Top Remote Team Management Tools — 2023

Everything you need to know to effectively manage remote workers, foster a welcoming company culture, and achieve business success in the process.

Huda Idris
Technical writer, B2B software advisor, and marketing strategist

Contributing Experts

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The Best Remote Work Software

Hand picked by our HR Technology experts after product testing, user research, and much debate - enjoy!

With local entities in over 180 countries, Oyster can help you compliantly grow a remote workforce with diverse talent. Oyster can also take care of paying your employees in different currencies and setting them up with competitive benefits where they reside.
ChartHop is an organizational management platform. They're rapidly evolving into one of the more interesting HR Tech companies in the space.
Atlas combines industry expertise and technology in their offering, empowering companies to hire and pay employees beyond their borders, while keeping them compliant with local labor laws.
Caroo is a versatile employee gifting service. Companies can use it to reward their top-performing employees or to simply cheer all employees with company-wide gifting.
Slack makes it easy for you to stay in touch with coworkers and reports through direct messages, unlimited channels, and video calls. There are more than 2,500 integrations, so you can connect most, if not all, apps you use.
Asana makes it easy for remote teams to stay connected with projects, conversation, and collaboration. Wherever you are, as long as you have an internet connection, you can access projects, assign work, and communicate with your teams.
Papaya combines global workforce and payroll management into a single global platform that's capable of connecting you to a wide network of verified local vendors.
Trainual goes beyond the typical LMS functionality; it offers tools for employee onboarding, process documentation, company Wiki, and standard operating procedure (SOP) creation.
Not only is Peakon a great employee engagement solution, it has a ton of analytical functionality that makes it great for people planning too.
Featuring a modern and intuitive interface, Lessonly is versatile training and coaching software that’s loved by nearly 4 million teammates.

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Introduction to Remote Team Management Tools

The best remote team management tools allow companies to engage employees, collaborate, and grow their business. Remote work has been on the rise for nearly two decades, and even more so since the COVID-19 crisis. In the U.S. alone, a study revealed that remote work has increased by 28% between 2020 and 2022 - a trend that’s highly likely to continue. As such, software solutions and remote team management tools have become increasingly necessary. After all, they help companies maximize productivity, collaboration, and culture — all of which are critical for organizational success.

But as you probably already know, there are seemingly endless options. Some help companies better manage their remote teams, while others help remote workers be more productive. In this guide, we’re going to help you figure out which solutions are right for your organization with a list of top tools, what they cover, and why you might need them; common mistakes and how to fix them; implementation guidelines; and more.

Our Criteria: Here's how we chose who made the cut

We take research seriously. To make sure we’re offering our readers the very best solutions in a given software category, we are methodical, rigorous, and expansive in our research. We consult with HR professionals, vendors, and industry experts. We cut through the noise to bring you a carefully curated list of vendors, along with other essential information, to help you find the right software platform for your business. 

Here’s how we chose who makes the cut: 

Product: We believe in gaining a comprehensive understanding of a product before we recommend it, so we start by getting to know the software. Whenever possible, we meet with a senior executive (CEO or Head of Product) for a demo and Q&A. We also test the product ourselves to make sure it has a solid UI, intuitive workflows, and the features to make it a best-in-class offering. 

User feedback: We go straight to the source and compile feedback on user experience. Real-world input supports our commitment to diligence in our software evaluation methods and the products we recommend. Keeping up with the everyday experience of HR pros also puts new vendors on our radar, and it keeps us close to our community so we can better connect the right products to the right people.

Financial metrics: We are certified finance nerds, so we use all the data we can get our hands on to make selections for our guides. We comb through data for concrete statistics like retention rates, growth, profitability, and scalability. We evaluate the bottom line of each product because we know making a software purchase can put your reputation on the line. 

Best for a use case: Software is never a one-size-fits-all product. Sometimes the best solution is free or cheap. Other times it’s the one that is best for global companies or the one that’s sized right for early-stage startups. Keeping this in mind, we include solutions across the spectrum so our readers can find the best fit for their unique needs.

Here's more detail if you want to read more about how we research vendors. Our dedicated staff writers rely on hard data, impartial experts, and user feedback to ensure our reviews are helpful, truthful, and hopefully a pleasure to read!

Top Remote Team Management Tools

Here are the best remote work tools for companies looking to engage employees, collaborate, and grow. We'll be adding to this list frequently as we discover more awesome tools to include.

