Latest news from Rock

Bring Rock your desktop! We are introducing a shiny new desktop app for all major providers. We understand getting work done is sometimes easier with a desktop app, which is why the team has worked hard to deliver one to improve your experience.

You can download the desktop app on:

• Mac
• Windows
• Linux

Time to move Rock out of your browser and onto your desktop. Download it today to keep Rock just a window away.

Questions about this release? You're always welcome to reach out to us in the Rock Customer Support space.

No one wants to be tied to their work computer but sometimes you don't want to cut the cord completely. If you are working on a high-priority project or want to stay available in case an urgent issue pops up, you need a way to stay in touch.That’s where mobile apps can help. With mobile apps, you can leverage asynchronous work and step away from your desk or computer—whether you’re traveling, completing chores, or spending time outside—and get work done wherever you are.

Rock & roll: take the Rock app with you on your mobile device!

You’re not always near a computer but you might want to stay connected with your work and your team. Leave for errands, get coffee, or do other activities. Use Rock’s mobile app to keep an open line of communication for urgent work, questions, or discussions. With Rock, it’s easy to get things done while you’re on the go and you can truly work anywhere.The Rock mobile app offers the same features as the web and desktop versions so you can access everything you need while you are away from your computer. It is more than just a way to keep up with notifications on your smartphone. With the Rock mobile app, you can manage your tasks, send messages, update your notes, and so much more! Rock is ready to roll wherever and whenever you need to get work done.

Mobile features that keep up with you

Staying in the loop can be tricky when you are away from your desk, but the Rock mobile app makes it easy to check in when you need to.The mobile app lets you do the same things as the web and desktop apps. You can leverage different communication strategies with the same simple interface. Use the chat feature to quickly respond to questions, you can use audio messages to set reminders or make a note for yourself.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rT4gqSV8o58&feature=emb_logoWhether you’re on a couch or a beach, the Rock app helps you keep an eye on projects and tasks. Remote work means that you don’t have to be at your desk all day. With Rock’s mobile app, you can take a break without completely disconnecting or you can manage things on the go.If you have a high-stakes project, you can track how progress is going with the tasks feature on the mobile app. You can edit tasks and leave comments from your mobile device. The mobile app also lets you choose between task views so you can get the best perspective on your to-do list.Rock’s mobile app also lets you quickly open up and reference your notes, so you can access all of your important information. To capture all your documentation, you can edit an existing note or create a new one. You can also access the files mini-app from your mobile device.

Smooth communication

Rock’s mobile app is multimodal (just like our desktop and web versions). While you’re away from your computer, you can pull up any urgent discussion on mobile with the @ mention anything function.For streamlined communication, the Rock mobile app makes messaging easy. You can respond to any message by swiping left for a quick reply. If a team member sends you an urgent message with new details, you can swipe right to copy the message. Then you can paste the message into a note or task to save the details for future reference.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xfiCCdaluc&feature=emb_logo

Notifications that you control

Intuitive notification management and customizable settings are critical to avoiding burnout and stress. You can choose your settings in the Rock mobile app based on what works best for you. If you are taking time off of work, customize your notifications so you can fully unplug and relax.Check the boxes in your notification settings to indicate which notifications you want to get through email and which notifications to receive through the mobile app.

If you check your inbox regularly, you can get updates on tasks with upcoming deadlines, space invites, and other important activities. Mobile app notifications are a good fit for things that might require a quick response, like new messages or task assignments.All of Rock’s notifications are customizable, so you can rock out however you want. To prevent getting overwhelmed, you can decide if you want notifications when there are new messages in your groups or when someone tags you in a mention. You can also turn on notifications for when new tasks get assigned to you.

Remember to unplug

We love helping people get their work done. However, some things are more important than work. Your mental health is valuable and needs to be taken care of. That is why it is critical to be able to disconnect. Just because you can take your work with you everywhere does not mean that you should.

Mute your notifications if you want to disconnect for time off, after-work hours, and weekends. You should be in charge of your notification settings. That is why we make it easy to customize your settings.Rock has more great features coming to the mobile app so you can keep getting the most out of your work. We love to hear from you so reach out to the Rock team in the Rock Customer Support space for suggestions or questions!

While Rock enables you to organize, discuss, and get things done, these other platforms can complement your work and make you more productive as a remote worker.

