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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="10095737" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="caribu">Caribu</keyword>, an app that lets parents and grandparents read bedtime stories to their children and grandkids virtually, boomed during the pandemic.</li><li>The app grew tenfold in March, and now its co-founder Maxeme Tuchman says its expanding to the classroom and the home office.</li><li>Now, the company is pushing for some employers to offer Caribu as a benefit, which could be helpful for parents working from home with young kids. </li></ul>If you're familiar with Maxeme Tuchman's background, you wouldn't be surprised to hear she runs a company that promotes reading and <keyword id="6355445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education">education</keyword> among children.Tuchman spent more than two years as the executive director of Teach for America's Miami-Dade branch starting in 2013. She also previously managed education projects under Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, and Michelle Ree, the former D.C. public schools chancellor.But it wasn't until 2016 that Tuchman and her co-founder began building Caribu, a video calling app on iOS, <keyword id="6355645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Android">Android</keyword>, and the web that lets children read and play games with family members remotely.In fact, the idea originated from a photo the two came across of a soldier video-chatting on a laptop in a coffee shop. "You see him holding up this huge picture book and facing it toward the laptop," Tuchman said to Business Insider. "There should be better technology in this day and age for families who are distant from their kids to be able to share that ritual of reading a bedtime story together."While the app may be best known for its wide selection of children's books that adults and children can read together virtually, Caribu also offers coloring sheets, games, drawing tools, and recipes that kids and relatives can cook together. The app comes with 15 free books or activities per calendar month and offers unlimited access for $10 per month, or $100 per year.The company says the app is being used in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. Caribu may not be new, but it boomed in 2020 as grandparents, aunts, and uncles were unable to visit their grandkids, nieces, and nephews for months in the pandemic's early days. The app grew by more than half a million users during the pandemic, the company says. According to Tuchman, this was a tenfold increase that occured overnight."You could say that I haven't slept since March 13," Tuchman said.It's no surprise that an app like Caribu would see increased demand at a time when children were unable to attend playdates with friends, attend school in person, or visit relatives. After all, video conferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet also saw a massive uptick in the first half of 2020.Tuchman is confident that Caribu will continue to grow and is starting to pitch Caribu as an employer benefit, which can be useful for parents who may begin working remotely permanently even after the pandemic. Caribu couldn't disclose the companies it's working with to potentially offer its service as a benefit, but it did say they include financial services companies and startups. There certainly appears to be interest in more flexible work arrangements that include at least some remote work. Even when the coronavirus is no longer a top concern, 83% of office workers say they want to work from home at least one day per week, according to a June <a href="https://www.pwc.com/us/en/library/covid-19/us-remote-work-survey.html">survey from PwC</a>. Plus, large <keyword id="6358815" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tech">tech</keyword> firms like Twitter and Shopify have said that they will allow employees to work remotely permanently if they wish. "You don't need access to a gym right now," Tuchman said. "You don't need access to a happy hour every Friday. You don't need free snacks. You need something like Caribu which is virtual babysitting."Those digital tools are becoming increasingly important for parents and relatives who may be home-schooling their children this year.The company also recently launched Caribu on the web and made its subscription free to teachers for the 2020-2021 school year so they can use it as a tool in virtual classrooms this fall. Interaction that includes a lot of back-and-forth participation can be crucial for developing children's social skills, according to Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a faculty fellow in Temple University's psychology department. When reading to children, for example, parents, grandparents, and teachers don't just read the text — they connect the story to real-life experiences. Continuing these types of interactions even in virtual environments is important, Hirsh-Pasek said."I like to think of it as going beyond the cover," Hirsh-Pasek said. "We ask questions like, 'Oh, remember we saw a monkey at the zoo? Curious George is a monkey like that.' And the minute you connect it to personal experiences and personal narratives, you have significantly broadened the power of the interaction."<keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> changes aside, there are always going to be frequently-traveling parents or long-distance relatives looking for ways to keep in touch with the kids in their lives, Tuchman said."We help people stay connected and feel connected and feel like they're together even when they can't be," Tuchman said. "We've existed in a pre-pandemic world too."

