5 Productivity Tools For The Modern Workplace

The ongoing advance of information technology is transforming the way we work, creating novel approaches to challenges like information sharing, data security, and employee management. Businesses can modernize their operations with tools from digital project management platforms to performance-tracking systems enhancing managerial feedback. The following software solutions, listed in no particular order, offer a variety of ways to boost workplace efficiency.

Starting us off at #1 is Asana, a software platform for managing team projects and tasks. The program offers a variety of features for planning and structuring workflow, including a Boards tool to organize deliverables like digital sticky notes, and a Timeline function for generating and sharing project plans. It also includes oversight tools like Portfolios, which offers a visualization of progress on each team's priorities, and Workload, a system for quantifying and managing work capacity and allocation.

Asana is designed to increase clarity around objectives and progress, with a tool for sharing and tracking big-picture goals that shows individual employees how their work feeds into the company's larger aims. Communication features let team members comment on particular tasks and follow specific projects, and the software enables automation of routine procedures and creation of customized templates for common project types.

Following up at #2 is Taskade, a unified workspace for team tasks, notes, and communication. The platform stores goals, projects, and action items in a tree-structured database, letting users zoom in on a specific piece of a workflow or back out to see where each step falls in the overall plan. Its team roadmap can be used to schedule, organize, and prioritize upcoming tasks, and agenda items can be reordered with a simple drag-and-drop interface.

To simplify collaboration, Taskade lets team members make and view changes to items in real-time across all devices, and allows users to see team progress across every project and workspace. Employees can communicate through messages and mentions, with a search tool enabling them to find relevant projects and comments, or conduct remote meetings through the program's video chat function. There are a wealth of pre-made templates for applications like brainstorming, reviewing customer feedback, and preparing for a pitch meeting.

Entry #3 is Secure Cloud, an integrated suite of cybersecurity and productivity services, designed to safeguard and streamline business communications and storage. It provides automatic email encryption and data loss prevention, with built-in content filters and machine learning tools to detect and quarantine messages containing malware or phishing attempts. The Secure File Share functionality lets users collect electronic signatures and exchange large files of any type, with cloud-based data storage integrated into existing mailboxes and communication channels.

Secure Cloud includes the entire Microsoft 365 productivity suite, with dedicated around-the-clock support from its care team, and services including optimization of remote access tools and a security audit to identify vulnerabilities. The company behind Secure Cloud provides assistance with regulatory compliance, including communications archiving and privacy protection, and its resource center offers guides on improving communications security and workplace efficiency.

Coming in at #4 is Betterworks, a continuous performance management app created to simplify the process of evaluating and supporting employees. Executives can use the program to outline important company goals and communicate them to the entire organization, and receive detailed analytics showing how different departments are progressing and where managers need assistance. The software helps to identify top talent and ensure that employees receive regular retention and career development coaching.

Betterworks aims to support a feedback culture that improves performance outcomes, with built-in templates to aid managers in coaching employees and peer feedback mechanisms letting team members recognize one another for good work. It also provides employee engagement solutions like proactive surveys, conversation channels to solicit opinions and ideas, and sentiment analysis tools to help managers generate insights and recommendations from polling data.

Rounding out the list at #5 is Envoy, an office management platform intended to improve the efficiency and safety with which people and resources move through the workplace. The Deliveries tool can scan package labels to recognize and notify recipients, with the option to add security measures like photos or digital signatures. Visitor management software enables digital sign-ins to customize the front desk experience, create access control lists, and automate follow-up.

In addition to its security features, Envoy offers a tool for centralized management of in-office spaces, enabling employees to quickly check the availability of conference rooms and book them for meetings. The system can provide immediate alerts if an availability issue arises, use location detection to find free space nearby, and monitor room usage over time to increase efficiency. It also enables touchless access controls to decrease the risk of germ transmission, and manage workplace capacity to improve safety.