Several remote work tools will help you be fruitful and increase your chances of success. Working remotely might seem like an attractive possibility for some, but it comes with some difficulties.

The following article focuses on helping you manage your work more efficiently and get more done while working remotely. Here are some tools and platforms to use alongside Rock on your day-to-day.

1. Rimuut

Rimuut revolutionizes your administrative work and enables you to go borderless by providing invoicing, payment, and compliance solutions. You can go borderless, send tax-deductible invoices to your clients located anywhere and collect payment securely.

The best part is that Rimuut enables you to invoice clients in almost 150 countries without starting a company and get paid. If you want to be paid on time as a freelancer or a contractor, you can create service contracts and NDAs using readymade samples on Rimuut. It is the easiest way to get paid and comply with regulations.

2. Figma

Figma comes with web and mobile application design elements. The interface is clean and straightforward. A flat design makes it easier to work on various objects. Users can build their page design from scratch and save a template.

This multi-user web design tool is nothing short of revolutionary.Its solutions and low learning curve, user-friendly interface, and various features make web designing accessible to even those new to it in the industry. Figma keeps getting better with time. You can also integrate Figma to the Files mini-app of every Rock space.

3. Calendly

If you have ever tried to find a working meeting time with more than one person, you know how frustrating it can be. You get the usual email chain that goes on forever. Calendly is a simple service that fixes this issue. It’s easy to see why using Calendly might save you hundreds of hours over a year.

You can schedule meetings at your convenience and suggest potential meeting dates and times that work with Calendly’s built-in scheduling assistant.

4. 1Password

The last thing you want is to let your guard down one night and go on a site for your business only to get locked out because you forgot your password. This can be a nightmare, especially if no one else remembered it!

Thankfully, 1Password is an excellent solution to these problems since it’s secure and allows you to access all of your information from one place.

5. Google Drive

Essentially, Google Drive can help you become more productive by providing you with a cloud-based repository for your documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Google Drive also conveniently integrates with Rock.This means that Google Drive removes the need for a local copy of these files and allows you to access them anywhere via the web.

Google Docs is one of the most popular applications in the suite. You can create almost anything with Docs. For example, an excellent Google Slides will assist you with presentations and spreadsheets for your budgeting needs.

We know keeping it simple and staying productive is a priority to you. This is why we have introduced these latest changes, so you can communicate and collaborate even more easily with your team…

Here’s what’s new.

✔️Set Aside

The Set Aside feature allows you to save tasks, notes, and messages to a dedicated set aside list that you can work on when you have time. Access the Set Aside panel on the left-hand panel in your browser or by tapping the Set Aside icon on mobile.

Better Notifications

Pick and choose if you want to be notified about activities in Rock through email, on mobile, or browser. Notifications have been expanded to Email and System. Notifications can be easily changed in account settings by clicking on the checkmark box.

The following Notifications have been introduced:

• Email Notifications ✉️ Email notifications will send a dedicated mail to your inbox for any of your selected activities.
• System Notifications System notifications will trigger each time a selected instance occurs on either mobile, web or desktop for a variety of activities.

Mute Notifications

Mute notifications when you want to have some time to focus, are out of the office, or would not like to receive notification sounds or emails during certain hours of the day.

Space level

You can mute notifications from a specific space by pressing the Mute option in space settings

All notifications

In addition to muting the notifications for specific spaces, you can also silence down Rock as a whole.

This can come in handy when you want to have some time to focus, are out of the office, or would not like to receive notification sounds or emails during certain hours of the day.

Gather feedback with polls

Get everyone’s opinion by creating a poll in a space. Use polls for anything from deciding on marketing taglines to figuring out what to do for next week’s happy hour. Here's how it works:

1. Create a poll by pressing the icon at the bottom of your chat interface.
2. Write your question and select the answers in the poll (you can add more fields if you need them).
3. Decide whether respondents can select one or several options.
4. Decide whether respondents are anonymous entries or not.

Improved Task Filters

Filter tasks in list view, board view, or My Tasks by assignee status so you can easily see which tasks are In Progress, Blocked, or Completed. Combine these new filters with labels, assignees, and task lists, so you can now more easily see what’s going on with all your tasks.

External spaces

Spaces that include people that are not part of your organization are now highlighted in Rock so you can quickly determine what’s relevant to share in each space. You can turn the external spaces badge on and off in your Account Settings.