This video chat app that's like Zoom for kids wants to make virtual babysitting the next big thing

<ul class="summary-list"><li>In an interview with Insider, <keyword id="446668" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kevin-Jonas">Kevin Jonas</keyword> spoke about his partnership with the activity-based video-calling app Caribu, how he's been making the most of his time at home with his family, and his plans for Father's Day.</li><li>The father of two said that he's been doing plenty of crafts with his two daughters, in addition to regularly reading bedtime stories. </li><li>He's "not really sure" how his family plans on celebrating Father's Day, but he hopes that families most affected by the coronavirus pandemic are "safe and that they're taken care of."</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kevin-jonas">Kevin Jonas</a> spoke to <a href="https://www.insider.com/">Insider</a> about he's been spending quality time with his children and his hopes for Father's Day."I was gone for a long period of time last year, for an extended period of time, because of the tour and all of that stuff," Jonas, who's promoting his <a href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/caribu_brings_on_multi_platinum_recording_artist_kevin_jonas_as_its_newest_strategic_investor_and_advisor/prweb17098857.htm">partnership</a> with the activity-based video-calling app <a href="https://caribu.com/">Caribu</a>, told us. "I wasn't able to be home as much as I would have liked. Now, that being the case, it's really nice that we get to really spend time as a family."<h2>Jonas has been making the most of his time at home by doing a variety of activities with his family</h2>Jonas has been self-isolating in New Jersey with wife <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/danielle-jonas">Danielle Jonas</a> and daughters Alena and Valentina amid the <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/coronavirus">coronavirus</a> pandemic.In addition to juggling parenting and new <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jonas-brothers">Jonas Brothers</a> projects, the 32-year-old musician has also assumed a role as a teacher, and he has a newfound appreciation for educators."I think the big thing that I've learned is just how much patience teachers must have, because I am learning how important that job is and how grateful I am to them," he said. "So they are true superheroes, and we love you. To all the teachers out there trying to do it from home, work and do their job, it does not go unnoticed, I can tell you that much."<div type="image" title="kevin and danielle jonas 2020 grammys" height="982" width="1310" msid="75739536" hostid="261"></div>Jonas went on to say that he and his kids have "been doing so many crafts" and baking. "My daughter loves to bake," he said. "I think Alena actually wants to grow up and be a baker. She watches videos of cake baking and she just pretends like she can do it herself. And then we walk in to her trying to make pancakes by herself in the morning like yesterday, which was a new one."Jonas added that "luckily, she only was making the batter and not using the stove yet, so at least she knew she wasn't allowed to do that. But there was lots of milk, lots of flour, and lots of egg all over the floor and everywhere."<h2>The singer has also been using Caribu to help his daughters stay in touch with relatives in different locations</h2>Caribu offers video calls, plenty of stories for children to read, games (which Jonas' daughters love), coloring pages, educational activities, and other features. "With everything that's been going on in the world, this has now become such a tool for not only me when I was away, but for so many families that are separated and they want to still be connected to the kids in their lives," Jonas told us.Jonas said that both his and Danielle's parents have been using the app to read stories to Alena and Valentina. "It's a great way to spend family time together when there's not much that's happening," he said. "It has been a lifesaver."<h2>The father of two started utilizing Caribu to stay in touch with his daughters while on the Happiness Begins Tour in 2019 with the Jonas Brothers</h2><div type="image" title="jonas brothers kevin performing february 2020" height="1089" width="1452" msid="75739539" hostid="261"></div>Jonas said that he had the idea for a similar app, unaware that Caribu existed. "I had so many nights where I would be reading to my girls and it just became really difficult because I didn't always have books they wanted to read," Jonas said of trying to connect with his daughters while on the road. "I was literally there holding the book up to me on a camera trying to read it, they're not seeing the pages, it didn't make any sense."After discovering Caribu, Jonas and his kids downloaded the app, and "it completely changed the bedtime ritual for me from afar.""Out of necessity, there was the perfect partnership," the 32-year-old singer told us, explaining that using the app to read with his children became "a weekly thing."<h2>Jonas is working with Caribu to celebrate the 75th anniversary of 'Thomas &amp; Friends,' which is fitting since he has a personal connection to the beloved franchise</h2>For decades "Thomas &amp; Friends" has entertained kids through books, movies, and toys. Jonas, who's participating in Caribu's Read-Aloud series throughout May, said that "as a kid, I loved reading so much." Plus, the brand's engines with the wooden tracks for kids to assemble "was a big part of my life.""Anything I grew up with that is still relevant and still important, I always tried to incorporate with what we do with our kids," he added.Jonas said that his daughters also share his love for reading. "Because there are two of them and they are very, very opinionated, every other time we do it, Alena gets to pick one, Valentina gets to pick the book for the night, and then I end up reading two books every night, plus another one," he said.