When Jason Sophian joined communications API developer Nylas in 2021, the company was preparing to go fully remote. Sophian, the company’s director of communications, says having the right tools to enable collaboration across locations and time zones was key to making the transition for its roughly 150 employees.
“Each team had been using their own systems,” he says. “There was a need for us to clearly define what tools and what channels to use for specific reasons.”
As hybrid teams adapt workflows and processes for the way we work today — essentially reinventing workplace collaboration through trial and error — there’s a wide range of tools to choose from. Like most hybrid and remote teams, Nylas uses email, Zoom, Teams, and Slack, but that’s only the beginning. Research from the career platform Zippia found that employees who collaborate on the job and have access to digital collaboration tools are 17% more satisfied with their job and workplace culture.
Re-creating the energy, efficiency, and productivity of in-person collaboration requires an array of tools designed for specific purposes, from brainstorming to proofreading. “It’s a combination of having the tools and understanding how and when to use them,” says Sophian. These tools are helping employees in different roles, locations, and time zones work together in ways that allow for real-time or asynchronous interaction with colleagues that feels natural and collaborative, and they’re also having an impact on how employees feel about work. And not only do they make collaboration across time and distance possible, but in many ways more efficient than ever before. Many are incorporating technology like AI to help organize information more clearly, generate ideas faster, and unlock new ways to share and contribute.
From visual workspaces to virtual presentations, here are some suggested tools to help dispersed teams do their best work together.
