Five tools to help your remote-work business click

Virtual meetings eliminate the need for a volley of emails and instant messages back and forth, and also allow you to see everyone else’s facial expressions and body language. — 123rf.com

Pre-pandemic, working from home was often considered a perk rather than a requirement. But once Covid-19 struck, many companies shifted to a remote-first work environment - a change that’s now permanent in some cases.

Recent Gallup research data shows that, on average, 52% of all workers, including 72% of those in white-collar occupations and 14% in blue-collar occupations, performed their job remotely for all or part of the time from October 2020 to April 2021. And 83% of employers believe that going remote has been positive for their company, according to a January 2021 report by professional services firm PwC.