern for us.

Many of the leadership teams we advise have faced challenges with the transition. Much of it is related to legacy managerial mindsets, face time, and trust. We encourage them to focus on results, not time worked or meetings attended.

We also encourage them to set clear boundaries and share stories about how we do it. I tell my team that I might send a note late at night because it is on my mind, but I do not expect them to respond.

Draw lines and give your people a chance to step away from work so they do not feel like they are on all the time. Stress during this time is already high. Your team needs the opportunity to step away and recharge.

The elimination of commute times is a huge win for many. That time can be allocated to other areas of their life.

Significant challenges of working from home include having a dedicated space to work from (for focused work and meetings) and child care.

The child care and school availability situation can be a significant issue, especially with younger children. E learning can be an exceptionally high maintenance event with young students.

There is also the loss of casual conversation and socialization that comes from being in close proximity to others. Chat and other online communications can help, but can’t replace face to face conversation. This socialization is great for our mental well-being, culture, and the sense of being connected.

A hybrid model would likely make a lot of sense for many organizations. The past year has shown that remote working works, so employees will come to expect this flexibility in the future.

Organizations that have significant investments in physical space may want everyone in the office, but may need to remain flexible to stay competitive in the labor markets. This option also gives employees the flexibility to select the best working situation for them.

Conclusion:

Work From Home:

Zero commute time, Time to see the kids, do the school run, Flexibility to deal with clients in other time zones, Ability to respond to local real-world issues/jobs that need doing, See more of loved ones, A chance to improve your health conditions, Ability to focus or “better focus alternative”, Flexibility of your working schedule, Improved quality of your work.

Work From Office:

The office work allows for a more personal approach and can save a lot of time spent on the numerous conversations and explanations over Zoom, Face to face is better for some situations and rapport, Good mix of work & play, Fewer distractions and more focus.

The post Must-Read Survey | Work from Home(WFH) Or Work from Office(WFO)? appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
https://techresearchonline.com/blog/work-from-home-wfh-or-work-from-office-wfo/feed/ 2
Top 5 Best Productivity Apps For Working From Home https://techresearchonline.com/blog/productivity-apps-for-working-from-home/ https://techresearchonline.com/blog/productivity-apps-for-working-from-home/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2020 03:50:41 +0000 https://techresearchonline.com/?p=11710 Very typical Monday morning, you are having a meeting with some colleagues on a new project from your kitchen counter. Kids are having video classes in the living room while your spouse is busy at another meeting in the study. The meeting ends and you close your laptop and start scrolling through messages into a loop of procrastination while you run on low motivation. Work from home has become a new norm but it hasn’t been easy for most of us. We are having meetings and attending conferences from the safety of our homes. According to the Clutch survey, 66% of the U.S. workers are currently working from home from 17% before the pandemic. When asked if they would prefer working from home even after the pandemic, 39% of workers said that they would rather work in an office, while 40% said that they would rather work remotely. About 21% have no preference. There are also several advantages of remote working which are encouraging more and more companies to permanently adopt this model. According to Gartner CFO Survey, 74% intend to shift employees to remote work permanently while nearly three in four CFOs plan to shift at least 5% of on-site employees to …

The post Top 5 Best Productivity Apps For Working From Home appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
Very typical Monday morning, you are having a meeting with some colleagues on a new project from your kitchen counter. Kids are having video classes in the living room while your spouse is busy at another meeting in the study. The meeting ends and you close your laptop and start scrolling through messages into a loop of procrastination while you run on low motivation.

Work from home has become a new norm but it hasn’t been easy for most of us. We are having meetings and attending conferences from the safety of our homes. According to the Clutch survey, 66% of the U.S. workers are currently working from home from 17% before the pandemic.

Apps For Working From Home - Remote working of USA due to covid-19

When asked if they would prefer working from home even after the pandemic, 39% of workers said that they would rather work in an office, while 40% said that they would rather work remotely. About 21% have no preference.

USA employees working Remotely result of Covid-19 - Apps For Working From Home

There are also several advantages of remote working which are encouraging more and more companies to permanently adopt this model. According to Gartner CFO Survey, 74% intend to shift employees to remote work permanently while nearly three in four CFOs plan to shift at least 5% of on-site employees to permanently remote positions post-COVID-19.

Workforce percentage of working remotely due to covid-19 - Apps For Working From Home

Remote working is providing several opportunities for both employees and companies. However, there are several issues which employees are facing.

Percentage of Struggle with working remotely - Apps For Working From Home

Source

These problems affect productivity as employees more and more time procrastinating.

