Remote Teams Archives

10 free tools for remote working teams

Posted on September 16, 2020August 11, 2023 by Chris James

With COVID-19 keeping everyone away from the office, the need for tools that accommodate remote teams continues to grow. Unfortunately, many companies are also having to keep their budgets small and can’t afford to invest in pricey software to meet their needs. Thankfully, there are several free tools out there that HR teams can use to make their jobs a bit easier. We share our top recommendations in this post.

10 free tools for remote HR teams

While there are many great options to choose from, we selected some of our favourite tools to make remote work easier for HR teams and employers. To help put them into action faster, we also shared ideas on how to use them for HR-related projects and initiatives below.

1. Asana

Asana is a task management platform that makes it easy to collaborate on projects with other team members. This is a great tool for remote work since it allows people to keep tasks organised, communicate with one another, and keep track of progress – all in one virtual workspace. Below are a few ways HR teams can use Asana:

Create a to-do list for new hires that they can check items off as they go
Manage ongoing projects with other members of the HR team
Document processes (i.e. for onboarding and offboarding) that managers and leaders can easily reference

2. Slack

Communication is key – especially when it comes to remote work. Having a communication platform that can be used via desktop or mobile, such as Slack, makes the experience of working with decentralised teams much more seamless. Here are ideas on how HR teams can use Slack to their advantage:

Create a Slack channel specifically for new hires
Regularly check in on employees to make sure everyone is feeling supported
Set up reminders for upcoming virtual webinars, events, or meetings

3. Flare HR

At Flare, we offer multiple products that are free for companies to use – such as a remote onboarding software and an exclusive benefits and discount platform. These offerings can help streamline all your HR processes and provide a better overall experience for your employees. With Flare, you can:

Add new employees quickly and integrate with your ATS
Easily generate employment contracts and policy documents
Send new hires a link and have them enter information, sign contracts, upload certiﬁcates and more through a simple online interface
Give your workforce access to exclusive benefits and discounts with leading retailers like Woolworths, JB Hi-Fi, and Amazon

4. SurveyMonkey

Surveys are an incredibly important tool for all HR teams to have at their disposal. If you don’t have the budget to afford a more comprehensive surveying platform, you can always use a free version of SurveyMonkey to create your own. Here are a few types of surveys you may want to consider distributing to your workforce:

Employee engagement surveys
Pulse surveys
Onboarding and/or new hire surveys
Offboarding surveys
COVID-19-related surveys

5. Donut

When everyone is physically apart, it’s difficult to foster a sense of community. Donut is a great solution. This tool can help everyone – from people within your own team to other employees across the organisation – stay connected to one another by setting up virtual hangouts. Donut also integrates easily with Slack so you don’t have to download another platform to use it. There are lots of creative things you can do with this tool:

Set up randomised “Donut dates” to encourage relationship building across teams
Assign new hires a buddy through Donut to help them ramp up and onboard faster
Create learning opportunities by connecting employees looking to learn new skills with experts inside your organisation using Donut

6. Zoom

Video calls are essential for remote work. This technology gives us that face-to-face time we need but otherwise wouldn’t be able to access outside the office. We love Zoom because it offers a free version that can host up to 100 participants and unlimited 1:1’s. They also offer an array of fun, virtual backgrounds to make meetings a bit more interesting. HR teams can use Zoom for multiple use cases, such as:

Interviews with potential candidates
Training sessions (such as a financial literacy workshop or DEI session)
Company-wide meetings or celebrations
Virtual events like happy hours or costume contests

7. Chimp or Champ

Right now, employees are struggling with their wellbeing as a result of Covid-19. That means that it’s more important than ever to keep a finger on the pulse and check in with your workforce regularly. Chimp or Champ is a great tool that lets you send out an anonymous weekly employee happiness meter to see how everyone is doing. There are a few things you can do with the feedback you collect:

Develop initiatives according to the happiness levels of employees
Create a monthly report to keep track of overall employee wellbeing (and make sure to share it with your leadership team so they’re aware too!)

