As Peter Drucker famously said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.”  Now that millions of U.S. workers together continue to adjust to the realities of long-term remote work, the good news is that there are many bright spots that make it more efficient, effective and enjoyable – courtesy of readily-available technologies.

The key to improving the work-from-home experience for colleagues and clients is to make the day-to-day more human, as well as more digital. For this reason, there has never been a better time to dive into easy-to-use tools that can help you serve clients and maintain your workplace camaraderie.

If you are looking for new remote work resources to strengthen workplace culture while navigating the organization through these unprecedented times, here are some ideas that may help.

1) Zoom Away

Videoconferencing has been a hero of the sheltering-at-home moment. While working remotely lacks the energy of the office and can leave colleagues feeling isolated, a human connection through video improves the mood. Even a virtual lunch or happy hour or a 15-minute daily huddle provides a lift. Just be sure to use all of the security protocols like the virtual waiting room and/or passwords. From businesses to schools and families, everyone has suddenly and wonderfully gotten used to video calls.

2) Head in the Cloud

Ensure real-time collaboration, version control and the safety and security of documents with cloud-based storage, because local storage of important documents simply doesn’t work with colleagues working remotely.

3) Task Master

Since you can’t just drop by your colleague’s desk and assign tasks, the sudden influx of emails, texts and instant messages mean that some requests might fall through the cracks. Get organized with a collaborative task manager.

4) Watch the Chatter

Keep colleagues informed and connected all day, every day via a private, Facebook-like, real-time information feed.

5) Get on Your Soapbox

Take advantage of any of the free tools to quickly and easily make videos from your desk to communicate with teams and clients. Your facial expressions and (virtual) eye contact are both vitally important in the era of COVID-19.

The right tools for the job make all the difference.