List of Best Productivity Apps For Working From Home

App to help you eliminate distractions

#1. Freedom:

This is your first step in fighting procrastination. Social media notifications are one of the leading causes of distractions as these apps and websites are scientifically designed to keep you hooked. They can cost your ability to focus, productivity, and general well-being.

Freedom productivity app blocks websites and apps to give you more control over your time and attention.

Features:

  • Advanced scheduling for blocking
  • Customizable blocking options
  • Ability to sync your settings across devices
  • Option to save and annotate your session history
  • Unlimited Sessions & Devices
  • Freedom Pause Extension for breaking browsing habits
  • Freedom Insight Extension for time tracking
  • Freedom Limit Extension for Daily limits

Apps to help you eliminate distractions

This app provides both free trial and then paid subscription on Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. Freedom productivity app can help you avoid distraction and take control of your life.

#2. Pomodoro:

The Pomodoro technique is a method for time management that was developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. This technique breaks down work into intervals separated by short breaks.

Pomodoro gives you a timer that cycles between periods of work and rests with a built-in way to manage all related tasks. The special features of this app are:

Features:

  • Design the todo list
  • Full workflow management
  • Ability to write, organizes, and schedule tasks
  • Access to work history and statistics
  • Generate timesheet reports

Apps to help you focus on your work - apps working from home

Source

The app has both free and premium versions that are available on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. It is one of the best apps to work from home to maximize your online productivity.

App to help you manage your time

#3. Toggl:

Toggl is a time tracking app which helps you track how much time you’re really spending on tasks. It is one of the best cross platform productivity apps. The app was initially designed for remote workers with the idea of helping them make sure that they were billing accurately for projects.

Features:

  • Tracking individual and collective tasks
  • Pinpointing tasks that are taking more time
  • Issues that are slowing you
  • Designed team plans for businesses
  • Day-by-day breakdown on Toggl reports
  • A handy overview of time spent in the form of Charts
  • One-click time tracking
  • Works online and offline

Apps For Working From HomeSource

The app design also works cross-platform just about on every operating system and online to help you access it wherever and whenever you need it. So, Toggl is your go to apps to work from home.

App to help you organize work

#4.Google Drive:

As our personal and professional life clashes managing and keeping your document organized has become messy. Google Drive provides you with 15 GB of free storage where you can properly store and organize your files.

Features:

  • Auto-sync all files
  • Directly save from Chrome to Google Drive
  • Save Gmail Attachments
  • Convert PDFs to Docs
  • Easy Sharing with Others
  • Scan Documents
  • Work Offline
  • Upgrade to Google One from Drive

Apps to help you organize work - Apps For Working From Home

This app has both free and premium versions that are available for all devices including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. This is one of the best apps for work productivity by organizing your tasks and documents.

Download Whitepapers Featured By Google

App to help you feel calm and motivated

#5. Simple habits:

We are constantly dealing with stress which is ultimately giving rise to the more mental health problem. According to an American Psychological Association study in 2015 – stress in the U.S. continues to increase modestly, but extreme stress levels appear to be rising aggressively. Also, stress isn’t just for the aging population; but millennials are more extremely stressed than they historically were.

Simple habitApps to help you feel calm and motivated - Apps For Working From Home helps you squeeze a little time to help you practice mindfulness and increase your concentration power. It helps you use guided meditation for stress and anxiety relief.

Features:

  • Library of short meditation sessions
  • Different sessions for each stressful
  • 5-minute mindfulness meditation plans
  • Different teachers and different techniques

Apps to help you feel calm and motivated - Apps For Working From Home

Source

The app offers both free and premium versions that are available on any browser, Android, and iOS. This is the best app for work productivity while staying calm.

Conclusion:

In this blog, we have shared 5 best productivity apps for working from home that can help you bring more online productivity while you work from home. You can find several alternatives for each tool in the market; however, it is important to follow steps as they can help you increase online productivity and improve work-life balance.

  • Finding and eliminating the root cause of distraction.
  • Managing your time by equally dividing it into tasks and breaks.
  • Track how much time each task takes and eliminate unnecessary and repetitive tasks.
  • Organize your digital workplace to get a sense of control over everything.
  • Focus on improving your mental well-being.

These steps will help you increase your online productivity in your day. 

 

Author Bio:

Shreeya Chourasia is an experienced B2B marketing/tech content writer, who is diligently committed for growing your online presence. Her writing doesn’t merely direct the audience to take action, rather it explains how to take action for promising outcomes.