8. Dropbox

You likely work with lots of large documents in your job – such as contracts for new hires and legal documents for employees. Due to the file size, these documents are difficult to send through email. And we unfortunately don’t have the luxury of printing them out and handing directly to someone. In cases like this, Dropbox can be a huge help. It’s a platform where large files can be shared and downloaded. With this tool, you can:

Create a shared folder for new hires that contains their contracts, forms, and other benefits information
Upload recordings of past trainings or webinars that all employees can easily access

9. Loom

One of the challenges with remote work is finding the right time to host meetings and events. Since everyone is working across different time zones and schedules, it’s challenging to find a time that’s convenient for everyone. Loom can help by letting you record presentations or announcements in advance. The tool then gives you a link so you can easily share the recording and let employees catch up when they have time. Here are a few other ways you can use Loom:

Create videos that explain the onboarding and offboarding process
Pre-record training sessions so employees across all time zones can view it at their leisure
Have your CEO record messages or announcements to share with the organisation

10. Calendly

Being able to effectively schedule meetings is even more important in the remote world than it was in the office. Calendly is one of the best tools you can use to make the scheduling process a bit easier and more transparent. It integrates with popular calendar apps and shows people your availability so they can easily schedule a meeting or appointment with you. Some of the benefits of using Calendly includes:

Making scheduling easy for potential candidates who are interviewing
Simplifying the scheduling process across time zones
Reducing blockers to scheduling meetings for larger groups

Using the right tools can make the remote working experience so much easier. Make sure to take advantage of the free ones we mentioned above to create a better work experience for yourself and a better HR experience for your employees. To learn more about Flare HR’s free onboarding software and employee benefits, request a demo.

A guide on how to onboard new employees remotely

Posted on August 11, 2020August 11, 2023 by Chris James

As COVID-19 continues to keep employees remote, companies have to start thinking about how to adapt their HR processes accordingly. One of the most important experiences to consider is employee onboarding. The type of onboarding program you have in place has a significant impact on factors like new hire retention and productivity. In fact, a study found that a structured onboarding experience resulted in 69% of employees being more likely to stay with a company for three years and 50% greater new-hire productivity.

While being remote does present some challenges to the onboarding process, we believe there are things you can do to make it just as strong as one that’s in person. Below, we outlined a five-step process to help you get your new hires onboarded remotely:

1. Start with preboarding

Many employers wait until the new hire’s first day to start the onboarding process. But there’s actually a step that comes before that called preboarding. The purpose of this step is to get your new hires up-to-speed before they start their new roles so they don’t feel overwhelmed on their first day. Preboarding activities have also been found to increase first-year retention by as much as 80 percent. These activities can include:

Filling out documents (employment contracts, super information, etc.)
Reviewing benefits options
Collecting personal information (employee’s favorite snack, personal hobbies, etc.)

To help companies manage this process remotely, Flare has a free digital onboarding software that lets you add new employees to your ATS, generate documents, and gives your new hires a seamless way to auto-sign contracts and share important information with the company.

Related article: 10 Ideas to help you boost your employee engagement

2. Create a warm welcome experience

Once you have all the preboarding logistics squared away, you can focus on creating a warm welcome experience for your new employee’s first day. Since your team won’t be able to take them out to a welcome lunch or greet them in person, it’s important to find other ways to make them feel excited about their new job. Below are a few ideas you can try:

Send a welcome card that’s been digitally signed by the CEO, their manager, and their new team members
Gift the new hire with a prepaid card to their neighbourhood cafe; They can grab a coffee and get to know their teammates through virtual hangout sessions
Host a virtual welcome party with the whole team
Ship a ‘welcome pack’ that contains the new employee’s favorite treats, movies, or board games

The last thing you want is for your new hire to feel isolated on their first day. These ideas will help your employees feel like they’re already part of the team and get them excited about their new company – even when they’re not physically at the office!

