Software for managing remote working has taken on an important place in the professional world. This type of software helps optimise tasks and makes life easier for employees. But a trend has emerged more recently: working from home. Find out how, whether employees are working remotely or in the office, office software can make their lives easier!

What is office software?

For many years now, technology has been an integral part of company life. The first software designed to optimise employees’ work appeared in the 1980s. Over time, these tools improved until they became an integral part of everyday life.

The history of office software

Ever since the first computers arrived, developers have thought about creating software to make office workers’ jobs easier. In 1989, Microsoft launched Office for Windows with tools that have since become indispensable: Word, Excel and PowerPoint. From then on, computing has never stopped developing. Today, AI, notably through the company OpenAI, is an integral part of our working habits, and yet ten years ago almost nobody knew this type of tool existed. And as this software developed, working habits were changing too, notably with remote working. The history of office software is therefore marked by constant innovation, making tools more powerful, accessible and collaborative, up to the first intelligent computer systems, which have transformed the way we work and collaborate.

Innovations to meet the expectations of offices

Innovation is therefore essential for companies if they are to keep pace. Because today, IT moves fast, very fast! But it is not only companies that have to adapt to new technologies. In fact, it is the other way round. Following the pandemic, a great many employees adopted a hybrid way of working, that is, split between being on site in the office and working remotely. This is why IT innovation has moved towards formats compatible with this way of working, so that software performs just as well remotely as in the office and does not get in the way of relationships between colleagues.

Which software should you use to organise remote working?

A great deal of software has appeared to make life easier for employees, whether they work in a hybrid way, remotely or not. These solutions are developed with a specific purpose and allow companies to remain efficient whatever the office organisation.

The different types of software for companies, whether they work remotely or not

For companies, whether remote or office-based, software helps improve productivity, communication and management. The essentials are the Adobe and Office suites, as they have long held a monopoly across a wide range of needs. But today, software can carry out many other tasks to make employees’ work simpler. For example, there are messaging and video conferencing applications used every day in companies. There is also business management software such as CRMs and accounting software. So many tools that are useful for a wide range of roles, but above all able to adapt to working remotely or in the office. This software is therefore essential and evolves according to companies’ needs.

Software designed for managing remote working

However, although all software can be used remotely, some software is specialised in managing remote working. Managing remote working requires several pieces of software to ensure communication, collaboration, task management and data security. These include solutions such as Slack, Teams and Google Meet for communicating effectively between colleagues or with external parties. Tools such as Jira and Trello exist to manage projects remotely. Then there are solutions such as Google Drive, Dropbox and OneDrive, which provide storage servers for storing and sharing documents, very useful when working away from the office. As you will have gathered, whether you work remotely or in the office, increasingly comprehensive software is emerging to offer suitable solutions.

How do you manage an organisation working remotely or in the office?

Because the business world is changing, you have to change with it. This is why it has become crucial to manage the organisation of your company effectively between employees working remotely and those in the office.

Develop a flex office culture within your company

The first solution is to develop a flex office culture, and to understand why your employees need to work both remotely and in the office. Today, employees need to be able to work from home when they need to, for a healthy work-life balance. However, this does not mean leaving them working remotely all the time and renting premises only to leave them empty. It is about finding a happy medium and moving forward in line with the needs of both employees and the company. To do this, you can address employees’ concerns on the subject, train managers, design more welcoming workspaces to attract your employees, or measure employee satisfaction so that you can adjust your management accordingly. The general idea is to understand employees’ needs and to help them understand yours.

Use the right software for the specific needs of the office or remote working

Managing an organisation that works both remotely and in the office is different from working solely in offices. Software is therefore necessary, particularly to communicate better. Indeed, communication is the crux of the matter. It is especially necessary when you want to plan your days in the office. After all, nobody wants to come into the office only to find it packed to the rafters. This is why having a desk booking system is crucial. There is, of course, software for this. And it offers many features, such as desk occupancy analysis, flex office management, remote working management and, of course, desk booking. Combined with the software we have looked at above, these solutions make it possible to avoid overbooking on-site spaces and to keep remote and office working perfectly organised.

Don’t let poor remote working management hold you back any longer

Whether you work remotely or in the office, flex office management software is essential. This is why we designed Hamilton Deskbooking, an all-in-one tool with a wide range of features: online selection and booking of desks or workstations, hybrid and remote working management, detailed reporting, cloud-based for fast management, and much more.

Whether remote or in the office, this is the software you need! Request a free demo of Hamilton Deskbooking now!