5 online tools CEOs of fully remote companies depend on to keep their teams highly productive and engaged

The coronavirus pandemic has made remote work the new normal.simonkr/Getty Images

• While a large number of US businesses have transitioned to working remotely during the pandemic, there are employers that have been entirely remote long beforehand.
• But not everyone is productive at home, and there are certain tools CEOs of fully remote companies swear keep their employees on track.
• Here are five tools, including Slack, Asana, and Google's G Suite that CEOs of remote-first companies love to use to keep their teams productive.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus has made remote work the new normal for thousands of US businesses.

Back in mid-March, when the novel coronavirus began to spread in the US, a survey of 550 US employers by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 67% of companies were already taking steps to allow employees, who normally come into the office, the opportunity to work from home.

Some companies, however, have been remote-first well before the pandemic for a variety of reasons. And they've managed highly productive teams with a few, specific tools.

Business Insider asked CEOs of several such companies which tools they use to stay highly effective and productive when there's no in-person communication. Here are the top five tools they swear by.