<h2>This Father's day, Jonas has 'one wish'</h2>The musicians said that for Mother's Day, they celebrated from a safe distance outside with Danielle's family. For the upcoming holiday, he's "not really sure" how they plan on spending the day. "If I could have one wish, it would be that hopefully the families that are dealing with [COVID-19] and dealing with everything that's been going on in the world, that they are getting through and that they're safe and that they're taken care of," he said."I've been very lucky and we've been very healthy so far," he continued. "I can't even really think about that, knowing how much is going into the daily effort for all the first responders and the people working so diligently to keep us all safe."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/danielle-jonas-jewelry-jonas-brothers-videos-mothers-day-interview-2020-4">Danielle Jonas opens up about starring in the Jonas Brothers' music videos, her jewelry line, and how to enjoy Mother's Day at home this year</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-music-video-iconic-movies-2020-1">Watch the Jonas Brothers and their wives pay tribute to 'Grease,' 'Risky Business,' and more iconic movies in their newest music video</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-details-references-music-video-2020-1">The Jonas Brothers' 'What a Man Gotta Do' music video is packed with hidden references. Here's every detail you may have missed.</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/kevin-jonas-self-isolating-family-fathers-day-plans-interview-2020-5">Insider</a>

Kevin Jonas reveals how he's been spending quality time with his family while self-isolating at home and his 'one wish' for Father's Day

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="446668" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kevin-Jonas">Kevin Jonas</keyword> spoke to Insider about what fans can expect from the <keyword id="64143" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jonas-Brothers">Jonas Brothers</keyword>' two new songs called "Five More Minutes" and "X" with Colombian singer Karol G, which will both be released on Friday.</li><li>The musician, who's promoting his partnership with the activity-based video-calling app Caribu, told us that he keeps finding himself singing "X" to himself because that's how much he enjoys it.</li><li>"For me to be singing my own <keyword id="6354530" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="music">music</keyword> to myself is surprising, so I'm excited for the song to get out to people," he said.</li><li>He also described "Five More Minutes," which the band performed a portion of at the Grammys, as "one of my favorite songs in this body of work that we have."</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>The <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/jonas-brothers">Jonas Brothers</a> are gearing up to release two new songs on Friday, "Five More Minutes" and "X" with Colombian singer Karol G, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/kevin-jonas">Kevin Jonas</a> says the tracks will hopefully bring some positivity to fans' lives. "The new single 'X' is a song that I'm so excited about," Jonas, who's promoting his <a href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/caribu_brings_on_multi_platinum_recording_artist_kevin_jonas_as_its_newest_strategic_investor_and_advisor/prweb17098857.htm">partnership</a> with the activity-based video-calling app <a href="https://caribu.com/">Caribu</a>, told us.The 32-year-old singer said the way he feels about the collaboration is reminiscent of how he felt about the band's hit 2019 track called "Sucker," which marked their musical comeback after a six-year hiatus. "I can honestly say there was only one other time where I had a song of ours constantly in my head," Jonas said. "It was 'Sucker' and 'What a Man Gotta Do,' but 'Sucker' specifically just kind of stayed there as kind of an earworm.""I guess because I've been watching promo videos and other things that are all gonna be going out and other things that we're going to be doing, I've been hearing this a little bit and I am singing it to myself," Jonas added. "And for me to be singing my own music to myself is surprising, so I'm excited for the song to get out to people."Since returning in 2019, the Jonas Brothers (comprised of Jonas and his siblings <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/joe-jonas">Joe Jonas</a> and <a href="https://www.insider.com/category/nick-jonas">Nick Jonas</a>) dropped their fifth studio album titled "Happiness Begins," went on tour, and released two documentaries on Amazon Prime Video.They kicked off 2020 by releasing a song called "What a Man Gotta Do" with an <a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-details-references-music-video-2020-1">accompanying music video filled with references to iconic movies</a>, and performing the track at the Grammys in January. <div type="image" title="jonas brothers grammys 2020" height="1671" width="2229" msid="75741229" hostid="261"></div><a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-details-references-music-video-2020-1">In addition to singing "What a Man Gotta Do"</a> onstage, the band also <a href="https://www.insider.com/2020-grammys-jonas-brothers-performance-new-album-2020-1">performed