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The “return to the office” is dead.
At least, the notion that we all need to is dying. While companies far and wide have been requiring three, four, or five days in the office, many workers are saying no. Beyond laying off the entire company, there’s not much an organization can do in the face of that, which means that remote work is here to stay.
Whether your team is fully remote or working in a hybrid setup, using the right tools can make a big difference in how smoothly your company runs.
From better communication to managing projects and keeping people connected, here are some of the best tools to help your remote team thrive.
Why Choosing the Right Tools Matters for a Remote Company
Working from home is great, but it comes with its own challenges, like missed messages, scattered tasks, and a general feeling of disconnection.
But that doesn’t mean remote work can’t “work” for your company. You just need the right tech stack to empower your team. The right tools can help your team stay organized and productive. They make communication clearer, help keep projects on track, and contribute to a better overall team experience.
Now let’s look at the top categories and tools to support your remote setup. I like to break these down into the following:
- Communication tools
- Project and task management
- Time tracking and productivity
- HR and team engagement
- File sharing
We’ll explore some of the best options in each of these categories.
The Best Communication Tools
When you can’t lean over to the other desk or walk down the hall, clear communication becomes critical for any remote team.
But that’s where remote communication tools come into play, and if we had to pick one category of tools to leverage in building a remote culture, communication would be at the top of our list.
The right platform doesn’t just help colleagues exchange information; it builds connections, fosters trust, and streamlines workflows.
- Slack – A go-to for messaging, team channels, and quick check-ins
- Zoom – Great for video calls, team meetings, and screen sharing
- Microsoft Teams – Combines chat, calls, and file sharing in one place
- Google Workspace – Docs, Sheets, and Drive for real-time collaboration
Pick one for messaging and one for meetings, and you’re set. But having Slack and a regular Zoom hangout is not enough to build a strong remote culture, so read on for more categories of tools to motivate and retain your employees.
The Best Project and Task Management Tools
When you’re in the office, you can pop by someone’s desk or run into them across the hallway for an impromptu status update, but those opportunities are gone when you are hundreds or thousands of miles apart.
That’s where project and task management tools can align your team and make it easier to hit deadlines. A clear and transparent view of the projects is not only required for a remote team but becomes even more important when working distributed. Everyone should have the same level of information on project status and should be able to see their own tasks.
Our favorite project and task management tools are:
- Trello – Simple boards and cards to track tasks visually
- Asana – More advanced features for planning and assigning work
- ClickUp – A flexible workspace with tasks, docs, goals, and more
- Notion – Combines notes, wikis, and project tracking
- Basecamp - A fantastic all-in-one project management tool. You can chat with team members, share docs, schedule tasks, and more!
Choose one and align your team!
Time Tracking and Productivity Tools
Whether you need to keep track of exact hours spent on a project or just like having a tool to hold yourself accountable, time-tracking tools can be a great help in keeping your team focused on tasks at hand.
Our favorite time tracking tools are:
- Toggl Track – Easy time tracking with reports
- RescueTime – Gives insights into how time is really used
- Clockify – Free and simple for tracking hours and billable time
HR and Team Engagement Tools
Time tracking, Slack, project management… those categories are all fine, but all they will do is help you do the bare minimum of communicating a bit better. They won’t replace or build a company culture on their own.
You’d be surprised how many companies consider a few Slack channels for sharing GIFs and weekend pictures to be enough to foster a sense of belonging for a hybrid or remote team.
Employees distributed across miles and time zones need more than a few Slack channels for non-work conversations or Zoom activities. Fortunately, there are tools available to your company that can help foster a stronger culture and sense of belonging, no matter how wide your workforce is.
The top employee engagement tools you should consider are:
- BuddiesHR - A suite of Slack apps that allow you to celebrate birthdays and milestones, give kudos, manage time off, and more.
- Donut - A popular Slack app that connects teammates for virtual coffee chats.
- BambooHR – HR software to manage remote employee info and documents
Of the three, we’d recommend BuddiesHR as the most complete employee engagement platform built right into Slack. Between apps for standups, peer recognition, and even vacation tracking, BuddiesHR is one of the most complete and affordable options for fast-growing remote teams. BuddiesHR even offers a 30-day free trial to see how you like the tool before committing to a paid plan.
For companies with over 25 employees, you’ll encounter new challenges in managing employee records, payroll, and benefits. For that, a fully featured HRIS like BambooHR is a fantastic option to center your HR tech stack.
How to Choose the Right Tools to Make Remote Work “Work” For Your Company
We shared categories of tools above because you don’t need every single tool on the list to build a strong remote culture in your company.
When choosing software – any software – for your company, we recommend asking:
- Is it easy to use/adopt?
- Does it fit in with how your team works?
- Will it help your company grow?
- Does it work well with your existing tech stack?
It’s worth trying a few options and asking your team for feedback. Also, at the beginning, you might measure adoption rates, track usage, and check whether the tool is reducing friction rather than adding to it. A good remote work tool should feel almost invisible in daily use, making it easy for the team to communicate, organize, and deliver without constantly “managing” the tool itself.
Ready to Make Remote Work “Work” For Your Company? Equip Your Team With the Right Tech
Remote work doesn’t have to feel distant.
In this new world of remote, hybrid, and distributed teams, it’s more important than ever to find software that enables your team to remain connected and productive.
Keep communication open and consistent so no one feels left out. Try not to overload your team with too many tools; sometimes less is more, believe me.
That being said, a few tools can really change the work experience without being too expensive. With the right mindset and setup, remote work can be even better than being in the office.
This guest post was written by Fabien, CEO of BuddiesHR, a suite of Slack apps to help remote companies build a strong culture and engage employees.
Frequently asked questions
What are the must-have tools for remote teams?
Start with a communication tool (like Slack), a project manager (like Asana), and cloud collaboration (like Google Workspace). Then add others as needed.
What’s the best free remote work tool?
Trello, Clockify, or BuddiesHR are great starting points with solid free versions.
How can I keep my remote team engaged?
Use tools like BuddiesHR or Donut to bring in social and recognition elements. Regular check-ins also help.
Nahed Khairallah