Do you ever feel like you’ll never see the end of your inbox? Or do you spend more time sending emails about your job than you do, well - actually doing it? 

Emails are essential for any form of professional communication, but we often end up losing our day to them; especially if, like us, you spend at least twenty minutes wondering how someone had the sheer audacity to take the ‘Kind’ out of ‘Kind Regards’ (it’s too far.

Getting back to work in the new normal was never going to be, well normal. Whether you’re returning after being furloughed or heading back into the office after working from your sofa, we all could do with making it a bit easier for ourselves. 

Today, we’ve rounded up our favourite tools and how they can make your return to work run smoothly.

Video calls. The communication Marmite. Love them or loathe them, chances are, as a professional, you have to use them - especially in the current climate. 

Meeting in person just isn’t always practical, and we’re lucky enough to live in an age that allows us to move our meetings online.

The time has come for many of us to return to the office, and amongst a weird world of social distancing and sticky sanitiser, the prospect can seem a little scary. It’s safe to say we’re all just a little bit worried about how to ‘get back into’ it.

As life gradually heads towards a ‘new normal,’ many of us are anxiously preparing; ready and perhaps not-so-raring to get back to work. Because, whether you’re finishing furlough, starting something new, or simply stepping into the office after months of working from home, there’s little doubt it can feel a little daunting.

Power BI is Microsoft’s data visualisation tool that gives businesses useful insights into how they’re performing and how they could do better. 

While it’s perfect for businesses who already have large amounts of data to process, the tool can also be extremely valuable for those smaller businesses who wish to gain a deeper understanding of what’s going on and what could be improved.

It's true, all of our days are now filled with what seems like endless Zoom calls, video chats and Teams meetings. 

But, finding a time that suits everyone on your team can be tricky and time-consuming.

We've all been in this situation; sifting through long and drawn out email threads full of the dates and times your colleagues can't make, instead of quickly deciding on a time that suits everyone.

Things have been a little different recently, haven’t they? Once an occasional luxury, working from home has, for a lot of us, become the most effective way to protect ourselves. But, what about protecting the work, or the company itself?

Working from home brings new challenges.

In April 2020, research showed that 49.2% of adults in employment were working from home as a result of the social distancing measures introduced in response to Covid-19.

Before this, working from home was already on the rise, with many companies exploring flexible and remote working as an option for their employees.

So, you’ve been washing your hands more often than you drink a cuppa (blasphemy), your weekly shop is a social event, and the word ‘unprecedented’ is burned into your brain for all eternity. 

As a business leader, it can be hard to know what to do.