Many teams are staying 100% remote or taking advantage of hybrid work. No matter where your team falls, technology is here to support you and your team as you complete work outside the office.

Remote work is full of challenges, including the loss of face-to-face collaboration and the distractions of home. An employee's mental health may even be impacted as they get used to their new home office.

As a leader, it's up to you to support your team through this time, so they can continue doing their best work. These seven productivity apps can help.

1. Zoom

Image shows Home Screen in Zoom

For remote teams, teleconferencing is now a way of life. Zoom offers everything you need to communicate with your team, including video meetings, chat, calling, and more.

Zoom is easy to use and features a simple user interface that results in a minimal learning curve. Team members can join or create new meetings right from their mobile devices or their desktops.

Zoom also integrates with your existing calendar software to ensure you or your team never misses an important meeting. And with robust security features, you can trust Zoom to protect your critical client or customer info.

Download: Zoom for Android | iOS | macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

2. Calm

Your team's well-being is critical to their work. And regardless of where their office is, work can be stressful at times. It's your responsibility to provide your team with the tools they need to deal with stress in a constructive way. Calm can help.

Calm is an app that uses tools such as breathing exercises, guided meditation, guided stretching exercises, and so much more. Plus, it's available on the go.

Calm is the perfect way for your employees to take more mindful breaks, get better sleep, and learn techniques for getting through burnout. Business plans and pricing are also available for organizations that want to offer Calm to their employees.

Download: Calm for Android | iOS (Free to download, paid options available)

3. Spotify

Image shows a Work From Home playlist on Spotify

There's nothing quite like smooth coffee shop acoustic on a busy Monday morning. Whatever type of music makes your team feel like they can conquer the world, Spotify has it.

Spotify is a music streaming app that includes millions of songs and podcasts to enjoy. Choose from thousands of playlists as well as the carefully curated Work From Home playlist made by Spotify.

Employees can search for a song that pumps them up or even put on some light rain as they focus on their projects. Music is known to boost productivity, after all.

Download: Spotify for Android | iOS | macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

4. Slack

Image shows a team chat inside Slack

Your team needs a hub they can use to communicate, ask questions, and share insights with the rest of your team. Slack is a leading productivity app, perfect for doing just that.

Using Slack, your team can chat, send video messages, brainstorm, use integrations such as Google Calendar, and more, all in one easy-to-use app. Plus, with Slack available on all devices, they can complete their work from anywhere.

Slack can virtually replace email, enhancing your team's productivity. Plus, it can help you and your team get better organized, so you can focus on completing work, not searching for information.

Download: Slack for Android | iOS | macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

5. Cold Turkey

Image shows the Cold Turkey blocker being used to block Facebook

Distractions are real at home. And while you can't necessarily do your team's laundry, you can give them a distraction blocker they can use while online. Cold Turkey is a distraction blocker app that allows your team to block websites, games, and apps that threaten their time.

Let's be real—it's tempting to scroll through our favorite social media accounts or visit Amazon to purchase something from our wishlist when they're just a click away. Cold Turkey allows you to block those websites, so you can focus on your work.

You can choose to block websites and apps for a certain period of time and even require a computer restart to unlock them. However tight you want to block, Cold Turkey delivers.

Download: Cold Turkey for macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

6. Harvest

Image shows Harvest time tracker in a browser

Where are your team members spending their time? Are they unable to get to your important projects because you've scheduled too many meetings? Do they not have enough time in their day to complete their assigned tasks?

A time tracking app like Harvest can help you uncover the answers to these questions and more. Harvest allows employees to track the time they spend on specific projects with just a click or tap.

You can use the tool to generate reports to see where employees need more time or what can be eliminated to better optimize the time available. You can also use the time tracking information to generate invoices quickly, saving you time too.

Download: Harvest Time Tracking for Android | iOS | macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

7. Google Drive

Image shows the home page inside Google Drive

This wouldn't be a list of productivity apps without Google Drive. Your team needs a place where they can easily search for and find the information they need to complete their daily tasks. From client information to meeting notes, they'll find it in Google Drive.

Google Drive is a part of Google Workspace, a suite of productivity and collaboration apps for teams of all sizes. Google Drive is made for storing files for easy access from any device, whether a phone or laptop.

Plus, Google Drive integrates with Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides, so your team can create new projects and collaborate on existing projects seamlessly. It's a powerhouse tool any remote team can benefit from.

Download: Google Drive for Android | iOS | macOS | Windows (Free to download, paid options available)

Boost Your Remote Team's Productivity & Well-Being With These Apps

Happy teams are productive teams. So, do what's necessary as your team's leader to give them the tools they need to do their work.

These apps are just the start. Do a quick search online and see what else you can find. Or, ask your team for their recommendations—they're the ones in the trenches.