Oyster

Review:

Oyster offers a myriad of tools for employees aside from payroll and benefits Administration. With tutorials on managing remote work, global hiring guides, global employment reports, and curated employee feedback, the Oyster platform is an excellent tool for managing remote teams. It is particularly helpful for teams in different time zones, and managers can take advantage of the self-paced training or assign them to their team as needed.

Oyster

Pricing:

Oyster pricing starts at $29 per month for each contractor, and between $499-$699 per month for each employee (price per employee depends on the selected country). If your business is looking to scale quickly, custom pricing is also available.

Oyster pricing starts at $29 per month for each contractor, and between $499-$699 per month for each employee (price per employee depends on the selected country). If your business is looking to scale quickly, custom pricing is also available.

Best For

Businesses whose employees either reside in or often move to different countries, as well as businesses looking to hire globally would get the most from Oyster.

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ChartHop

Review:

ChartHop originally started out as an org chart software vendor. Now, they see their offering as a new category called organizational management. It is for that reason that they've added various new tools to their platform, such as people analytics and headcount planning. These tools can serve you very well when managing a remote team. For example, you can use this tool to facilitate collaboration and communication by getting everyone aligned under the same data. You can also measure the effectiveness of programs like DEI hiring, reduce attrition by identifying risks, and more.

ChartHop

Pricing:

ChartHop operates on a per employee per month basis. Their base plan, called ChartHop Build, is $3.50 per employee per month. The next two plans, Grow and Scale, are $7 and $10 per employee per month respectively. They also offer an enterprise level solution with custom pricing.

For an additional $2 per employee per month, customers can get access to ChartHop’s compensation planning system as well.

Charthop has 4 different pricing plans. When billed annually, here’s what they look like:

  • Charthop Build: At $3.50 per employee per month, this plan has all the fundamental features — a live org chart, employee profiles, DE&I reports, and integrations with HRIS, Slack, and Carta. 
  • Charthop Grow: Priced at $7 per employee per month, the Grow plan offers additional features such as employee engagement surveys, reporting, and custom data. If you don’t currently use a dedicated employee experience software, you can try check out this plan.
  • Charthop Scale: This plan is best suited for businesses that want to scale at speed. Equipped with features like a performance management system, ATS integration, and headcount planning, this plan is priced at $10 per employee per month. 
  • Charthop Enterprise: Large enterprises whose main priority is agility and efficiency can opt for this plan. This pricing is not disclosed upfront. For more information, you can contact Charthop's sales team. 

For an additional $2 per employee per month, billed annually, you also get access to their compensation planning tool. If you want to run your comp cycle on the same platform as your HRIS and performance management software, then this feature is beneficial.

Best For

Remote teams looking for a data-centric solution for team management.

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Atlas

Review:

Atlas is a 100% direct employer of record (EOR) and international payroll platform that enables companies to hire and pay talent almost anywhere in the world. They’ll assume the role of legal employer on your behalf; this means once you find employees that you want to hire, they’ll help you manage those employees’ lifecycle, from onboarding to payroll processing - all while keeping you compliant with local labor laws.

Atlas

Pricing:

  • Essential: For $99 per month, this plan encompasses features and services that help users navigate the labor & employment laws in over 160 countries (+50 US States), manage employee lifecycle, compliance information between countries, be compliant with their accounting for travel and business expenses, receive personalized notifications, as well as have moderate access to expert insights and HR templates (which are priced separately). 
  • Premium: For $149 per month, this plan packs everything in the Essentials plan, plus compliance audit interactive checks, people analytics and planning features as well as dedicated account management.
  • Enterprise: The pricing of this plan varies according to the number of purchased licenses and customer needs. You can reach out to Atlas’ Sales team for a custom price quote. 

Add-ons:

  • Contractor Pay: Starting at $49 per contractor per month
  • Employer of Record: $595 per employee per month
  • Visa & Mobility Sponsorship: Starting at $2,500 per visa
  • Essential: For $99 per month, this plan encompasses features and services that help users navigate the labor & employment laws in over 160 countries (+50 US States), manage employee lifecycle, compliance information between countries, be compliant with their accounting for travel and business expenses, receive personalized notifications, as well as have moderate access to expert insights and HR templates (which are priced separately). 
  • Premium: For $149 per month, this plan packs everything in the Essentials plan, plus compliance audit interactive checks, people analytics and planning features as well as dedicated account management.
  • Enterprise: The pricing of this plan varies according to the number of purchased licenses and customer needs. You can reach out to Atlas’ Sales team for a custom price quote. 