If you have any questions about this product release, feel free to drop a message in the Rock Customer Support space.

Remote work is a way of working that lets people work from a location anywhere instead of having to go onsite to do their job.

For example, instead of commuting 45 minutes by train to their office, a remote worker can log on anywhere. You can get your work done from your living room, home office, or sitting poolside. Remote work is sometimes called “telecommuting,” “distributed work,” or “work from home".

Remote work is intended to give workers more flexibility and give companies a way to attract and retain talent. It lets companies and workers “work smarter” by saving time and money.

Remote work is possible because of major advances in technology—communication, project management, and collaboration tools—that let workers do their jobs anywhere without impacting the quality of their work. Remote work tools help replicate traditional onsite workflows, like a coworker stopping by your desk to talk about a project.

We won’t belabor the point that the pandemic changed everything, but in addition to many other areas, workplaces were hugely affected. Now, at least 25% of Americans are completely working remotely. Industry leaders like Facebook, Spotify, and Microsoft will be supporting and investing in remote work as a permanent option for their workers. Instead of offering it as a perk, many companies now rely on remote work for the day-to-day.

Here's why remote work is here to stay

Remote work is now a long-term feature of the way we work because better technology and tools make it easy to work anywhere. With remote work comes a greater degree of flexibility and autonomy for employees. Instead of commuting to their workplaces five times a week, workers will have more flexibility and autonomy.

Companies will save money on real estate by shrinking their office footprints while their productivity increases because of remote workers’ contributions. Rather than having an unfocused approach to remote work, companies will have comprehensive policies and support which will help them attract and retain talent.

Both companies and workers have found that incorporating remote work into the day-to-day business is a complex change but a positive one overall. It’s now a part of life people will be reluctant to walk away from when they can to safely return to the workplace.

COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of remote work. Before the pandemic began to wreak havoc worldwide, many industries were already starting to move toward remote work. With the advent of technology and tools that made remote work easy and comparable to in-office work, companies realized that offering remote work was a way to attract new workers and make their current workforce feel valued.

Many executives expect that remote work won’t ever go away completely and most companies are looking at hybrid working models (if not 100% remote) that rely on in-office and remote work, to varying degrees.Previously a place where many of us routinely spent 8+ hours of our day, the workplace has ceased to be a place at all.

That doesn’t mean that everyone will be working remotely though. Many jobs simply can’t be done from home or a remote location. However, because technology makes it easy and affordable, remote work is here to stay.

What are the top 3 benefits of remote work for workers?

1. Better work/life balance

Before the pandemic began to seriously interrupt normal working styles, a survey by Gitlab found that remote workers highly valued their ability to forgo commuting and spent their commute time with their families.

‍Another Gitlab survey, this one released in February 2021, said that 37% of surveyed people reported that they had reoriented their lives to spend more time with families and communities.

2. More Flexibility

Global Workplace Analytics reports that 56% of American employees have a job where they could do some work remotely. That means that those employees can do their job when it works best for them, like shifting their work hours to accommodate a dentist appointment.

With remote work as an option, workers can live and work in different cities, states, or countries. Workers can look for new jobs without worrying about relocation. They can also move to a place that’s more affordable or a better fit with their lifestyle.

Flexibility is a highly valued aspect of a job, allowing workers to spend more time with family, friends, or outdoors. With flexibility comes a greater degree of independence and self-direction.

3. Cut the commute

Remote workers can save time that they would otherwise “waste” during their workdays. Because they don’t have to go onsite every day, many workers can save hours of their time that would normally be spent on buses, trains, or in traffic.

With remote work, that time can be spent with family, on hobbies, or just sleeping in.

What are the top 3 benefits of remote work for companies?

1. Better recruitment & retain talent

Before the pandemic threw workplaces into upheaval in early 2020, companies used remote work as a carrot to attract top talent as new employees. People value the ability to work remotely because it gives them a degree of flexibility in how (and where) they work.

By its very nature, remote work allows workers a larger degree of independence and self-determination.

2. Boost team productivity

After years of managers worrying that employees working from home were really just lounging around and napping in sweatpants, research has proven that remote workers are often more productive than their in-office counterparts.

In a two-year study, Stanford University researchers found that the group assigned to work remotely had a boost in work productivity and took fewer sick days compared to their “traditional” counterparts.