3. Establish a support system

Any employee’s first day can feel a bit scary – especially when they’re remote and don’t have the luxury of asking the person sitting next to them a question or getting to know people over lunch. To make sure they feel supported from day one, it’s important to establish a system that they can turn to if they have questions, need help, or simply want to feel more integrated into the company. Here’s how:

Set your new employee up with a designated buddy. This is their go-to person if they have any questions, need someone to chat with over a virtual lunch, or simply want to learn more about the company
Create a Slack channel for new hires. At Flare, we have one called #newbies that contains helpful resources and is a dedicated space where new employees can feel safe asking questions
Encourage the new hire’s manager check in with them frequently during the first 30 days to make sure the transition is going smoothly

Related article: 5 Ways to help your employees improve their financial wellbeing

4. Run induction sessions

In addition to helping your new hires feel socially integrated, you want to make sure they understand the various aspects of the business as well. This is where virtual induction sessions can be helpful. The purpose of these sessions is to meet with different leaders within the organisation – from the CEO to the Head of Engineering – so they can better understand how the business operates.

Not only that, but induction sessions can help new employees put faces to names and develop a clearer view of how their specific role contributes to the broader mission of your company. This allows new hires to recognise that they’re a valuable part of the organisation and helps them find a sense of meaning in their work.

5. Collect feedback

Finally, remember that your onboarding process doesn’t end after 30 or 60 days. There are ways to continuously iterate on and improve your program – especially if your remote onboarding process is brand new. The best way to do this is to distribute an onboarding survey to new hires after they go through the experience. This provides an opportunity for them to share feedback on what worked, what didn’t, and how they felt coming out of the onboarding process – all valuable input that you can use to strengthen your existing program.

As you can see, a powerful employee onboarding experience can have a significant impact on your business. Thankfully, there are ways to make sure this process is effective, welcoming, and informative – even when doing so remotely. Follow our recommendations to make sure your onboarding process goes as smoothly as possible for your new remote employees.

To learn more about Flare’s free digital onboarding software, and how it can save you on time and paperwork, request a demo here.

HR tips and strategies for reopening after COVID-19

Posted on June 15, 2020August 9, 2023 by Chris James

As Australia begins to re-open doors to businesses, company leaders are also starting to plan what the return to work will look like for their own employees. This can feel very overwhelming, as there are many factors to take into consideration – from keeping workers safe to minimising any disruptions to daily operations. To help, we put together the most critical HR strategies that can help you implement a safe, effective transition back to the office.

HR strategies for the return to work

When it comes to planning out the return to work, most organisations have one question in mind: how do we safely bring our employees back to the workplace, while also balancing the most urgent needs of the business? The good news is that there are ways to successfully strike this balance. To do so, we recommend leaning into these HR strategies:

Reimagine the office

The traditional office space must be reimagined to address concerns around COVID-19. This includes everything from physically changing the format to completely eradicating features associated with a typical office. Below are specific actions you can take to make your workspace safer for employees:

Incorporate social distancing into the layout. According to Safe Work Australia, there must be 4 square metres of space per person in a given space to practice safe social distancing. Before your employees return to the office, make sure your desks are laid out to follow these guidelines. This means no more hot desking and, at least for the meantime, no more collaboration areas like meeting rooms or cafeterias.

Establish a cleaning and sanitation routine. No matter how many people you plan to have back in the office, there has to be an intensive cleaning and sanitation routine in place. In addition to setting up hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations around the office, employers should look into services that can safely clean and sanitise the office space everyday. Or, if you prefer to do that internally, you can follow these guidelines from Safe Work Australia and The Department of Health.

Prioritise health and safety

The top priority of all organisations is to keep their employees healthy and safe as they transition back to the workplace. There are many things that HR and company leaders can do proactively to minimise any risks of contracting COVID-19 at the office. Here are a few suggestions:

Provide PPE. PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment, is critical to keeping employees safe during these times. If you have the resources to do so, provide your workers with face masks, sanitation wipes, and gloves to use in the office – along with proper instructions on how to effectively use this equipment. This will reduce the risk of contamination and also relieve the burden of employees having to find and purchase this PPE for themselves.

Take care of your most vulnerable workers. While some employees may be eager to return to the office, there are likely many who are not. And for good reason. If you have employees who are part of a vulnerable population, or live with someone who is, you don’t want to risk their health by sending them back to the office. Work with them to consider alternative options. For instance, if your organisation is able to accomodate a hybrid workforce, then allow the employees who don’t feel safe going into work to be remote, while others go back to the office.