Add-ons:

  • Contractor Pay: Starting at $49 per contractor per month
  • Employer of Record: $595 per employee per month
  • Visa & Mobility Sponsorship: Starting at $2,500 per visa

Best For

Companies of all sizes can avail Atlas’ offering. If you’re looking to compliantly hire and pay employees globally, Atlas is worth checking out.

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Caroo

Review:

Caroo is a software-enabled employee gifting service. Companies of all sizes can use it to recognize certain employees for their performance or to simply cheer all employees with company-wide gifting. Caroo has different gift boxes to choose from; depending on the box chosen, these boxes can include anything from healthy snacks, premium gifts, and team-building activity items, delivered directly to your employees’ homes.

Caroo

Pricing:

Caroo has 3 packages that are priced as follows: 

  • Nourish: The pricing of the Nourish box starts at $26.95 and is shipped for free. This box can pack up to 30 delicious snacks from innovative brands. 
  • Inspire + Connect: This box packs premium-themed gifts and team-building activities. The pricing of this box starts at $53.95 plus free shipping.
  • Concierge: Eligible for teams of 50 or more, the Concierge box is fully customizable and can include anything from premium snacks, wine, electronics, productivity supplies and more. The pricing of this box varies according to its contents.

Caroo also has seasonal boxes that pack season-appropriate snacks. The pricing of seasonal boxes starts at $33.95 plus free shipping.

Caroo has 3 packages that are priced as follows: 

  • Nourish: The pricing of the Nourish box starts at $26.95 and is shipped for free. This box can pack up to 30 delicious snacks from innovative brands. 
  • Inspire + Connect: This box packs premium-themed gifts and team-building activities. The pricing of this box starts at $53.95 plus free shipping.
  • Concierge: Eligible for teams of 50 or more, the Concierge box is fully customizable and can include anything from premium snacks, wine, electronics, productivity supplies and more. The pricing of this box varies according to its contents.

Caroo also has seasonal boxes that pack season-appropriate snacks. The pricing of seasonal boxes starts at $33.95 plus free shipping.

Best For

Companies of all sizes looking to reward or simply delight their employees regardless of the occasion.

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Slack

Review:

When you have a team, or even a whole company, that works from home, having remote team management software like Slack is a must. The benefit of using such a well-known program like Slack is that it has the features and support you need to effectively run a company away from the office.

Connect with coworkers in audio or video calls, private messages, or share insights in specific channels. The built-in tools are centered around communication, but if you need more collaboration, Slack allows you to integrate more than 2,500 other apps to complete your remote work management stack.

Slack

Pricing:

Slack offers four pricing plans:

  • Free: Slack’s free plan is generous in that it doesn’t limit your number of users, so it’s suitable for any size business. You are limited to the types of messages and video chats you can do (one-on-one only). You’re also limited to 10 integrations.
  • Pro: The low-priced plan from Slack costs $7.50 per person, per month (billed annually). It’s at this level that you get unlimited access to message history and integrations.
  • Business+: Slack offers a plan to which you can scale if the limitations on the Free and Pro plans are too restricting. It costs $12.50 per user, per month (billed annually) and includes single sign-on, channel posting permissions for all channels, and 24/7 support.
  • Enterprise Grid: The Enterprise plan is only for those companies that need priority support and HIPAA compliance. Plus, you can create unlimited workspaces (all other plans only allow one), so it’s a good choice for multiple brands. There is no public pricing, so you’ll need to contact Slack for a custom quote.

Slack offers four pricing plans:

  • Free: Slack’s free plan is generous in that it doesn’t limit your number of users, so it’s suitable for any size business. You are limited to the types of messages and video chats you can do (one-on-one only). You’re also limited to 10 integrations.
  • Pro: The low-priced plan from Slack costs $7.50 per person, per month (billed annually). It’s at this level that you get unlimited access to message history and integrations.
  • Business+: Slack offers a plan to which you can scale if the limitations on the Free and Pro plans are too restricting. It costs $12.50 per user, per month (billed annually) and includes single sign-on, channel posting permissions for all channels, and 24/7 support.
  • Enterprise Grid: The Enterprise plan is only for those companies that need priority support and HIPAA compliance. Plus, you can create unlimited workspaces (all other plans only allow one), so it’s a good choice for multiple brands. There is no public pricing, so you’ll need to contact Slack for a custom quote.

