The work from home concept is gathering a lot of pace since the last few years and has grown exponentially during the pandemic. It has become a new norm and a lot of organizations are considering making it a permanent feature, not just to control the damage caused by Covid19, but also to save major overhead costs in the long run.
Whether you are working from home as a part of company policy or you are looking to build a portfolio as an independent freelancer; to excel in this concept you obviously require a good laptop or computer along with a good internet connection to get started, but you must know that working from home has its very own challenges.
There are tons of things that you do not care about or notice while working from a traditional office, i.e. network issues, physical and digital distractions (due to strict workplace policies), availability of an on-spot mentor/guide/supervisor/manager, standard operating procedures, etc. which are already in place to increase workplace productivity.
Unavailability of supervision, distractions, technical issues, and several other factors can significantly impact your productivity while working from home. However, there are some really great tools, apps, and software that can help you to keep your workflow going, by measuring your productivity in a timely manner.
Following are the 10 best free tools/apps that will help to measure the productivity of individuals working from home.
1- Loom
It is one of the most used video messaging software for work. Many users prefer Loom as it is an easy and effective way to communicate with your customers as well as colleagues.
Loom allows you to record voice, screens, and videos in less time and get your messages quickly and clearly and can be used for various tasks including code reviews, customer care, or introducing new employees. With a user base of more than 10 million, it is a preferred choice for designers, engineers, salespersons, and many other types of workforce.
2- Monday
It is one of the best project management platforms available online. It offers tools that help in coordinating various tasks and gathering detailed reports. The user interface is very friendly and allows you to follow the progress of various tasks.
You can also share files and materials with your workgroup without any hassle. The notifications can be customized as per your preferences and this platform is available in both web as well as app versions.
3- Time Doctor
If you are a manager, team leader, or a small business owner looking for a detailed analysis of your employee’s time while working from home then this software may be the right choice for you. It is an excellent time tracking tool that provides you with all details of how an employee’s time is spent.
This software allows you to access not only the attendance of the employee but also tells you how much time the individual spent on a specific task or a project.
Also, it improves the productivity of the employees as they can easily see where their time is going. This app smoothly integrates all the data into daily, weekly, or monthly reports.
4- Google Workspace
If you are looking for a budget-friendly platform that allows you to do a plethora of activities then Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite) offers you the best possible solutions.
This software allows your employees to work together on various Google products like Google Sheets, Google Docs, Google Calendar, etc. From communication to cloud storage to collaborations, this is the answer to many work related problems. Also, since the data security of this software is quite tight, you must not be concerned about data privacy concerns.
5- Passpack
Password management is another area that requires a lot of attention from corporates as well as small business owners and independent freelancers.
Passpack is basically an online password manager which secures the way you deal with all the passwords. This software has a simple interface and is easy to learn. In the majority of the corporations’ several employees use the same software and systems, this app helps to keep the passwords safe and accessible to only those people who are authorized to do so.
With a secure password manager, you can avoid a great deal of time changing passwords. Besides it also has added security features for the work which is being done remotely.
6- Trello
This is another excellent project management app that provides real-time data analysis and provides an overview of the project. It allows teams to collaborate on projects easily and it is also very simple to understand.
Trello is one of the best collaborators tools. In one single look, it will give you all the information that you require about a specific project, people who are working on it and the status of progress, etc.
7- Zoom
Working from home requires attending frequent online meetings. Zoom has emerged as one of the most used platforms not just to shape-shift the online education, but also to conduct digital meetings for almost every sector and business of any scale. It provides an easy, secure, and reliable online meeting between colleagues, friends, family, clients, etc.
Though there is other software that can do video calling too, Zoom has a real advantage. The software comes with various add-on features like, screen shares, cloud storage and local recording etc, which adds to the value of this platform. You can also chat simultaneously while doing video calls with other participants.
8- Todoist
A large number of people use Todoist not only to manage their professional work but also to manage their personal life. It is an easy to use and effective task manager which is of great help if you are working on multiple projects and tasks.
The main reason why this software is popular is because of the simplicity of its main features. It allows organizations to allot specific tasks to specific people and thus helps to ease collaboration. Also, you will find plenty of templates to choose from.
9- ProHance
If you are looking for a reliable operations management platform that will help to boost productivity while working from home then you must consider using ProHance.
This software follows a robust module to effectively measure time and effort and provides deep insights on the performance of an employee as well as a team. Also, the reports provided by this platform are quite accurate.
10- Workpuls
This platform is an effective employee monitoring system that helps to analyze and optimize the performance of your employees. Workpuls has a robust automatic time mapping system that enhances the productivity of employees working from home.
The enterprise-grade security of the system ensures that your privacy concerns are addressed.
The Bottom Line
You might not want to use all of these productivity apps and software at the same time, but some of these would definitely help you increase productivity right now while working from home.