Maintain remote processes. For the time being, you may also want to continue maintaining some remote processes. Hiring and onboarding, for example, are HR operations that can be seamlessly done remotely and is an effective way to reduce the risk for all parties involved. That’s why we currently have a Return to Work Offer that gives you Flare at absolutely no cost and allows you to level up your HR processes virtually.

Prepare your employees

It’s not enough to simply have your company leaders come up with a plan to return to work in silos. Your employees also need to be looped into this process and understand what their role is in facilitating a successful transition back to the office. We share a few strategies to help your employees get ready to go back to work:

Be transparent. The return to work will, once again, shake up the lives of your employees. Knowing this, it’s critical to be as transparent as possible about what this transition will look like so that your workers aren’t caught off guard. Use this time to share the leadership team’s thoughts and collect employee feedback – this can inform important aspects of your plan. For instance, you may find that many employees are resistant to the idea of returning to the workplace so soon, and they may demand an extended timeline for the transition. These issues are better to catch early on in the process rather than later, which can be achieved by being as communicative and honest with employees as possible.

Offer health training and education. Employers shouldn’t assume that their employees are aware of health and safety protocols. Everything, from proper handwashing techniques to social distancing rules in the workplace, should be information that’s readily accessible – whether that’s in the form of an employee guide or a pre-recorded training session that everyone is required to complete. HR leaders and managers should also be prepared to answer any questions related to health and safety.

Have a back-up plan. There’s a chance that going back to the physical office can lead to an uptick in COVID-19 cases. Knowing this, every organisation should have a plan for the worst-case scenario. What will we do if one of our employees contracts COVID-19? If the government decides we have to go back to remote work, how can we make that transition as seamless as possible? These are important questions that all HR leaders should have an answer to ahead of the return to work.

Even though it may feel intimidating now to think about going back to work, taking proactive measures will ensure that the process is as stress-free as possible. Following the HR strategies we outlined will help you come up with a plan that prioritises the health and safety of your employees, while also protecting your business.

Flare currently has a completely free Return To Work Offer to help organisations build resilient HR operations, employee onboarding and engagement strategies. Flare works with thousands of brands like H&M, Accor Hotels, and Hudson to provide services around compliance, onboarding, and HR communications at no cost. If you want to learn more about how Flare HR can support your business and employees during this time, please request a demo.

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8 tips to help you and your team work from home successfully

Posted on April 15, 2020August 9, 2023 by Chris James

Businesses all over Australia have implemented work from home policies to help stop the spread of COVID-19. In this guide you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to work from home successfully and ensure your teams are as effective as they can be while working from home.

Work from home tips to help you and your team stay productive

Here are some tips on how you can work from home successfully.

Get into a morning routine

Starting your day off right with an effective morning routine is essential for having a successful day. It might be tempting to just roll out of bed 5 minutes before your start time and work in your PJs all day, but doing so won’t put you in the mindset for productivity. Set an alarm each morning and get up early each day so you can get dressed for work like you normally would. Make yourself a coffee and eat a healthy breakfast so you can ensure that your body gets the nutrients it needs to complete your day. All of these activities can help you put yourself into the mindset of having a successful and productive day while working from home.

Plan out your day with all the things you want to do

After you’ve completed your morning routine, now it’s time to start planning what you’ll be working on today. Write a to-do list of all the things you want to achieve today in order from most important to least important and then create a schedule of how you will execute on those tasks.

Find your spot

Find a quiet and peaceful spot in your home where you can set up a workspace. Eliminate distractions and turn off your phone notifications while you are working so you can focus on the tasks at hand.

Prepare your meals in advance

Meal prep your lunch the night before so you don’t have to spend time in the middle of the day preparing your lunch. Make sure you choose healthy meals so you are fueling your body with all the nutrients it needs to be productive and successful.

Take microbreaks throughout the day

Throughout the day while working from home, it can be quite easy to get tired and your attention can drift. If you find this happening, try and set up some microbreaks during the day so you can reset and relax for 10 minutes. Make yourself a cup of tea, stretch your legs or go for a short walk. This can help you work from home successfully and stay motivated to complete all your tasks.