Best For

Slack is a great collaboration tool for any size business, and it offers enough plans for scaling up as you need more support, storage, or features.

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Asana

Review:

Asana, like most project management software these days, is cloud-based, so you can work from any device, as long as you have an internet connection, which is helpful for remote teams. When you’re managing a team remotely, it can be difficult to find a time slot that works for everyone, but Asana includes status updates, which let you broadcast to the whole team about a project so everyone knows how the work is progressing.

Asana’s built-in communication tools, such as commenting and messaging, also make it easy for everyone to stay in touch without having to wait on email (or remember who to CC).

Asana

Pricing:

Asana has four plans:

  • Basic: This is a forever-free plan. There are no limits to tasks, projects, messages, or file storage (100MB per file limit). Collaboration is limited to 15 members, so it’s a good choice for new small businesses and solopreneurs.
  • Premium: For $10.99 per user, per month (billed annually) you can get everything in the free plan plus timeline view, a workflow builder, forms, automated rules, and milestones. You can also invite an unlimited number of guests (good for client approval on projects).
  • Business: This plan costs $24.99 per user, per month (billed annually) and includes everything from the two lower-tier plans. There are more advanced features at this level, such as goals, custom rules builder, and integrations with programs like Salesforce and Tableau, making it a great pick for larger businesses and agencies.
  • Enterprise: The Enterprise plan requires a custom quote from Asana. You get all the same features as the Business plan, but you also unlock custom branding, data export, and 24/7 support. It’s best for large companies that want to add their brand to the Asana platform for a more professional look and require access to customer support at all hours of the day and night.

Asana has four plans:

  • Basic: This is a forever-free plan. There are no limits to tasks, projects, messages, or file storage (100MB per file limit). Collaboration is limited to 15 members, so it’s a good choice for new small businesses and solopreneurs.
  • Premium: For $10.99 per user, per month (billed annually) you can get everything in the free plan plus timeline view, a workflow builder, forms, automated rules, and milestones. You can also invite an unlimited number of guests (good for client approval on projects).
  • Business: This plan costs $24.99 per user, per month (billed annually) and includes everything from the two lower-tier plans. There are more advanced features at this level, such as goals, custom rules builder, and integrations with programs like Salesforce and Tableau, making it a great pick for larger businesses and agencies.
  • Enterprise: The Enterprise plan requires a custom quote from Asana. You get all the same features as the Business plan, but you also unlock custom branding, data export, and 24/7 support. It’s best for large companies that want to add their brand to the Asana platform for a more professional look and require access to customer support at all hours of the day and night.

Best For

In Jan. 2023, Asana made some “quality of life” changes to a few of its features. You can expect the company to update the platform once per month.

  • Attachments now show upload dates when you hover over them, which saves you time. There’s no need to click into a task to see when attachments were added.
  • Portfolios got a couple of upgrades. Now you can add people and date custom fields to portfolios and you can add comment-only projects (portfolios only available on Business and Enterprise plans).
  • The workload feature now lets you use estimated hours to help regulate resources across your team and projects (workload feature only available on Business and Enterprise plans).
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PapayaGlobal

Review:

Remote work means employees all over the world. It probably also means contractors who work for you part time. Whether you are paying construction workers in South Africa or part time software engineers in Australia, PapayaGlobal is a payroll provider who can handle your needs. They'll also serve as the employer of record for your employees so that you can take advantage of group buying power on benefits.

PapayaGlobal

Pricing:

Papaya has 3 plans:

  • Payroll: In this plan, Papaya runs and manages your entire payroll process for one, all-inclusive fee ranging from $20 - $100 per employee per month. 
  • Global EOR: In this plan, Papaya’s in-country partners will serve as employers of record and assume responsibility for payroll, workforce management, benefits, compliance, and more. The pricing of this plan ranges from $770- $1000 per employee per month.
  • Contractor Management & IC Compliance: With this plan, you can outsource particular services to a domestic or foreign contractor. The pricing of this plan starts from $25 per employee per month.

Papaya has 3 plans:

  • Payroll: In this plan, Papaya runs and manages your entire payroll process for one, all-inclusive fee ranging that is $20 per employee per month. 
  • Global EOR: In this plan, Papaya's in-country partners will serve as employers of record and assume responsibility for payroll, workforce management, benefits, compliance, and more. The pricing of this plan is $650 per employee per month.
  • Contractor Management & IC Compliance: With this plan, you can outsource particular services to a domestic or foreign contractor, paying $25 per employee per pay cycle.