a small portion of "Five More Minutes" and confirmed that a new album was on the way</a>."Five More Minutes" and "X" were both featured in their tour documentary called "Happiness Continues: A Jonas Brothers Concert Film," which was released in April."I think 'Five More Minutes' is one of my favorite songs in this body of work that we have," Jonas told us. "It was written at our writing camp when we went away as a group with all of our friends and it's just fantastic. It feels good, it's an amazing song."Although the Jonas Brothers have yet to reveal a date for their upcoming album, the band thought that fans could use their music to bring some joy amid the coronavirus pandemic."I hope people know that the reason we're releasing music now is because we want them to have new music in their lives," Jonas said. "We want them to be able to enjoy music. And that's something that can bring a lot of people together and it could be positive.""So hopefully us being able to continue to release from afar will keep the fans going and excited and keep doing their thing."<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/danielle-jonas-jewelry-jonas-brothers-videos-mothers-day-interview-2020-4">Danielle Jonas opens up about starring in the Jonas Brothers' music videos, her jewelry line, and how to enjoy Mother's Day at home this year</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-music-video-iconic-movies-2020-1">Watch the Jonas Brothers and their wives pay tribute to 'Grease,' 'Risky Business,' and more iconic movies in their newest music video</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/jonas-brothers-what-a-man-gotta-do-details-references-music-video-2020-1">The Jonas Brothers' 'What a Man Gotta Do' music video is packed with hidden references. Here's every detail you may have missed.</a></li></ul>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.insider.com/kevin-jonas-brothers-songs-x-five-more-minutes-interview-2020-5">Insider</a>

Kevin Jonas says the Jonas Brothers' new song 'X' is 'constantly in my head' and explains why now is the perfect time for fans to hear new music

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The coronavirus pandemic has forced many companies to switch to remote work; although not a new concept, working from home is not the norm for many companies.</li><li>CEOs of successful companies that have operated remotely for years said to ensure your employees have the right tools to facilitate easy communication, such as face-timing technology and chat applications.</li><li>Over-communication, flexibility on hours, and having a strong support system are key.</li><li>They also recommended checking in on employees, especially new ones, who might overwork themselves, and have non-work-related chats.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime">Click here for more BI Prime stories.</a></li></ul>For much of corporate America, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1">COVID-19</a> means facing a new normal - and not one that most of us have ever planned for. Across the country, teams and companies who've never worked together outside of a traditional office setting have had to move their operations completely remote and, in some ways, completely reinvent the way they work. It hasn't been easy.But it's also not the time to panic, cautioned Dana Look-Arimoto, the owner of consulting and advisory firm Phoenix5 and author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stop-Settling-Settle-Smart-Rethinking/dp/194584972X">Stop Settling, Settle Smart: Rethinking Work-life Balance, Redesign Your Busy Life</a>" who consults and coaches companies to transform holistically in an accelerated way. "What happens is that people just really shut down and they stop being strategic … and that does not help the situation at all," she told Business Insider. "What I really encourage my clients to do is take a look up and take a look out and scan the horizon because the solutions are probably sitting there."For some companies, especially those that already have some sort of distributed or gig-based workforce, those solutions might be easy to uncover. For example, JJ Hurley, CEO of staffing firm <a href="http://www.gdhinc.com/">GDH</a>, has an internal staff of 110 employees in addition to 700 consultants working remotely in 40 different states. When his leadership team decided to ask the office staff to work remotely a couple of weeks ago due to the coronavirus, he said that the company hasn't missed a beat. "We've been able to implement and utilize all the technology that was already in place," he explained. "We'd already done testing, so we knew what our company had the capabilities to do from an end structure and technology standpoint."For other companies, those solutions can be found by learning from companies that have worked virtually for years. CEOs that run remote or partially-remote companies weigh in on what they've learned so that you can take their advice with you to your newly home-based team. <h1>1. Get the right tools in place - and acknowledge when face time matters</h1>"Access is everything," noted Look-Arimoto. "So if people are set up to work with the appropriate tools and technology being remote, that's 50% of the battle right there." At minimum, she recommended a VPN, social communications tools like <a href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a>, and a video chat app like <a href="https://www.webex.com/">WebEx</a> or <a href="https://zoom.us/ent?zcid=2582">Zoom</a>. Nate Quigley, cofounder and CEO of <a href="https://chatbooks.com/">Chatbooks</a>, which has 70 employees