Keep your work and personal time separate

It can be tempting to complete life admin tasks while you are working from home, but it’s important that when you are working during the day, you are dedicating your time to completing your work and being productive.

Connect with your colleagues

You may be feeling a bit disconnected from your colleagues while you are working from home, but that’s why it’s so important to make an effort to reach out to them and communicate as much as possible. A quick video call can help you connect with your colleagues so you can collaborate on work tasks more effectively and just help you feel more connected.

Remember to clock out

At the end of the day, it is also important to clock out of work so that you can ensure you set boundaries between your work time and your personal time. This can help you avoid burning out and will help you ensure that tomorrow you are refreshed and ready to start the day off right.

How to manage your team while working from home

Communicate with your team regularly

During this period of uncertainty, it’s really important to make an effort with your team and communicate with them as much as possible with updates on the company.

Communicate goals and expectations with your team

Ensure that your team is across what their goals and expectations are by setting up regular meetings with them so that they are aware of what the team’s goals are.

Daily standup meeting

To ensure that you are across what everyone in your team is working on each day, set up a regular daily standup meeting so everyone can go through what their tasks are for the day. If you’d like to learn more about how to structure your daily standup meeting and daily goals, download our daily work from home meeting guide here.

New work from home tax deductions Australia

Now that countless Australians are working from home to help flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases, The Australian Taxation Office has made it easier to claim work from home tax deductions.

These changes will allow people to claim 80 cents per hour for all their home office expenses, instead of calculating costs for specific running expenses as taxpayers would under normal circumstances. You can learn more about the new home tax deduction rules here.

Maintain a sense of belonging with your community

With all the changes happening around Australia and the world it can be easy to feel disconnected from the world around us. Which is why it’s important to continually check in on our colleagues, partners, family and friends during this time so that we can maintain a sense of belonging and remind ourselves that we are not alone.

Coronavirus: How HR leaders from Apple, Google and Nike are responding

Posted on March 17, 2020August 11, 2023 by Chris James

The Coronavirus has continued to spread worldwide at alarming numbers. During this time of uncertainty it’s more important than ever before that we get our communities, workplaces and ourselves prepared.

Companies are looking to HR and people leaders to plan and prepare for the change in work. HR plays a critical role in guiding employees and management teams to prepare, and help keep the calm with unprecedented new challenges arising.

HR teams from Apple, Google and more are sharing Coronavirus plans publicly

Some of the world’s biggest companies have joined together to crowdsource a collection of resources to help HR and business leaders inform their employees about their Coronavirus response plans.

Source: Coronavirus HR Comms & Resources Guide

Here’s the link to find a curated collection of public Coronavirus response communications, templates, news, remote work, hiring impact, and resources.

How to communicate Coronavirus information in your organisation

1. Build a Coronavirus response plan

A Coronavirus response plan is essential to help anticipate and develop solutions to the disruption it will cause to your business. The Coronavirus HR Communications & Resources gives you access to Playbooks, Responsive Plans, WFH policy templates from the global HR community.

2. Distribute your Coronavirus plan

Create an information hub where employees can find all the information they need. Consider a HR communications tool like Flare which can help you manage, distribute and amplify communications to employees easily and efficiently. You can schedule a free demo of Flare here.

3. Re-evaluate your work from home policy

Many of you will be making plans for some of your employees to start working from home. Some of you will already have started. Here is one of our favourite guides to managing remote work: 21 tips to remote working.

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10 free tools for remote HR teams

1. Asana

2. Slack

3. Flare HR

4. SurveyMonkey

5. Donut

6. Zoom

7. Chimp or Champ

8. Dropbox

9. Loom

10. Calendly

1. Start with preboarding

2. Create a warm welcome experience

3. Establish a support system

4. Run induction sessions

5. Collect feedback

HR strategies for the return to work

Reimagine the office

Prioritise health and safety

Prepare your employees

Work from home tips to help you and your team stay productive

Get into a morning routine

Plan out your day with all the things you want to do

Find your spot

Prepare your meals in advance

Take microbreaks throughout the day

Keep your work and personal time separate

Connect with your colleagues

Remember to clock out

How to manage your team while working from home