Best For

Medium to large-sized companies looking for a method to pay employees and independent contractors in different countries.

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Trainual

Review:

Trainual helps companies keep track of all the how-to's in their company which means faster onboarding of new employees and less time searching for the best way to do XYZ once they are on the job. This is a great way to document your company's playbooks for everything from customer facings roles to engineering. And, this sort of knowledge documentation becomes all that more important for remote companies.

Trainual

Pricing:

Trainual has two plans with fixed pricing:

  • Pro: This plan allows up to 25 users to create unlimited documentation and gives them access to templates for training, tests, etc. This plan costs $99 a month when billed annually
  • Premium: Users on this plan (up to 25) get everything from the Pro plan plus phone support/coaching, stock image library access, and more. This plan costs $149 a month when billed annually

A custom plan can also be created for larger companies upon request.

Trainual has two plans with fixed pricing:

  • Pro: This plan allows up to 25 users to create unlimited documentation and gives them access to templates for training, tests, etc. This plan costs $99 a month when billed annually
  • Premium: Users on this plan (up to 25) get everything from the Pro plan plus phone support/coaching, stock image library access, and more. This plan costs $149 a month when billed annually

A custom plan can also be created for larger companies upon request.

Best For

Medium to large-sized companies looking to streamline the way they train their new hires.

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Peakon

Review:

In a remote environment, employee engagement software is an essential tool to measure your culture, and ensure your employee population stays connected to their work. Workday Peakon’s Employee Voice solution allows companies to get feedback and act to built a better work environment. This is especially powerful for fast changing companies who need to stay on top of how their employees are feeling with new work norms.

Peakon

Pricing:

Peakon has a three-tiered pricing structure: 

  • Essential: This plan offers baseline engagement features, a mobile app, and 24-hour online support. ‍
  • Business: This plan provides everything from the Essential plan, but adds personalized benchmarking, custom insights, action plans, and HRIS integrations. You'd also have a dedicated Customer Success consultant.
  • Premier: With this plan, you'll receive everything previously mentioned, plus micro-learning sessions, attrition prediction, hierarchy mapping, business impact metrics, and unlimited custom dashboards. You all have extended Customer Success support and change management training.

The pricing of the above plans isn’t disclosed on Peakon’s website. Contact their sales team for a price quote according to the size and scope of your operation.

Workday Peakon has custom pricing so the best way forward would be to request a demo.

Best For

Large and enterprise-sized organizations who can put all of Peakon's features to good use.

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Lessonly

Review:

From small companies to the Fortune 500, employee learning and development is incredibly important. Remote work means new challenges for onboarding and upskilling workforces. Lessonly's simple to use learning management system allows you to quickly build and deploy training materials. They also have a host of content around remote work specifically.

Lessonly

Pricing:

Lessonly has two plans:

  • Pro: This plan includes Lessonly’s training software, intuitive lesson builder, interactive quizzes & surveys, automation & triggers, training event tracking, and integrations. Pro plan customers also get assigned a personal Customer Experience Manager
  • Pro+Coaching: This plan includes everything from Lessonly’s Pro package, plus Lessonly Practice, Coaching, Conversations, and Certifications.

The pricing of the above plans isn’t disclosed on Lessonly’s website. Contact their sales team for a price quote accordingly to the size and scope of your operation.

Lessonly has two plans:

  • Pro: This plan includes Lessonly's training software, intuitive lesson builder, interactive quizzes & surveys, automation & triggers, training event tracking, and integrations. Pro plan customers also get assigned a personal Customer Experience Manager
  • Pro+Coaching: This plan includes everything from Lessonly's Pro package, plus Lessonly Practice, Coaching, Conversations, and Certifications.

The pricing of the above plans isn't disclosed on Lessonly's website. Contact their sales team for a price quote accordingly to the size and scope of your operation.

Best For

Companies of all sizes wanting to streamline the way to provide training to their employees.

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Use-Cases: Why Use Remote Team Management Software

For the uninitiated, remote work means employees are working from outside of the office, typically from their homes. This term is almost exclusively applied to white collar knowledge workers who are doing most of their work via computers or communication that can be accomplished across disparate locations.