To support their employee’s increased productivity, companies should make sure to support working environment challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Remarkably, remote work is also associated with a reduction in the number of meetings, something we can all support.

3. Save money

As companies support remote work and incorporate it into their post-pandemic business models, one obvious perk is cost-effectiveness. Remote work allows for more efficient use of existing office space because it’s only used when there’s really a need for it.

Companies can save on high-priced real estate, even if they keep a place for workers who can and want to be onsite when it’s safe to do so.

While saving money on office space, companies should offer allowances or reimbursements to help employees set up their remote work environments. That way, the cost of office supplies, desks, chairs, and technology doesn’t become a frustrating burden to workers.

What are the top 3 challenges of remote work for companies?

1. Rethinking some tasks to better fit remote work

A McKinsey study found that some tasks like coaching, feedback, and training may be done more effectively when they’re done in person. This presents a difficulty to companies since some of these tasks would need some serious outside-of-the-box thinking to reimagine them to fit remote work better.

Companies should strive for innovation in tasks like these so they can be better integrated into remote work. Many of these tasks are communication-heavy so companies should focus on making sure that they have the best remote work tools for communication and task management that translate smoothly to remote work.

2. Leveling the playing field for remote workers

Companies will face the challenge of making sure that remote work is fair to their employees—wherever those employees are. As companies look to switch entirely to remote work or to keep it as part of a hybrid work model, they’ll need to adjust their operations and workflows accordingly.

Before the pandemic, companies with hybrid work models that allowed remote work found that remote workers sometimes felt marginalized in the workplace compared to their in-office coworkers. Unlike workplaces, remote work can sometimes have an “out of sight, out of mind” effect.

To prevent workers from feeling neglected, companies need to establish clear communication strategies and discuss their expectations with employees so everyone is on the same page.

3. Retraining managers

Another challenge for companies is adjusting management styles and tactics to accommodate the realities of a distributed workforce. Managers who were used to judging productivity and performance by the “butt-in-seats” method will find that approach is no longer effective.

Many managers struggle to figure out the best way to manage their remote teams. This is mainly because many workplaces were forced to adapt to remote work very quickly. Over-management and mistrust of employees are common with remote work. It also contributes to toxic work culture, employee stress, and ultimately turnover.

To ensure efficient remote work, managers should set up expectations for how and when their teams should communicate. For example, setting up weekly check-in questions for meetings for their team in addition to more standard communication methods like emails and virtual meetings.

Companies should invest in management training and develop comprehensive policies to give managers the skills they need. This will make sure that remote workers feel valued and supported.

What are the top 3 challenges of remote work for workers?

1. Setting boundaries

For employees, the added flexibility in their workday comes with some serious downsides. A survey from Gitlab highlighted that 47% of respondents felt that managing distractions at home was a top challenge for them while working remotely.

Remote workers struggle to turn off their laptops and step away since the office is also where they would otherwise spend their free time.This has gotten worse during the pandemic since many people have family and children at home when they normally wouldn’t be.

This adds stress and more distractions to manage. For women and other people who are often caregivers, other distractions at home often fall on their shoulders in addition to the work from their job.Companies, managers, and employees should work together to set up boundaries and establish what works for everyone involved.

2. Feeling isolated

Another challenge facing remote workers is sometimes feeling isolated. That doesn’t mean that remote workers are lonely, although the two feelings are similar. When remote workers feel isolated, they often don’t have access to materials or information that they need.

Think of isolation as separation from opportunities and information that we’re used to getting easily in physical workplaces. Like knowing that it’s a busy day in the office hearing phones ringing, or having a coworker stop by your desk.

Collaboration, clear expectations, and communication are all key elements that companies, workers, and managers need to combat feelings of isolation.

3. Lacking manager support and direction

As we’ve mentioned, for managers who are used to managing their teams in a more traditional, onsite setting, the switch to remote work can be a challenge. It’s a difficulty that workers face too since they need direction, support, and trust to get things done.

When people move to remote working, communication can break down, simply because it’s harder to keep people in the loop. A checked-out manager makes remote workers unnecessarily stressed.

Sticking to an organized structure can help combat disorganization. It also initiates a conversation about the best way to communicate can help too.

