Managing remote workers: 6 tools you need

29 Apr 2022

Man working on a laptop from home

Remote workers can play an important role in the success of your company. By managing remote workers well you’ll be helping them to settle into the company, deliver great output, and feel like part of the wider team. 

To do that, you need a well thought out remote workers toolkit.

Productivity, communication, and time management are well covered by many remote worker toolkits — but they’re not all you need to think about. Working remotely can be isolating so it’s up to you as the employer to make sure that you consider tools that cover morale, engagement, and satisfaction too. 

Doing this will help to boost employee satisfaction and retention amongst your remote workers.  

Tips for managing remote workers with success

Knowing how to manage staff remotely will help you solve three of the biggest problems faced by remote workers:

  • Feeling isolated.
  • Lack of communication.
  • Switching off after work.

As an employer, it’s up to you to make sure that your remote workers have everything they need to do their job well. This is known as a remote workers toolkit.

It can include technology, platforms, or processes. And as you research the ideal toolkit for your remote workers, you’ll find that there’s no shortage of options. 

Here’s everything you need to help your remote workers thrive. 

How to build your remote workers toolkit

These tools will help the remote workers feel like part of the team, connect with colleagues, and switch off when the day is done.

1. Communicate with Slack

Communication is key. While you and your team might not be in the same room, it’s never been easier to contact your employees — even if they’re on the other side of the world. 

Slack is a great way to keep everyone in touch with each other. It can even replace email.

Remember that each of your remote workers will have different needs. Keep in contact with them all to make sure remote working works for everyone. 

Encourage your team to set statuses showing when they’re in meetings, away from their desk, or on holiday. Slack also helps to switch off at the end of the day as notifications can be turned off. 

Keep in touch with Slack.

2. Host face-to-face meetings in Zoom

Face-to-face interactions are important for business and the morale of your remote workers. Tools such as Zoom mean these meetings no longer need to be in-person. By adding a Zoom link to meeting invites, you’re giving your remote workers an easy way to join without being in the office.

Host virtual meetings with Zoom.

3. Raise issues and track tasks with Atlassian JIRA

Managers need visibility of what their team is working on. And there’s no easier way to get that than with Atlassian JIRA. 

Any time a task needs to be completed, a ticket can be raised and assigned to the correct person. It’s a simple way to share tasks with remote workers. You’ll also be able to keep an eye on your team’s workload and see what they’re working on at the moment. 

Keep an eye on workload with JIRA

4. Use Miro to bring out great ideas

You might think that collaborative whiteboard sessions can’t happen with a remote team but think again. Miro is an online whiteboard where teams can collaborate in real-time to brainstorm, plan roadmaps, or create designs. It even includes video calls so that workers can talk as they collaborate on ideas. 

Collaborate with Miro.

5. Create a virtual office with Google Workspace

Google Workspace offers almost everything a team needs to work together — in the office and remotely. It covers email, video meetings, and gives each employee a calendar that can be shared with the rest of the team. 

And creating, collaborating, and getting feedback on work has never been easier thanks to Google docs. 

Create a Google Workspace

6. Boost morale with Bolt Business

An increase in remote working has changed the way we think of business travel. It’s not only for client meetings, airport transfers, or going to events. It’s now a way to bring your team of remote workers together. 

With Bolt Business, you can make it easy for your remote workers to travel when needed. Or even offer it as a perk.  

  • Make it easier to travel to the office. 
  • Bring the team together at work events. 
  • Offer Bolt credit as a perk.

Make travel easy for remote workers

There’s no better way to make your remote workers feel like part of the wider team than by letting them know they’re welcome at the office any time. 

Bolt Business also makes life easier if your employees are spread across the globe. When they do come to the office they don’t need to worry about currencies or language barriers. 

Bring the team together at events

Hosting company events is a great way to bring the whole team together. As an admin, you can book rides to pick up all of your employees from a single easy-to-use dashboard. Even book a Premium car if it’s a special occasion. 

Boost morale by paying for Bolt rides.

Employee perks are great for retention. And with Bolt Business you can give the members of your team credit to use on their personal Bolt rides. A money-saving perk that your team will appreciate. 

Add Bolt Business to your remote work toolkit

Whether your team needs to travel for work every day or every so often, Bolt Business is the ideal travel companion. 

As an account holder, you will have access to an easy-to-use dashboard where you can add employees, control how they travel, and pay for rides. Employees can then get work rides any time they need using their own Bolt app. 

Set up a Bolt Business Team Account today to give your team a safe, reliable, and sustainable way to travel for work.

Download Bolt

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