From an HR perspective, remote work allows for many benefits including  access new talent pools as now you are not limited to your current geography — but it comes with its own set of challenges (more on that below). Simply put, there is something to be said for the collaboration and teamwork among employees that work in the same office, which is difficult to replicate with a remote team. Fortunately, remote team management software helps make it easier to replicate so your employees still feel like they are a valuable part of your organization. 

With that, here are common use-cases for top remote work tools: 

  • Video Conferencing: Companies like Zoom help bring remote employees “face to face,” which in turn can improve communication and lead to more effective collaboration. Use video conferencing for one-on-one meetings or large group meetings.
  • Team Communication/Messaging: Email isn’t the only way for employees and team members to communicate. Platforms like Slack provide instant messaging services on a one-to-one basis or in group chats.
  • Employee Engagement: Get feedback from remote employees using tools like Peakon, which let you plan, track and measure the impact of your initiatives on your people and business as a whole. 
  • Company Culture: To bolster a sense of community and company culture, platforms like Slack and Zoom allow teams to interact more socially. For example, teams can create Slack channels dedicated to more personal topics like parenting or specific hobbies. And Zoom can be used for coffee breaks, lunch hours, or happy hours. 
  • International Payroll and Benefits: Whether you have distributed teams or an entirely remote workforce, how you offer benefits and perks requires different resources than a company with a single office. Fortunately, platforms like Mistro exist to help you provide benefits packages across 200 countries while solutions like Papaya Global help you automate payroll, reduce global payroll costs and ensure compliance with local laws.
  • Time and Attendance Tracking: Don’t worry about remote workers not getting their work done. You can use remote work tools to easily track their time, gauge app and website usage, and more.
  • Remote Worker Job Boards: Looking to hire remote workers? Post your openings on job boards specific to that talent-type.
  • Screening Remote Workers: Conduct an interview and screening process for remote workers that lets you really get to know them virtually and understand how they work, how they structure their day, etc.
  • Productivity & Project Management: Take your to-do lists up a notch with project management tools that track deadlines, collaborators, progress updates, and more. These tools help ensure everyone is on the same page regarding who is doing what, when.
  • Onboarding and Training: Automate onboarding processes with web-based policies, playbooks, and trainings — and hold them accountable with tests and mini quizzes. Use fun, engaging content, rich media, and more, you’ll get new employees up to speed in no time.

Pro Tips on Best Remote Work Software

Considerations & Common Mistakes

As great as remote work can be, there are some common challenges that can arise if you’re not properly set up to manage it. Here, we outline a few considerations, mistakes, and recommendations so your remote work efforts are a seamless extension of your workforce.

  • Miscommunication: When you don’t see or talk to someone face-to-face, things can more easily get lost in translation. To ensure that everyone is on the same page, you’ll want to strike a balance between synchronous communication (i.e. real-time communication through video calls, group chats, etc.) and asynchronous (i.e. recorded video messages, task-tracking software, emails, and collaborative docs). Create a balance/plan that works for your team, and make sure everyone is on board with it.
  • Coordination: When work is coordinated, teams are more productive. But when workers are not actually together, it can be difficult to get and stay coordinated. So try to build “tempo” management and predictability into the workday. That way, everyone will know when a certain project begins, when milestones need to be met, etc. Not only that, remote workers can better focus on a given task and NOT get overwhelmed by other distractions, like what’s happening at their home. 
  • Time Zone Mis-Management: If your company is global and you have employees working in different time zones, you might experience “work silos” where information and knowledge isn’t properly shared/communicated across offices. To prevent this, create a working “time zone” for your team, where there is some overlap between employees in different geographical areas. That way, an employee ending their work day can properly update another who is just starting theirs. This will help keep communication continuous — and morale high.
  • Burnout: According to Chanell, “most workers, remote or onsite, experience some form of burnout. However, work exhaustion becomes even more of an issue for remote workers. The workstation is no longer at the office; it is at the coffee table in the living room or the desk in the spare room. It is hard to turn work off when it is so easy to jump back in. Remote managers have to help employees understand why it is vital to pace themselves and set times to recharge.”

Benefits of Remote Work

There are a lot of benefits to having a remote workforce — and typically, you hear about the benefits from the perspective of a remote worker. To really get a sense of the benefits a company reaps from having a remote workforce, we caught up with Chanell Alexander, editor of  RemoteHabits. Here’s what she had to say about key remote work benefits:

  • Having access to a larger talent pool - These individuals want to hire the best, and remote work allows them to find professionals who are the right fit, regardless of where they are. 
  • It makes the barrier of entry to business much lower - The traditional components of starting a business that includes renting a building or hiring onsite staff can be costly. Developing a 100 percent remote company bypasses these requirements. 
  • Increases flexibility - Entrepreneurs can live in any part of the country they want, while still running their business. This situation allows them to live closer to family, or live in places where the cost of living may be lower. 
  • Lowers costs - No building, commute, or office supplies means lower expenses. Not to mention, you can hire people who live in less-expensive areas.