Communication is key to remote work

Remote work relies heavily on communication to make sure things are running smoothly. Since it’s such a big part of working remotely, it’s important to understand the different types of communication.

What are asynchronous & synchronous styles of communication?

Synchronous communication is real-time, usually involves set schedules, and typically, in-person work. Some benefits of this communication style are instant feedback and workers feeling involved.

A school classroom is a good example of synchronous communication, students and teachers can have conversations in real-time and students depend on the teacher to learn information at the same time. This type of communication is associated with traditional work that ties an employee’s time to a place and certain tasks.

Asynchronous communication (as you might have guessed) is the opposite of synchronous communication. With this communication style, you can work at your own pace without real-time collaboration.

An example of asynchronous communication would be remote-learning classrooms. The teacher provides some structure but students also “self-teach” at their own pace with video recordings and assigned classwork. The benefit of asynchronous work is that it can typically be done independently and accommodates different schedules.

What are the types of tools needed for remote work?

Aside from the obvious (computer or laptop, internet connection, table or desk), remote work requires a wide variety of digital tools. In traditional, in-office workplaces, communication and tools were mostly centered around employees who worked in a central location.

To work with a distributed workforce, companies and their workers will need the right tools to succeed.

1. Communication tools

Communication is critical to sustaining remote work in the long term. This is because keeping a distributed workforce on the same page takes a lot of effort. Standard tools like task management platforms and virtual meetings (Zoom and Google Meet) will help teams stay in touch with each other.

2. Collaboration tools

Tools that support collaboration between remote workers are important to have because it's an elementary part of almost every job. With remote workers all logging on from their homes or remote workplaces, cross-departmental collaboration or across teams, in general, can be a daunting task.

‍Google Drive, Onedrive, and Dropbox are mainstream tools for sharing information and files with each other, whether you’re in different neighborhoods or time zones.

3. Project management tools

With people and information in different places, project management is key to success for remote workers.

Project management tools often have a to-do list or task board format to track various items. For example, Rock has task boards to make it easier for users to manage projects and tasks. That way, you can update them as you make progress or complete a task or project.

Because project management tools are accessible to everyone in a team or company, they’re an asynchronous way of staying organized at work and updating your coworkers and managers on what you’re working on.

Most tools currently don’t work well for working remotely

We’ve highlighted the most common types of tools that remote workers rely on.

Most of the tools that remote workers use don’t work well because they’re usually made with a single purpose in mind. This means that many have to juggle a bunch of different tools just to communicate and work together. These tools make remote work more complicated because they're so narrowly focused.

These remote work tools are also expensive for companies to use and maintain. Companies are forced to pay for tools that complicate things, don’t work well together, and add stress to day-to-day business for both them and their workers.

Multimodal tools are ideal for remote work

Tools that are multimodal are best suited for remote work because they’re more flexible and often multi-purpose.

Multimodal tools are asynchronous by default and synchronous when they need to be. This gives remote workers the best of both worlds. These tools are more multifaceted than most remote work tools.

They include a variety of ways to communicate like chats, video calls, and task boards. Because remote work depends heavily on flexibility and communication, multimodal tools are the best kind of tool.

Rock combines messages plus tasks and your favorite apps with all-in-one functionality

Rock is the ideal multimodal tool for remote work because it’s built for more than one purpose and offers everything you need in one tool. Instead of picking one communication style (asynchronous or synchronous), you can use whichever works best for you.

This makes working with people in other time zones as easy as working with people in your neighborhood. You don’t have to choose between communication styles like you do with email, virtual meetings, and chat messages.

Rock keeps everything you need to work remotely in one place. Keep your files, manage your projects with task boards, and chat with your coworker with in-app messaging.Everyone you work with will be able to access cloud files with a convenient Google Drive integration.

Rock also has a built-in task board to make managing your project easier. Your coworkers and managers will be able to see the status of your projects and tasks without an update. To make communication smoother Rock has both Zoom and Jitsi integrations for your meetings and in-app messaging.

Why are multimodal tools the future?

Multimodal tools are the future of remote work because they’re built for the world of remote work. Multimodal tools offer flexibility that older, single-use tools don’t include. Working how you want is a critical part of successful remote work and single-use tools aren’t up to that task.

In addition to providing flexibility for both workers and companies, multimodal tools also centralize functions to make cross-functional collaboration while working remotely easier for everyone.