working mostly remotely across 12 states, noted that his team uses Slack regularly but transitions to non-text conversations for more complicated discussions. "Until last week, that meant a combination of in-person and Zoom meetings - but now just means Zoom," he said. "We also believe that any tough conversations, feedback, or conflict resolution, even clarification, should happen over face-to-face using Zoom."Maxene Tuchman, CEO of <a href="http://www.caribu.com">Caribu</a>, a reading and drawing app that kids and adults can use together virtually, agreed. Her team of 10, distributed over three countries, switched all of their meetings from phone to video early on. "We learned that people get distracted and that body language and facial gestures are actually pretty crucial to understanding tone and intent," she said. In addition to the software, don't forget about the hardware people need to be as effective as possible.Ryan Prosser, CEO at <a href="http://www.verypossible.com">Very</a> who runs a remote team of 60, gives new employees a home-office stipend to outfit their ideal workspace with a desk, headphones, sound-proofing, or anything else they need. Hurley noted that his payroll team, a few days into remote work, realized that they could really use a scanner, so the company ordered one for anyone who needed this technology to be effective from home.<h1>2. Over-communicate on all channels</h1>Look-Arimoto highlighted the need for remote leaders to over-communicate. "We want people to be calm, we want people to be as productive as they possibly can be, and we want them to feel like they're hearing, especially from leaders, what the heck is going on," she explained. She noted that most of the companies she's working with host a weekly virtual town hall, where an executive team member gives an update on what's working and what's not and takes questions via Zoom's virtual chat feature.Hurley's company has been virtually checking in with his team every other day, giving his employees a chance to regularly hear from leadership."We're just kind of giving everybody updates on a macro view of the company and making sure that they're comfortable and understanding in this crazy environment that we're in right now," he said.You also want to communicate about expectations for new working norms."Talking about those upfront will cause less friction from ambiguity later on when there were mismatched expectations of what remote work looks like," said Tuchman. "Discussing working hours, how to be transparent in shared calendars, expectations for response times, setting clear deadlines and deliverables, and assigning tasks and action items is even more important when that person is no longer in the cubicle next to you."As important as meetings are, you also want to be sure to leave time for people to actually get their work done."Rather than checking in with your team often - and interrupting their heads-down focus time - I recommend having a single weekly checkpoint with each member of your team," said Prosser. (Look-Arimoto recommends 30-minute weekly one-on-ones with employees.)Prosser, added, "Collect all of your items into one list and have them do the same. Also, utilize tools to allow you to check in on them without bothering them." (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ceos-executives-best-tools-manage-remote-teams">This article</a> has several recommendations.)But think outside the meetings, as well, especially since remote team members won't chatter or overhear messages in the hallways."When you say something in one meeting, don't expect that everyone heard and understood it. Recap, repeat, recap, repeat," noted Quigley. "Right about when I start to feel like I'm really repeating myself and getting annoying seems to be the time when the message is fully sinking in across the whole team." <h1>3. Be flexible on hours and watch out for over-workers</h1>Especially right now, when people may be balancing childcare in addition to work duties, it's important to be flexible on the time you expect people to be at the "office." "By all means, we don't have set hours," shared Hurley. "The key is just giving each employee the license to do what they think is best for them to be successful." He also recommended being open and realistic about your own home work life and challenges."As an example, I was on a conference call [last week] and I was very transparent: 'Hey, guess what, for the first time ever, I'm making blueberry muffins for my kiddos on a Tuesday while I'm on a conference call.' That's okay. That's good," he added.Companies with employees scattered across time zones, like Caribu, have to be ultra flexible but set parameters so that they know when to schedule meetings."We ask everyone for their 'working hours' or the hours we can put meetings on their calendars," Tuchman said. "Then we have 'global team hours' where from about 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. we schedule most of our team meetings."Adda Birnir, CEO of digital learning platform <a href="https://skillcrush.com/">Skillcrush</a> who manages a 20-person completely remote team, noted that people often worry that employees won't work full time when they're at home, but in her experience, the problem is the opposite. "This can especially be a challenge when you're not all working the same time zones - people can work way too much and it won't be immediately obvious," she explained.The solution she's found is to have weekly "retro" meetings with her team."You literally take an hour every single week to meet as a team and talk through any highs and lows about the team working together every week. It's amazing in terms of surfacing team challenges, including overwork, before they balloon into really big problems," she said.