Demo Questions: What To Ask During Demos

Before investing in any remote work management solution, you should schedule a demo with your platform(s) of choice. They’ll give you the opportunity to see how everything works and ask questions to make sure it’s the right fit for your organization. 

Here are some questions we recommend asking: 

  • What are the best practices for remote worker adoption on this platform?
  • How have you seen remote workers mis-use this product?
  • How will this solution fit into the rest of my tech stack and therefore what integrations do I need?
  • How will others in the organization use this solution?
  • What are the key features I want to ask about?
  • What are the things that would make me nervous about buying this sort of solution?

Implementation

How you implement a remote work strategy is so important for the success of your employees — and your company as a whole. Here are a few ways to make remote work a high-functioning component of your business that keeps employees engaged and happy, fosters company culture, and brings in the most productivity for the business. You can also learn from an interview done with a PeopleOps pro who's run a remote team for years now.

  • Mimic your office culture: Whether you’re going fully remote or just hiring remote workers, you want to make sure the online culture matches the in-person/office culture. So think about what your culture is and what makes it work. What makes it fun for your employees? From there, you can think about ways to bring that fun and unique energy to the remote space. Whether it’s through digital coffee breaks, “water cooler” chats, happy hours, etc. And, as budget allows, plan for at least one in-person retreat each year for each team or the whole company so remote employees can interact with their colleagues in person. 
  • Create “socializing” channels: Using Slack or another messaging platform, create unique channels specific to different hobbies or life stages. That way, employees can interact on a personal level and get to know each other “outside” of work.
  • Commit to transparency: To help teams stay on the same page and consistently feel like their work matters, make a commitment to transparency and open communication. The last thing you want to deal with is an employee who feels in the dark on a project or sidelined just because they aren’t in the office every day.
  • Have regular weekly or daily “stand-ups”: To keep everyone on the same page and help achieve the transparency and communication that is key to remote work success, have each team hold a standing video call once a week or every day where each team member shares what they’re working on, where they might need help, what they’ve learned from the previous week/day that might help their colleagues, etc.
  • Use a shared language: This is really geared towards global companies with employees who don’t have the same native language. Since remote work is done online and things like shared knowledge-bases should be centralized to maintain consistency and understanding across the entire company, you should opt for everything to be written in one shared language that everyone understands.
  • Be nimble: Remote work is on the rise, but it has not been the norm in business — i.e. everyone works differently in a remote environment or with remote employees. As such, you should expect some “testing and learning” as you get a remote strategy off the ground and be prepared to make changes as needed.

Remote Team Management Software FAQs

What is remote work?

Remote work is an arrangement where employees for a company may telecommute and complete their work from anywhere without having to physically be in an office building or on location.

What are remote work management tools?

Remote work management tools are software solutions designed to allow companies to engage employees, collaborate, and grow their business without having a physical office presence.

What are some examples of remote work management tools?

Remote work management tools include employee engagement software, video conferencing software, learning management systems, communication tools, payroll/benefits software, and more.

What are the benefits of remote work?

With remote work, companies have access to larger talent pools, the barrier of entry to business is lower, employees have increased flexibility, and companies can operate at a lower cost.

What are some common mistakes that come up when managing remote employees?

Be wary of common mistakes when managing remote employees, including miscommunication, poor coordination, time zone mis-management, and burnout.

Next Steps

As we said earlier, remote work is on the rise. Currently, 43% of U.S. employees work remotely to some degree. And it’s becoming a key value proposition for employees and candidates. In fact, some employees will only take a job if it is remote. The global coronavirus pandemic is likely testing your company’s ability to operate remotely, so you’re already learning a lot about what’s working and what isn’t. Listen to the feedback you’re getting and use it to create a more formal strategy to foster and better manage remote workers.

And remember, at the end of the day, remote work success really comes down to two core functions: communicating and sharing. How you do these effectively depends on the tools you choose to invest in. So think about the struggles you’ve been facing now, identify a few tools that could help, and schedule your demos.

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