Managing Productivity with Google for Work

Want to keep everyone on the same page? Google Apps for Work keeps everyone productive, no matter from where they are working.

Gallup recently released a report stating that 37% of American workers have telecommuted to work at least once. According to the same source, American workers spend, on average, about two days per month working remotely.

In your company, you may not have a regular telecommuter. But from time to time all of us need to work away from work. Whether we’re out doing an onsite visit or are at home with a sick kid, sometimes the office is inaccessible. But business doesn’t have to stop, if you’re using Google Apps for Work.

We’ve already done various posts on Google products, from Analytics to Search for Work. Since we’re Google people (using it ourselves and setting it up for others), you might say we're a bit partial to these products. There’s a good reason for that: They make managing productivity a breeze, particularly when it comes to collaboration.

How Google Apps for Work Is Great for Collaboration

The actual programs that make up Google Apps for Work don't really need much of an introduction. An article in CNET states that in 2014, over 5 million businesses used Google products, and that's independent of the (probably) millions and millions of individuals who use the free versions.

But why use Google Apps for Work in your business? Google’s Docs, Sheets, and Slides are comparable to Microsoft's ubiquitous Office programs of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. The functionalities are very similar. With Google Apps, though, multiple people can work on the same document at the same time. Even better, they can do this from very different places. Talk about streamlining your workflow.

Managing Productivity with Google for Work

Let’s put aside the awesomeness of being able to work (remotely) together simultaneously on a project. Speaking personally, I’m going to tell you about two aspects of Google Apps that have helped me several times:

1. The “everything is saved” approach. Sure, you can set Microsoft Office to autosave your work, but I love Google’s save-it-all approach. Online or off, it’s great to know that nothing is ever really lost, down to the last word I type. It comes in handy.
2. The “access it anywhere, from anything” feature. When your computer (or even your entire network) goes down, you’re covered. The information is tucked inside Google’s infrastructure. This means that you can whip out your smartphone and get back to whatever you were doing without missing a beat. Working with the tiny mobile keyboard is a pain, but it’s better than not working at all.

While this is all great if you're interested in staying connected and productive, we’re not done yet with Google Apps for Work. We’re going to look at how Google can help you manage your website and your intracompany communications. Join us next time on Techsperts Talk!

Featured image credit: Creative Commons