The post Top 5 Best Productivity Apps For Working From Home appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
https://techresearchonline.com/blog/productivity-apps-for-working-from-home/feed/ 1
7 Top work from home Apps in 2022 https://techresearchonline.com/blog/top-7-apps-for-work-from-home/ https://techresearchonline.com/blog/top-7-apps-for-work-from-home/#respond Thu, 30 Apr 2020 18:20:45 +0000 https://techresearchonline.com/?p=7222 Today, economies have halted due to the lockdown, forcing millions into their homes. Our fight with the pandemic seems never-ending but there is still hope which is driving people to work and hustle for a better tomorrow. In the past month, remote working has risen sharply as more people are getting the day’s tasks done at home. We should not forget that the concept of remote working or work from home has become possible due to digitalization. However, it has become equally important to consider that there are still challenges of remote working and getting tasks done at home. The most common problem faced in remote working is struggling to unplug after work. Furthermore, communication and collaboration is also obvious barrier when working from a different location than teammates. Nevertheless, there are several apps at our disposal to solve this problem. Other challenges may include lack of motivation when removing all the gentle nudges of having superiors and that sense of being at work. We are addressing all these challenges in this blog and all of the apps that can be a help to overcome these. Recommended tools in these blogs are free and the once that are paid also …

The post 7 Top work from home Apps in 2022 appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
Today, economies have halted due to the lockdown, forcing millions into their homes. Our fight with the pandemic seems never-ending but there is still hope which is driving people to work and hustle for a better tomorrow.

In the past month, remote working has risen sharply as more people are getting the day’s tasks done at home. We should not forget that the concept of remote working or work from home has become possible due to digitalization. However, it has become equally important to consider that there are still challenges of remote working and getting tasks done at home. The most common problem faced in remote working is struggling to unplug after work.

Furthermore, communication and collaboration is also obvious barrier when working from a different location than teammates. Nevertheless, there are several apps at our disposal to solve this problem. Other challenges may include lack of motivation when removing all the gentle nudges of having superiors and that sense of being at work.

We are addressing all these challenges in this blog and all of the apps that can be a help to overcome these. Recommended tools in these blogs are free and the once that are paid also come with a free version. Their tools can be adopted by companies to improve the workflow and turn remote working into a truly life-changing move.

So Let’s see the 7 Top work from home Apps of 2022

#1. Slack (Windows, Android, Web, Mac, and iOS)

Slack is an ideal communication tool for remote workers and is designed specifically for teams. Organized instant messaging channels can be easily joined and left by team members. This eliminates the problem of receiving irrelevant messages or notifications. It also gives members options to chat outside of the main topics in separate threads. It prevents such messages from interfering with project-centric conversations.

Key features:

  • Instant messaging: Live communication for seamless collaboration.
  • File sharing: Drag-and-drop options for file sharing in the form of PDFs, images, videos, and other types.
  • Voice & video calls: Direct voice and video call options.
  • Screen sharing: Allows team members to share their screens for real-time collaboration.

The free version of Slack allows users to create a single workspace for small teams while paid versions provide everyone with a fully-collaborative workspace. The free version can be used by small teams within businesses between themselves.

#2. Zoom (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Web)

Zoom offers a full suite of communication and video conferencing tools. Businesses can leverage this application for the majority of remote team meetings and chat.

Key features:

  • Video meetings: Free video meetings and one-to-one video calls for teams.
  • Voice calls: Group and one on one voice calls.
  • Webinars: Teams can host webinars.
  • Messaging: Team can send messages using the application.
  • File sharing: Share for better collaboration between members.

Zoom has made group video and voice meetings easy. Its free version can be used for a large chunk of smaller teams. The paid version of the app is also available and only requires hosts to pay a monthly fee. The host has to invite team members to join meetings. These teams can be of up to 100 participants and will only need to upgrade if meetings are longer than 40 minutes.

#3. Serene (Mac)

Serene can help in achieving maximum productivity every day and its free app for Mac. There are two key principles behind the app are: first, it encourages a person to set an everyday goal and stay focused on achieving it throughout the day. Secondly, it blocks access to distracting websites and apps during work sessions.

Key features:

  • Website and App blocker: It blocks those websites and apps that distract users such as social media websites and apps, email, and others.
  • Day planner: It defines the daily goal and gets stuff done.
  • To-do lists: Manage tasks and helps gets work done by the right team member.
  • Focus music: It plays background music to help keep focus.
  • Distraction-free sessions: This app lets users work for 20-60 minute sessions with regular breaks to maximize productivity.
  • Session timer: Gives a motivation by showing remaining time to complete tasks to boost users towards the end of each session.
  • Phone silencer: Automatically put user phone on silent mobile.

