With only 5,4% of EU employees working fully remotely in the pre-pandemic period, the mode of work has been changing rapidly, and work from home has taken root in a variety of sectors.

Following the COVID-19 repercussions in 2021, the Reuters Institute survey showed that adopting hybrid working has become a prime challenge for most media companies, with only a few completely aversing the idea.

More recent research by Forbes Advisor claims that while fully remote full-time workers remain a minority as of summer 2023, the number of those who have adopted the hybrid model (in particular, in the US) is steadily growing, reaching a significant 28,2%. 98% of respondents prefer to work from home at least sometimes.

Fostering a proper conducive environment is no cinch for hybrid teams of journalists that require a high level of engagement. We have prepared a list of virtual office spaces to help media managers build a bond with their employees.

Kumospace

An immersive video chat app by Yang Mou and Brett Martin aims to imitate a real world office space. Here, you can visit a conference room with a few colleagues of yours, have lunch at a virtual canteen or simply pay a visit to someone’s desk. As entertaining as it sounds, it helps customise one’s working space and offers a range of options to convey a message to other team members.

Downsides: Requires high-speed connection for smooth working; monthly payments are charged per user.

Perks: Free for close-knit teams of up to 5 members.

oVice

Developed by Sae Hyung Jung specifically to tackle COVID-19-related issues, oVice offers a wide range of spaces for different companies’ needs: from a conference or lecture hall where one can demonstrate a movie to an outdoor festival site. More traditional office rooms for remote workers are available as well.

Perks: Discounts for NGOs; a list of unique and flexible spaces.

Remo

One more virtual events platform called to diversify daunting Zoom experiences. With somewhat better graphics and marketing, the tool also offers a broad range of meeting frameworks.

Unlike the above-mentioned apps, Remo’s professional plans are limited by the number of gatherings and the length of meetings rather than the list of participants (which resembles Zoom’s package, surprisingly).

Downsides: Considerably more pricey; may not be the best solution for daily meetings.

Perks: Perfect for events, discounts up to 30% for startups and NGOs.

Sococo

This minimalistic app allows a person to customise office spaces and classrooms. Integrated with Zoom, Google Meet, Google Drive, and Microsoft Teams, the app sessions can be easily recorded and shared.

Downsides: As well as Kumospace, Sococo charges monthly payments per user, with the only stipulation that it’s more expensive.

Perks: Integrated with other ubiquitous office tools, easy document sharing.

Gather

This virtual office bears a striking resemblance to popular old-fashion games like Mario. Here, your team members will have virtual avatars, which may be distracting and pressure-alleviating at the same time. The app is also integrated with Slack, following many other similar apps.

Downsides: Depends on your attitude to gamification.

Perks: Convenient scheduling options, free for teams of up to 10 members, and the monthly packages for the rest are cheaper than those of Kumospace or Sococo.

Teamflow

This aspiring virtual office startup raised around €31,000,000 to overcome the lack of rapport in hybrid companies in 2021. It offers both a conventional virtual office and a sales floor designed to help sales departments thrive.

Downsides: Charges almost ten times more per user for a sales floor than Kumospace and the like for their virtual premises.

Perks: One-of-a-kind tool for sales units enabling them to coach and sell together.

MeetinVR

A brand new experience, this tool necessitates VR headsets. If you are lucky enough to have a few, offline gatherings and brainstorming sessions can be embodied and performed in 3D with colleagues joining from different corners of the planet.

Downsides: Quite a high threshold of entry.

Perks: Interactive objects; 3D office and event venues; free for up to 10 session participants.

Topia

A 2D customisable metaverse appropriately integrated with Miro, Google, and other useful apps. Team members will have simple avatars and the ability to build their virtual space from scratch.

Perks: Free for up to 10 people simultaneously; an array of layouts; a special package for NGOs.

Wurkr

A handy app by UK-based founders that one can download and use from a desktop. Wurkr offers minimalistic sets for lots of purposes, including interviews, sales, kick-offs, and informal chatting.

Downsides: There are no IOS/ Android versions, and the app currently doesn’t support Safari.

Perks: Comparatively cheap per user and convenient for small businesses.

Spatial

A leading metaverse app ideal for a community of creators, Spatial offers evocative 3D experiences as well. It supports iOS, Android, and web, and is properly integrated with all the popular tools such as Slack. In addition to professional plans, here you can purchase separate items using the internal app’s currency.

Downsides: May be more suitable for the off-work experience.

Perks: Relatively affordable premium plans; free for individual creators.

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Taking remote work to a new level – tools to manage virtual newsrooms