<h1>4. Pay close attention to new employees </h1>It's one thing for your existing employees to work together virtually - they know each other well and may have been working together for years. But pay close attention to new employees, who aren't so integrated with the team."In a remote environment, it's even more important to have an onboarding program that makes the employee feel like a valued member of the team and helps them know what will be expected of them," said Prosser. Caribu has implemented a streamlined onboarding process."The week before an employee starts I share an onboarding spreadsheet with them. It includes the times of team meetings that they should expect to attend the next week and a list of onboarding activities prioritized by week with clear directions on whether the activities are self-guided or meetings with someone on the team," Tuchman described. "There's a team guide that explains who everyone is, where they're based, how to pronounce their name, and who are the part-timers, contractors, and interns that they'll be interacting with."Chatbooks similarly gives new employees a personalized, over-10-pages-long guide full of important links, meeting overviews, bios of team members they'll work with frequently, and initial job expectations. "It's helpful for employees to have a place to refer back to as they're learning the ropes instead of repeating questions as they sort out what's what," Quigley added. "We also pair all new employees with a 'buddy' who can answer questions for them as they get up to speed." And once employees are fully onboarded, keep the team engaged by offering virtual activities. Birnir's team has done everything from "paircrushing," where team members are matched at random for virtual lunch or coffee dates to team movie nights, Bob Ross-inspired painting lessons, and Halloween costume contests.<h1>5. Get support from others in your position</h1>Again, try to look outside your company for suggestions and ideas that are working - or not - elsewhere. Look-Arimoto recommended joining a roundtable with executives from other companies and meeting regularly to discuss different initiatives."Everyone is doing some things right and everyone is making some mistakes, and why repeat the mistakes?" she said.Finally, try to stay positive about the remote work experience at large, and remember that it's a learning experience for everyone."It'll yield some challenges, but times of change bring great opportunity," advised Prosser.Get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-covid19">coronavirus news and updates</a> on how COVID-19 impacts our daily lives and businesses.

5 tips for leading a team that's scattered across the globe if you've never really done it before, from CEOs who've managed remote employees for years

<ul class="summary-list"><li>People who have been forced to work from home due to COVID-19 may not know what apps are best for collaborating with their remote teams.</li><li>These tools are recommended by CEOs and executives who've been working remotely and managing remote teams for years.</li><li>Apps for aligning priorities and workflows, like Asana and Trello, keep coworkers on track, and collaboration tools like Slack, Zoom, and Confluence make group projects easier to work on.</li><li>Incorporating fun opportunities for bonding virtually, like taking a break to play Jackbox Games, is also important.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prime">Click here for more BI Prime stories</a>.</li></ul>Amid concerns of the COVID-19 <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-virus-everything-we-know-deadly-2019-ncov-wuhan-spread-2020-1">coronavirus</a> spreading rapidly across the population, companies worldwide are recommending that employees work from home. I've spent most of the last decade working remotely, so these closures don't affect me - except for the flurry of text messages I've received this week from friends:Any tips for working remotely?What's the best app for a team video call?Sooo - how exactly do you stay productive working from home?First things first: Make sure your internet speed can handle your working needs. I thought mine was sufficient, but realized I needed a bump up when my husband - who normally never works from home - and I tried to hold video calls simultaneously. A site like <a href="https://www.speedcheck.org/">Speedcheck</a> can check your connection's upload and download speeds. Not sure what you need? <a href="https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA1417/how-much-bandwidth-does-skype-need">Skype has outlined recommended speeds</a> based on the type of call you're trying to do (voice vs. low- or high-quality video) and the number of people involved. At this point, no one knows how long we'll be working from home, so you may also want to consider a workspace that involves more than your kitchen table and your laptop. "Most experienced remote workers find that some additional equipment helps them be more comfortable and productive during the day: a separate, larger <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-computer-monitor">monitor</a> or dual monitors, a full-sized <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-keyboard">keyboard</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-computer-mouse">mouse</a> (wireless is a top choice for both), and a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-cheap-headphones">headset</a> that works with your computer and/or cell phone," said Sara