Serene help user divides everyday goals into a series of short work sessions and regular breaks. These proven techniques give a person maximum focus while working while adjusting enough breaks to keep the mind fresh.

#4. Chrome Remote Desktop (iOS, Chrome extension, and Android)

Chrome remote desktop allows access to a computer from phones, tablets, and other computers. This means users of the applications can securely access the machine from anywhere without any risks. Users can access the computer by an access URL or download the mobile app for both Andriod and iOS. Its chrome extension gives users faster access from portable devices to office/home computer.

Key features:

  • Remote Access: Its feature enables users to access the computer from anywhere, in real-time from any portable device.
  • Screen share: Remote support feature also lets users share screen with team members.
  • Remote Support: Team members can also access the computer of their colleagues from different locations.

Some of the other key functions include connecting the user’s device with fellow teammates to provide access to the computer and receive remote support. This is also perfect for getting help with resolving technical issues. In short, users can simply use their features to screen share and allowing everyone to see the same screen for more effective collaboration.

#5. Google Drive (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android & web)

Google Drive can be termed as a cloud alternative to Microsoft Office. However, it provides far more useful features for remote workers. The file-sharing and collaboration features for businesses such as team viewing in Google Drive are convenient and better than Microsoft Drive.

Another big issue for Mac users is that the MS apps regularly crash which is not the case of Google Drive. However, google drive and docs have their downside that is they have to be online.

Key features:

  • Cloud storage: It can prove to be very useful for remote teams as it allows them real-time sharing and collaborating on files. This can be attributed to its cloud that these collaborations are without any real lag.
  • Documents: It provides word documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and essential docs for free.

The application allows team members to work together in real-time on text documents and spreadsheets. Individual remote workers can use the free version of Google Drive as it offers more than enough features. However, for larger cloud storage than the default 15GB space businesses can upgrade storage plans without paying up for G Suite.

#6. Calendar (iOS, Android, web app)

Google Drive and docs come loaded with feature however, Google Calendar doesn’t provide some of the advanced features. Calendar is a more feature-rich alternative that connects all the needs into a single interface.

Key features:

  • One calendar: It integrates all of the user calendars and keeps everything in one place.
  • Easy scheduling: It schedules team meetings, eliminating the need for email exchange.
  • Meeting transcriptions: Provides automatic transcripts for meetings.
  • Synced events: It syncs all the events across other calendar apps.

Aside from integrating all of user calendar apps, Calendar’s star feature is the way it handles meetings. Instead of arranging video chats or other meetings with dizzying emails between multiple team members, Calendar allows anyone to choose and book meeting times during user availability hours while ensuring there are no conflicts with existing meetings or tasks.

#7. Zapier (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android & web)

Zapier can save endless amounts of time through its simple automation tool. Users can skip the fuss of constantly switching between multiple apps to and create Zaps to automate these tasks. Zapier can send data between apps such as Gmail and Google Drive to automatically upload email attachments for remote access. It can even automatically add new time entries to a spreadsheet for accuracy.

Key features:

  • Application Integration: It links all apps to allow data sharing and saves time switching between apps.
  • Automate tasks: It automates repetitive tasks.
  • Custom automation: It provides the in-build feature for the user so they can personally automate apps if they can’t find them in Zapier’s library.

In today’s world automation has become one of the most pivotal tools for maximizing productivity. Zapier can help users easily adapt to automation technology. This incredibly simple app can save so much time iOS users making automation addictive.

Some companies today have been locked down without any proper IT infrastructure in place. Such companies can explore and leverage the benefits associated with these applications and services. These services not only help run organizations remotely but help maximize productivity. Once these companies will start implementing such application the themselves will realize the full benefits of working remotely.

The most crucial effects of this are reduced stress and ease in collaborations. In this critical time, the wrong approach can lead the company to increase stress on employees and the growth of the company. However, the right approach can increase productivity and growth while supporting and encouraging the company at an individual level.

These tools will provide a competitive advantage to the companies as the work can be completed faster with collaboration. This will enable businesses to inculcate healthy working habits among employees. This will help them maximize productivity while staying away from pressure.

The post 7 Top work from home Apps in 2022 appeared first on Tech Research Online.

]]>
https://techresearchonline.com/blog/top-7-apps-for-work-from-home/feed/ 0