There are enough things to juggle while working remotely, especially during a pandemic. Juggling a variety of tools adds stress when it’s not needed. Because multimodal tools keep everything you need in one place, they’ll become irreplaceable to companies and remote workers.

Get ready for an exciting new world (of remote work)

Although remote work adoption was accelerated by the global pandemic, remote work is becoming a new normal for many. Working remotely offers employees a better work/life balance, more flexibility, and saves time on work-related things like commuting.

For companies, remote work is cost-effective and boosts productivity. It serves as a top recruiting and retaining tool for their workers.

Workers struggle to set boundaries as companies and workers continue to adjust to working remotely. Companies face the challenges of adjusting operations, rethinking tasks, and retraining managers to establish trust while achieving company goals and objectives.

It’s important to distinguish between asynchronous (not real-time) and synchronous (real-time) communication. Remote workers are often limited by the lack of flexibility because most tools stick with one communication style. Since remote work will be a mainstay in many workplaces, multimodal tools are the future.

Multimodal tools like Rock offer better flexibility and organization to remote workers than tools designed for people working onsite.

Too many apps and platforms make you juggle a bunch of different tools to get things done.

If you have to rotate through an ever-growing number of apps to do your work, you’ll have less time to focus on what matters. Not to mention that it’s inconvenient and stressful for everyone involved, from your team to external partners and collaborators.

We’re here to make it easier for you to get your work done. That’s why Rock provides different ways to collaborate and communicate, all from one centralized place. Streamlining your workflows and processes helps you focus on what matters.

Rock offers a variety of ways for you and your team to stay on top of things. You can use mini-apps such as tasks and notes to communicate, manage, organize, and share information. Rock also boosts your productivity with a files and meetings mini-app, which allows you to integrate video conferencing apps and storage providers.

Available options include Google Drive, DropBox, Onedrive, Miro, Notion and Smartsheet to simplify your workday. If you're a creative or work in the design industry you can also integrate Figma and Adobe Creative Cloud for free in any space.

When a virtual meeting is needed, you and your team can use the Meetings mini-app and use the Zoom, Google Meet, or Jitsi integrations to start or join a meeting—without ever leaving Rock.

This way, you can quickly jump on a video conference call for topics or discussions that are too complex for tasks or emails. You can also add your meeting agenda to notes to make sure that you are getting the most out of your time.

We know it’s key to have tools that make your life easier—that's why we made it completely free to add video-conferencing or different file providers to Rock!

Get down to business with the files mini-app

When you can create and share documents in one place, it's easier to streamline your work.

Centralizing your documents means you won’t need to switch between different apps and platforms to use them. Rock allows you to connect with well-known storage providers such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and SmartsheetGoogle Drive is a must-have for file storage, productivity, and organization.

With the Google Drive integration in Rock, you can put important details and information where they can be easily accessed and edited. Rock makes it easy to store your files and connect relevant information to each space for your team. Accessing details and documents is more convenient since your Google folders are connected to relevant spaces.

‍Communicating with clients or collaborating with freelancers, team members, and external partners will be a lot smoother with a connected Google Drive. The best part is that you can finally stop sharing links across platforms to share your files!

You can access, create, and upload Google documents, sheets, slides, and surveys, right from every Rock space. You can also set aside folders or documents in Google Drive to create a to-do list so you can easily manage and keep up with your different workflows.

In addition to storage providers, you can also connect your creative tools such as Figma or Adobe Creative Suite to the files mini-app. This is useful if you work on a lot of different projects and want to access or share progress on a creative project without endlessly searching your different folders.

Make the most of meetings

Sometimes meetings can solve problems more efficiently —especially for remote teams. Virtual meetings can provide an interactive and personal experience. Schedule meetings for situations that can’t be easily addressed any other way.

For example, brainstorming a creative solution to a problem or talking through client feedback on a project. Rock integrates video conferencing into its platform so you can quickly jump on a meeting when something can’t be solved through messaging, tasks, or notes.

You can easily integrate meetings into each Rock space with either Zoom, Jitsi or Google Meet. Log into your Zoom account through Rock and start a meeting in any space by clicking on the Meetings button.

The Google Meet integration works similarly to Zoom, and allows you to quickly start audio or video meetings in any space. If you prefer more open source tools you can always create a quick meeting through Jitsi.

