As productive as your freelancers and talent maybe, your staff will always need to collaborate. New staff members will have questions too! Unanswered calls and unread emails from team members will only make new staff members feel siloed.
Now is the time if your company hasn’t researched technological tools to bring staff together. It’s estimated that technological collaboration tools lead to a 131% increase in productivity! You can build an inclusive, fun culture while promoting collaboration through the proper digital tools.
Whether your staff is doing freelance work or full-time work, technology tools improve staff morale and efficiency. If you’re interested in helping your employees and freelancers become more productive, implement these top tools for professionals.
Communication Tools
When combining project-based freelancers with full-time employees, there are bound to be miscommunications among them. Teams that are well-connected through social technology see up to a 25% increase in productivity. Implement these top technology resources for improved team communication.
The future of work will include this pandemic staple. Hold internal or external meetings, conferences, and phone calls through Zoom. All employees and freelancers can meet each other and collaborate virtually by turning on their cameras. The screen-sharing feature makes it easy to walk freelancers or employees through processes and projects.
To build community, implement Slack for your team. Slack allows users to communicate through a convenient chat function. The instant messaging feature is customizable too, allowing employees and freelancers to build community with separate channels. On-demand Professionals can use department slack channels to better get to know their colleagues and collaborate effectively.
While messages and meetings are important, so is documentation (our favourite!). Google Drive uses the cloud to store and update essential files. Keep professionals up to speed with company logos, videos, and internal documentation they’ll need to do their job. Google Drive also updates in real-time, making it a seamless file-sharing solution for remote teams.
Project-Management Tools
Your project manager is only human. Projects can get muddy quickly between on-demand work and full-time employees without proper technological resources. Proper organization while working remotely takes work, so allow a project management tool to help. Track time management, task delegation, and the project’s evolution through these handy tools.
Bring your entire team of freelancers and full-time employees together through the highly accessible Smartsheet platform. This project management tool allows maximum visibility through real-time data sharing. Plan projects in a familiar and accessible spreadsheet format. Attach files, share sheets, and view activity among users easily through Smartsheet. No matter if your project is waterfall or agile, Smartsheet will keep everyone on track.
For an open platform designed to streamline communication processes, try Monday.com. Simplify the project timeline creation and easily manage everyone’s workload. This platform is great for communication across various departments and teams. Customization is easy depending on the project you’re working on. You can even check in on the project’s process without Wi-Fi if needed!
Jira is ideal if your company handles agile projects in the software space. This platform is designed to keep springs moving in your project. Every member in the project can keep up with dynamic roadmaps in an evolving project. Create a workflow that works for your project and keep everyone up to speed.
Human Resources Tools
We may associate human resources with an in-person office department. But in this digital landscape, there are many digital tools that can help revolutionize your staffing process. HR platforms help employers refine an onboarding process and retain employees for optimal growth. Consider these tools to organize your HR administrative work.
An all-in-one human resources hub, this software can cover anything from employee engagement to employee recruitment. Use this tool to conduct surveys about employee and freelancer satisfaction.
Their insights allow employers to make important decisions that improve retention. The recruitment features streamline the hiring process through application tracking. You can also create onboarding tools for their very first day on the job.
No matter what your industry, employees, and freelancers can always brush up on their skills. Keep employees up to date on their job training through the learning management system 360Learning.
This platform allows employers to craft learning modules with subject-matter experts. Get all of your freelancers and employees up to speed by assigning them the module and encouraging peer discussion on the platform.
Mental Health Tools
Competing deadlines, family obligations, and personal problems can weigh on freelancers and employees. Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, up to one-third of employees report feeling high levels of psychological stress.
As an employer, it’s important to provide mental health tools. For every $1 spent on wellness programming, employers can expect a $1.50 return on investment. Encourage your employees and freelancers to engage in the healthy habits they promote.
Consistent meditation before work reduces anxiety and improves focus. Headspace offers meditation 101 for beginners and continued guided meditation modules. Users can pop on “move mode” to guide them through mood-boosting light exercises like yoga. The platform also provides information on reducing anxiety, improving sleep, and good habits upon waking up.
While meditation is helpful, there are times where On-demand Professionals need additional mental health support. Provide them with affordable plans that are accessible to all. All freelancers on the Oomple platform receive personalized mental health care plans.
Freelance talent can choose to schedule appointments with their appointed therapist over video chat in the comfort of their own home. While most individual health plans exclude any medications you are currently taking, the plan covers pre-existing medications. Freelancers can pick from multiple plans from multiple insurers and proceed with online claims submissions.
Getting all your freelancers and employees on the same page is possible with the right digital tools. Provide collaborative freelancing tools and easily hire professionals with the skills you’re missing. With an inclusive digital landscape, you’ll have no problems onboarding more on-demand professionals through Oomple.