Sutton, founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.flexjobs.com/">FlexJobs</a>, a job board featuring exclusively work-from-home gigs. If you don't have this setup, Sutton added, "Check with your company for possible technology reimbursements or stipends, or the ability to take some of your in-office equipment home with you."If your office doesn't have specific tools for you to use while remote, such as instant-messaging apps or screen-sharing and web-conferencing programs - or doesn't have particularly effective ones - now's a great time to suggest the tech that will help everyone work more effectively. To help you out as you set up your home office, I've rounded up the best tips and tech for your work-from-home life, courtesy of people who've done it for years. <h1>Apps for aligning priorities and workflows: <a href="https://trello.com/en-US/pricing">Trello</a>, <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira">Jira</a>, and <a href="https://asana.com/pricing">Asana</a></h1>"Managers need to take the time with their teams to set clear objectives and define the results they're trying to achieve as a team," noted Deidre Paknad, CEO and cofounder of <a href="https://www.workboard.com/okr-align-grow/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=cpc&amp;utm_campaign=Brand&amp;utm_term=workboard&amp;utm_content=WorkBoard&amp;gclid=CjwKCAjwmKLzBRBeEiwACCVihhpYerkgkEDEIEvkB_igOaeFPr640lVU_5q2yMEbVkH8a6byYJAt-xoCuGMQAvD_BwE">WorkBoard, Inc.</a>, which has 150 people distributed across 15 locations in the US and India. "When everyone's clear on the outcomes they're driving, they can more easily work independently from their own locations on work that really matters." She also emphasized the need for process transparency, which she said enables managers and teammates to see how everyone is making progress toward key results without having to ask constantly.Tech tools can help. "We keep a public roadmap on <a href="https://trello.com/en-US/pricing">Trello</a>, which helps us have a single source of truth for what we're planning to do," said Sten Pittet, cofounder and CEO of <a href="https://tability.io/">Tability</a>, a plan-tracking platform that helps teams stay focused and accountable. "We also use <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/jira">Jira</a> internally to split big roadmap items into smaller pieces." Michelle Penczak, CEO of virtual-assistant company <a href="https://gosquaredaway.com/">Squared Away</a>, said her top two favorites are Trello and <a href="https://asana.com/pricing">Asana</a>. "Both are easy to use for collaboration on teams, so it just comes down to which platform you prefer," she added. If you're not sure, give them all a try - each has a free plan, then goes up to $14 to $31 per user, per month.<h1>Apps for collaborating on projects: <a href="https://www.google.com/drive/">Google Drive</a>, <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence?&amp;aceid=&amp;adposition=&amp;adgroup=99595999889&amp;campaign=9518255230&amp;creative=421333705574&amp;device=c&amp;keyword=confluence&amp;matchtype=e&amp;network=g&amp;placement=&amp;ds_kids=p51982324819&amp;ds_e=GOOGLE&amp;ds_eid=700000001542923&amp;ds_e1=GOOGLE&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2TUKfhZv2rKSphyY7cSJ2qzwqUH44Pj_cp1fAxDCGJbFn8wQjnxNbgaAvINEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds">Confluence</a>, <a href="https://milanote.com/">Milanote</a>, and <a href="https://www.figma.com/">Figma</a></h1>As for actually getting those priorities accomplished, using collaborative online tools is an easy way to work together in real time, whether you're creating a meeting agenda or designing a new product. "We like Google Suite since you can see what people are typing and use it during remote collaboration meetings," said Anita Anthonj, CEO and cofounder of <a href="http://www.talaera.com">Talaera</a>, a platform for personalized professional English training, who runs a remote team spread across different countries. "Milanote is great for flowcharts (similar to <a href="https://mural.co/">Mural</a> and <a href="https://miro.com/">Miro</a>) and brainstorming. We also use <a href="https://www.figma.com/">Figma</a> (our design tool of choice) to draw together." (<a href="https://www.figma.com/pricing/">Figma's Starter plan</a> is free and larger plans go up to $45 per user per month.)Pittet's team plans to switch to Figma as well (they currently use <a href="https://www.sketch.com/">Sketch</a> and <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/h">Dropbox</a> together for design work). "You want to make it as easy as possible for devs and designers to collaborate," he said of the tools.His company also uses <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/features">Confluence</a>, which has templates for shared projects, like marketing plans or project timelines. "It makes it super easy to share feedback and iterate on specific items," he added. <a href="https://www.atlassian.com/licensing/confluence">Pricing</a> starts at $100 for one to 10 users and goes up from there.