Remember: for meetings, less can be more

Too often, meetings can be a waste of time. We’ve all heard someone say, “this meeting could have been an email.” Sometimes a different type of communication (like a message, note, or task) is better suited than a meeting.

When it comes to meetings, less is always more. Constant meetings can decrease your productivity, drain your team’s energy and lead to toxic work culture. Instead, schedule meetings thoughtfully and only when it's really needed, you can follow our virtual meetings best practices guide to get the most out of them.

Meetings should focus on things like problem-solving, decision-making, or substantive discussion. Schedule meetings only when they’re really needed and stick to an agenda.

Files and meetings boost your productivity by streamlining your work

Platforms should connect to the tools you rely on so you can focus on getting work done. Rock connects to different storage providers and creative tools for free so you can access all your docs, sheets, presentations, or designs and easily share them with anyone.

Additionally, Rock's video-conferencing integrations with Zoom, Google Meet, and Jitsi make it easier to ask questions, have complex discussions, and collaborate with team members.

With so many options at your fingertips, you can simplify your workflows and stay organized at work. All without leaving Rock.

We're zoomin' through new features and improvements! This release includes a seamless integration to Zoom in any space, the ability to send audio messages on both web and mobile, duplicate tasks across spaces and lists, and so much more!

‍Let's get right to it!

Works with Zoom‍

Connect your Zoom account to Rock and have your meetings a click away in every space. Easily set up a Zoom meeting when you need to discuss something quickly or set up a screen share to walk someone through the latest design mocks.Check out the video below for the steps you should follow to integrate your Zoom account to Rock!

Asynchronous Audio Messages

Sometimes its just easier to say what you mean. With audio messages in Rock you can now send a quick audio message when you're on your phone or on your computer.

Duplicate tasks‍

Save precious time by duplicating tasks when needed. Keep labels and task descriptions while moving the duplicated task to any space and list. You can find the feature by pressing the three dots in the top right corner of every task.

Copy a task from one space to another so you don’t need to recreate tasks across multiple projects. Check out the video below for more information about duplicating tasks across spaces.

Space folders

If you have lots of Rock spaces you can now organize them into folders, so you can keep your space list tidy. Create a folder for 1:1s, Marketing, or Product, and easily switch between different workstreams.

Guests in spaces

Want to invite someone to a space but don’t want them to change tasks, notes, or files? The new guest role limits ⛔️ the actions of users in your different spaces. This can be useful for spaces where you use Rock as an information board or for community purposes.

If you have any questions about this product release, feel free to drop a message in the Rock Customer Support space.

With the way we work changing so quickly, it’s often hard to keep up with the latest terms. Remote work and distributed work are two different but related things that often get confused.

Because the future of work includes both, understanding the difference is crucial to successfully navigate the rapidly changing world of remote work.

What is remote work?

Remote work lets people do their job anywhere instead of going onsite. Rather than commuting to an office, a remote worker can log on from any place with a Wi-Fi connection. You can get your work done from your living room, home office, or sitting poolside.

You can work remotely whether your company is organized traditionally or if it’s organized for distributed work. Remote work is sometimes called “telecommuting” or “work from home". Working remotely gives workers more flexibility and helps companies attract and retain their talent.

Remote work uses technology and tools to replicate traditional onsite and real-time workflows. For example, a coworker calls you to talk about a project instead of stopping by your desk. You can do remote work 100% of the time or just a couple of days a week.

What is distributed work?

Distributed work is an organizational approach that companies take. It is the default setting for decentralized organizations with workers in different locations. Companies have distributed teams, also known as remote-first teams. The goal is an asynchronous work (not real-time) approach that empowers workers.

“You evaluate people’s work on what they produce, not how or when they produce it. Trust emerges as the glue that holds the entire operation together. You begin shifting to better — perhaps slower, but more deliberate — decision-making, and you empower everyone, not just the loudest or most extroverted, to weigh in on major conversations.” - Matt Mullenweg, founding developer of WordPress and founder of Automattic

Distributed work relies on remote work tools that empower employees to work at their own pace (also known as working asynchronously). Good communication strategies are critical because there’s no central office or HQ. With distributed work, the talent pool is wider because there are no location restrictions for hiring.

They sound the same, what's the difference?

You’re right! Sometimes distributed work and remote work get mixed up so we want to clarify both terms. Understanding the intent behind remote work and distributed work is key to differentiating between them.

