Welcome to the remote workforce. This is the new way of working, with more than half of the workforce likely to work remotely in the future. These are the essential do’s and don’ts for the modern telecommuting landscape.
Do: Get SaaS-y
A little SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) goes a long way. We examined how virtual collaboration technologies are becoming more common in competitive industries in our article on PM’s managing remote team. Remote teams can communicate, collaborate and exchange important work information via a unified platform offered by today’s top SaaS companies. These platforms and tools can easily be scaled up and down to meet the changing communication needs of remote teams. Thibaut de lataillade, GetApp’s global vice president, says that the rise of cloud-based SaaS has been crucial to the growth in remote work. He cites a GetApp report that found that remote work increased by 400% over the past ten years.
Slack, Google Drive and Microsoft Office are just a few of the leading SaaS providers. De Lataillade also explains how SaaS communication platforms play a crucial role in remote workers’ mental well-being. While companies have a lot to gain from embracing remote work, it is important to ensure that employees are supported professionally and emotionally. Unified communications make it easier to unravel any knots. Remote workers don’t have to be isolated.
Don’t: Avoid Automation
Automation is not only for large multinational corporations. There are many affordable or free software and services that can be used by anyone, from solo freelancers to corporate-backed remote teams. You can automate tasks and chores in your daily life and work with the same smartphones, laptops, and smartphones that allow you to be a remote worker. Automated money transfers are one of the easiest and most effective ways to automate. Marcus’ article on automating finances explains how automatic money transfers can be used to sign up once and then never have to worry about paying bills on time. Remote team managers can automate the remuneration process by having automated records and payments. This is critical to keep remote workers motivated. You can now use autopay to authorize automatic transfers for savings, retirement or any other account. Financial automation is only the tip of the iceberg.
There’s an app that can do it digitally if you need it. Tasker allows you to automate hundreds of tasks using your smartphone. Tasks can be customized with over 200 smartphone actions and triggers. This could allow you automate nearly every task you can do on your phone. To verify team progress, email daily screenshots of project timelines. Log calls and keyword-isolated messages in shared sheets. You can customize audio notifications by plugging in earphones. This includes text-to-speech options to receive messages from certain contacts or appointments. It can also be used to customize Spotify playlists with GPS and accelerometer. Automating your life and work can make your life easier.
Do: Aim For Work-Life Balance
Remote workers shouldn’t miss the chance to have their time. You can make the most of the tools you have at your disposal.

Oswald