Tools and tips for better collaboration at home

Working from home has always been a dream for many people. Until it suddenly became mandatory for almost the entire workforce. What used to seem like a luxury feature is now a major challenge for many workers. Especially when they have to simultaneously care for children who demand attention and entertainment. Several handy tools make it easier to collaborate remotely with your colleagues.

People who work from home often claim to get a high volume of work done, partly because they are not distracted by the noise of their colleagues nearby. On the other hand, home workers do not find it easy to be creative or collaborate with their remote colleagues. They claim to lack the tools to do so. Rest assured, there are many digital platforms to help them.

Professional video calls

To communicate 'face to face' or make professional video calls with several members of your team, you can use Google Hangouts, Skype, Zoom or Microsoft Teams. These programs offer more options than popular instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, FaceTime, or Facebook Messenger.

Very useful: Skype has a feature that blurs the background while you're on video calls. The clothes rack or mountain of toys behind you are instantly blurred when you're chatting with your boss.

Practical Collaboration Programs

Other useful collaboration tools are Slack, Podio, and Miro. Slack allows you to chat with colleagues, share files, and track business process updates. Podio is a similar tool that allows teams to work together in sync. Finally, Miro is more like a large digital whiteboard on which you can brainstorm together, develop strategies, determine workflows,...

Trello and Basecamp also deserve a spot on this list. These are project management tools that are not only useful if you work remotely but also reduce your email traffic. With this software, you don’t have to constantly send certain tasks or files via email.

Computer problem

Are you not very tech-savvy and sometimes have to call on your office IT department? What if you work from home? TeamViewer is a very handy troubleshooting tool and allows your IT manager to control your screen remotely. This will save you time and avoid unnecessary stress in the event of a computer problem.

Flexible working hours

Unfortunately, being armed with handy tools isn’t enough to be able to collaborate effectively with your colleagues. Timing is also important. Maybe you start working early in the morning to enjoy some peace at home in the evening? Or do you prefer to work in the evening after your kids have gone to bed? Just keep in mind that you can’t schedule video calls at 6:30 a.m. or 8:30 p.m.