15 Work-from-Home Productivity Tools Every Company Needs

As remote work becomes more essential, so does the need for remote work productivity tools. Remote work tools help companies with tasks like time-tracking, team collaboration, video conferencing, project management, pair programming, and instant messaging.  

With thousands of tools on the market right now, it may be hard to know which platforms, project management software, video conferencing tools, and other platforms to invest in so that your team can save time and focus on efficiency. After all, you want to engage your remote employees with user-friendly remote tools to make onboarding a breeze.

Not sure where to begin? Check out our list of 15 essential work-from-home productivity tools that you can use to begin optimizing the employee experience.

15 essential work-from-home tools every company needs

In the remote work environment, everyone needs a place where they can collaborate, keep track of day-to-day tasks, and stay connected through chat and emails. 

1. Zoom 

After the pandemic, Zoom became one of the largest and most essential video conferencing and remote work tools. 

With Zoom, you can easily create your own digital meeting room, host a group of up to 100 people for free, and use collaborative features like screen-sharing, digital whiteboard, and Zoom mobile when you're away from your computer.

2. TeamViewer

Teamviewer is a way for remote employees  to quickly access their private desktop. 

For employees that still work from desktops in the office, or work for a company that uses a hybrid-remote work model, TeamViewer allows remote employees to access their office computer and files remotely. 

It also gives you the option to attend meetings from another location and share files with your home computer from your office desktop. 

3. Slack 

By volume of users, Slack is one of the most used chat applications for remote workers. Its real-time messaging capabilities allow you to file-share and collaborate with team members seamlessly. 

Keep communication going in team channels or send instant messages to other co-workers. You can also set up voice and video calls.

4. Google Drive

Another essential tool for remote workers, Google Drive gives remote workers a centralized location for file sharing. With this project management tool, you can collaborate and edit Word documents, PowerPoints, Excel spreadsheets, and more.

You can access Google Drive from anywhere (including your phone), as long as you have your Google login. Privacy settings in Google Drive ensure that you get to decide who can edit, view, or share your documents. 

5. Every Time Zone 

Every Time Zone is a great work-from-home productivity tool if you’re working with teams distributed across the globe.

The tool allows you to look at different team members' time zones so you can easily organize who is working, and when. You can see who’s available based on their time zone and schedule a meeting accordingly.  

6. Xtensio

Another collaborative workspace tool for remote teams is Xtensio. This tool is aimed towards creative projects that may be difficult to complete when you’re not in the same room as your collaborators.

You can share anything, from PDFs to web pages, without having to worry about accidentally deleting colleagues' changes or messing up their artistic integrity. 

7. ClickUp 

One of the top-rated remote project management tools for teams, ClickUp is designed to keep collaboration in order. 

ClickUp allows you to manage and view employee’s everyday tasks in one place–whether you have a small or large team. This tool enables you to view and manage every step of a project in one organized place and diminishes time spent looking to see exactly what your remote team is doing. 

8. Nextiva

Nextiva is an all-in-one unified communications tool that is great for distributed teams working remotely. 

Through this management tool, you can keep voice, video, team chat, and collaboration apps in one place. Everything in this app operates through the cloud, which allows your remote team to have seamless access to their team's shared work.

This is better for teams that may need to work on the go, since users can easily move between the desktop and mobile apps without losing access to all of the necessary tools. 

9. Fyle

Another effective cloud-based system, Fyle is an expense management software that helps take care of mundane tasks so that employees can focus on the more pressing ones. 

Fyle keeps track of expense reporting. Employees and the finance team can view business expenses under one dashboard while also giving managers an ongoing view of finances.

10. Microsoft Teams 

Behind Zoom and Slack, Microsoft Teams is one of the largest and most successful remote work tools. If you already use Windows for your team, then you’re probably already using this communication tool. 

Through Microsoft Teams, users can meet, chat, and collaborate. This is a secure and great platform for businesses, especially if the entire team is already operating on Microsoft products.

11. GitHub

GitHub is a code hosting platform for software engineers and developers with cutting-edge version control and collaboration capabilities.

The tool allows distributed teams to host and review code, manage projects, and build alongside 50 million developers. GitHub gives you access to all the tools you need for coding and allows you to create software right in the app. 

12. Toggl

Toggl is one of the simplest time tracking apps for remote teams. This WFH productivity tool allows you to track hours in real time and avoid remaining idle at home. 

Management can track the time needed for each task and set reminders to help boost your productivity.

13. Miro

Miro is another cloud-based visual collaboration tool that gives remote workers access to a whiteboard platform. 

You can brainstorm projects using digital sticky notes, create mockups, write down ideas, and give feedback to other team members. 

With Miro, you can also upload files and images and enable video calls and chats. 

14 .Zapier

Zapier is another online platform designed to keep all of remote workers' apps in one place. This tool, designed for the WFH generation, supports over 2,000 tools and helps manage complex tasks across multiple apps through a simple dashboard setup. 

This work-from-home tool integrates with your tech stack and automates tasks to ensure that all employees focus on tasks that are driving the most value for the business.

15. Google Calendar 

One of the best productivity tools for task management, Google Calendar gives your remote team the ability to schedule out their day. After all, employees who spend too much time trying to get more than one task done are likely to fall behind in their work. 

Google Calendar is an excellent visual resource to block out time for meetings and schedule dedicated 30 minutes or an hour to finish projects and tasks without feeling overwhelmed or distracted. This makes it easier for employees to establish a consistent workflow. 

Why companies partner with Via  

Companies of all sizes want to hire remote employees around the world, but don’t know how to navigate the hiring process or understand what tools to use. 

Via makes hiring talent around the world and building your global team seamless. With our easy-to-use platform and payment tools, Via helps you manage local HR processes for direct employment such as work visas & permits, employee data privacy compliance, benefits, global payroll solutions, background checks, and other legal products. Our team of local labor lawyers and on-the-ground experts ensure that your company remains compliant while expanding abroad. As your employer-or-record/entity abroad, Via assumes responsibility for employment liability, so that you can focus on what matters: recruiting and managing your team. 

With Via’s transparent pricing, you can pay full-time employees or contractors across borders with no hidden set-up fees, no foreign exchange or transaction fees, and no minimums–start with 1 employee and scale up at your own pace.