Distributed work is remote-first, and company processes are built for workers spread out in different places. Because there’s no central location and workers may be in different time zones, asynchronous communication and processes are key.

Traditional companies can offer remote work, but don’t rely on it as the main way of working. You could do remote work for a day but the organizational default doesn't support 100% remote work so it's not distributed work.

A look into the future: remote work and distributed work

With technology making it possible to work from anywhere, the workplace doesn’t have to be a place at all. Many companies were reconsidering the traditional in-office approach before the pandemic affected workplaces.

“Companies will cut their commercial office space by 50%-70%” Chris Herd, founder and CEO of FirstBaseHQ

This will enable workers to take advantage of a flexible schedule that works for them. Industry leaders like Facebook, Spotify, and Microsoft plan to invest in remote work as a permanent option.

Remote work and distributed work will be big parts of workplaces in the future, so it’s important to understand the differences between them. Distributed work is an organizational approach. Remote work is a way for people to work.

Both remote work and distributed work need tools that emphasize communication and collaboration. That way, workers and companies can avoid siloing projects and work.

Our first product update brings some exciting new changes to Rock. Enjoy Rock on the go with mobile apps, integrate your Google Drive folders to stay productive and more!

Now on iOS and Android?

Mobile apps are now available in the App Store and on Google Play so you can pretty much use Rock from anywhere. Leave us a 5-star review if you like what you’re seeing!

Drive integration ?

Add any Google Drive folder to a space so everybody has access to every relevant file. No more digging through emails & messages to find that one file that got away.Check out the video below with some simple steps that explain how to integrate Google Drive folders to your different Rock spaces!

Tasks mini-app improvements ⏩

The ☑️ Tasks mini-app is now a lot faster, the Board View handles better and labels now make it easier to get everything organized.This short video should provide you will all the information you might need to get started with the tasks mini-app!

If you have any questions about this product release, feel free to drop a message in the Rock Customer Support space!

We are now in more meetings and work longer hours than ever before. With 62% of people working from home because of the pandemic -- the number of meetings has gone up 12.9%, the volume of emails has increased and workdays have grown 48 ½ minutes longer.

All of these distractions take up 40% of someone’s productive time.There are different reasons why this has happened, but one of the main reasons is that the way we work hasn't really changed. When companies started shifting their workforce to a remote model, they took the tools they were already using (e.g. Slack, Zoom) and sent their employees home.

These tools are now being used in the same way they were used in the office, where most of the interaction happened in real-time.

We're moving towards a more distributed way of working.

A quick chat is now another Zoom meeting in a long succession of meetings and a tap on the shoulder is yet another Slack message that pulls you away from what you were doing. This firehose of messages and meetings is not sustainable as it leads to anxiety, burnout and pressure to always be connected.

With a majority of companies stating that remote work is here to stay, office footprints being reduced dramatically, and tech companies like Twitter telling their staff that they can work from home forever some of these changes will become the new normal.

Most people agree that whatever happens, companies will be way more distributed than they were before the pandemic. One thing is for sure -- the communication & collaboration tools that exist today just don't cut it.

We need tools for a distributed workforce.

This is where Rock comes in. We started building Rock about two years ago to make it easier to shift towards a more asynchronous way of working. This way of working gives you more control over your workday, and makes you more productive while reserving face-to-face meetings for the most important things.

It's also ideally suited to a workforce that is more distributed.With the right tools and mindset, working with your team becomes more like a relay race. Everybody knows what's going on, you can pick things up when you're ready, and work happens in a state of flow.

Why Rock is better

Rock combines real-time messaging and video calls with more asynchronous ways of communicating like tasks, notes, and files and makes this available in one space.

Because we combine these different types of communication, we make it easy for you to pick and choose the best way to interact with your team.

We also work with Google Drive (and will work with Zoom and others soon) so it's easier to tap into your existing workflows.When you compare Rock to Slack you can easily see why we think Rock just works better for how work happens today.

Rock empowers anyone to work from anywhere

It's our mission to build tools to empower anyone to work from anywhere. When this happens - companies are more diverse, job opportunities are not limited by location and we all meet less while doing more.

We have a lot more to say and lots more to build. If you want to join us on this journey to bring some much-needed balance to the way we work, try out Rock today.

Watch how Rock works