<h1>Video chat apps: <a href="https://zoom.us/ent?zcid=2582">Zoom</a></h1>Yes, the ability to work in pajamas and not see anyone all day is appealing, but actually getting face-to-face time with your coworkers and boss can go a long way in making solo work feel less isolating.For larger team meetings, Zoom gets the votes of many longtime remote workers I spoke with. "It's like being in person without the hand sanitizer," Jennifer LeBlanc, CEO and founder of <a href="https://thinkresultsmarketing.com/">ThinkResults Marketing</a>, an agency she's headed up completely remotely since 2003. In the free mode, you can host up to 100 participants for meetings up to 40 minutes and access features like screen sharing, breakout rooms, and whiteboarding. (Business plans range from $14.99 to $19.99 per month, per host.) "It's an incredible platform and so user friendly," said Penczak, who uses the platform regularly for meetings with her virtual team of 89. She structures meetings so that they feel as close to in-person events as possible. "We catch up for a few minutes before officially starting and then we have volunteers share highs/lows for the week," she shared. "And we always end our team calls with high-fives." (One really fun feature: If you don't want your manager to see piles of laundry in your apartment, check out <a href="https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/210707503-Virtual-Background">Zoom's Virtual Background</a>, which can make you appear like you're working in a completely different space.)<h1>Group messaging apps: <a href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a> or <a href="https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software?&amp;ef_id=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2TuPm0jXJFiabgB7lqBpupGhYC4RQo6xsM5ebZOPv-fTHZ82UnY1f4aAjTUEALw_wcB:G:s&amp;OCID=AID2000955_SEM_Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2TuPm0jXJFiabgB7lqBpupGhYC4RQo6xsM5ebZOPv-fTHZ82UnY1f4aAjTUEALw_wcB:G:s&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwu6fzBRC6ARIsAJUwa2TuPm0jXJFiabgB7lqBpupGhYC4RQo6xsM5ebZOPv-fTHZ82UnY1f4aAjTUEALw_wcB">Microsoft Teams</a></h1>LeBlanc, Anthonj, and Penczak's teams all use <a href="https://slack.com/">Slack</a> for group messaging, the app <a href="https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-business-messaging-apps">PC Mag names</a> the editor's choice for the best business messaging apps for 2020, citing its features and integrations as being better than competitors like <a href="https://gsuite.google.com/products/chat/">Google Hangouts Chat</a> and <a href="https://products.office.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software">Microsoft Teams</a>.Penczak said that her employees are broken into Slack channels of eight to 10, spearheaded by a manager."This allows for our team to get to know a smaller group of folks on a more personal level," she explained. "Of course, we have our larger channels that allow for building community with everyone at Squared Away. It also allows for a manager to dive in with a team member and be a phenomenal level of support."With that said, Paknad cautioned that it's important to know when to jump from text-based chat to face-to-face. "If the chat is longer than three lines, click the video call option on Slack or Microsoft Teams instead," she said.<h1>Calendaring apps: <a href="https://meetingbird.com/">Meetingbird</a> </h1>When you're in an office, people can pop by to ask you a quick question, but when everyone's at home, they might feel the need to schedule a call or meeting. Anthonj's team uses open <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r">Google Calendars</a>, so everyone can see each others' schedules, while Pittet recommended <a href="https://meetingbird.com/">Meetingbird</a>, which integrates with Google or Office calendars to let others see when you're available for meetings. "Only some parts of my days are available for meetings," he added. "It helps me block good chunks of time for focused work."<h1>Just-for-fun apps: <a href="http://jackboxgames.com">Jackbox Games</a></h1>Just like your week at the office is interspersed with jokes and happy hours, make sure you add some fun into your work-from-home time, too. "For many, work is a highly social function," said LeBlanc. As such, she encourages her team to meet weekly, without her, for a "virtual water cooler session." Maxeme (Max) Tuchman's company, <a href="https://caribu.com/">Caribu</a>, an app that lets families read and draw together via video, takes it a step further. Every other Friday, the remote team from the US, Canada, and Brazil get together for a virtual happy hour. "We all get on Google Hangout, screen-share <a href="http://www.jackboxgames.com/">jackboxgames.com</a>, and then we play trivia, drawing, and spy games on our phones and tablets," she explained. "We consciously take an hour out to get creative and get to know our teammates better, which inherently builds trust." Speaking of trust, remember that what's behind all these tech tools is people - people who may have never worked remotely before. "For team members that normally spend a lot of time with customers and in high engagement roles - often because that's how they're wired - a week of work from home will be hard and a longer run even harder," said Paknad. "Managers need to think beyond the obvious Zoom-and-Slack response to the human aspects that keep our teams happily and purposefully engaged." In other words, make sure you're going out of your way to strengthen relationships with your coworkers. A few things the WorkBoard team has implemented: A Slack channel for office views, where people post photos of where they're working, all-hands meetings designed to "keep silos down and create more pathways for conversation," and a weekly "Ask me anything" call where Paknad answers questions while walking and encourages employees to do the same.And perhaps the most low-tech, high-happiness touch of all: "We're sending spring flowers to people's houses to bring the outside in and brighten whatever it is they're using for a desk," added Paknad "They're $7 on Amazon - a ridiculously simple way to refresh moods and rooms."

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