Hybrid work trends 2025: Remote employees work longer, struggle with connectivity
A recent report by Cloudbrink, a provider of secure connectivity solutions, highlights that work-from-anywhere (WFA) employees are extending their work hours beyond the traditional eight-hour day.
The “2025 Trends in Hybrid Work Report: The Facts Behind Balancing Security and Performance” reveals that data usage spikes on Fridays, suggesting that WFA employees work longer hours compared to their “9 to 5” counterparts, with significant activity from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Despite concerns about employee focus, the report finds that remote workers are highly productive, though they could achieve even more if technical challenges were minimized. The report also notes that network performance is affected by security measures like VPNs and traditional ZTNA approaches, which impact hybrid work efficiency.
Prakash Mana, CEO of Cloudbrink, emphasized that employers need not worry about remote workers slacking off, as data indicates they actually put in longer hours. He pointed out that productivity is hindered by network connectivity issues caused by VPNs and outdated security measures. “Security is essential, but it shouldn't slow down productivity outside the office,” Mana stated.
Remote Work Becomes the Norm
Cloudbrink's analysis of usage data from thousands of users reveals detailed insights into the work habits of those using its Personal SASE service. Unsurprisingly, Friday is the busiest day for work-from-anywhere employees. Additionally, data trends indicate that many workers are also logging in on Saturdays and Sundays.
A survey commissioned for the report found that over half of respondents indicated that at least 40% of their employees work remotely at least one day per week. These remote workers need secure access to company resources but often face several challenges. The top challenge, according to survey respondents, is maintaining a steady connection. This is followed by poor audio and video quality, which hinders important conference calls. Other significant challenges include slow file transfer speeds and difficulty accessing apps and systems, affecting more than 45% of remote workers.
Balancing Security and Performance
One of the main challenges of remote access is ensuring secure connections. Balancing security with accessibility is a common issue for employers with remote workers. The survey revealed that 70% of companies believe their security measures negatively impact performance and user experience. However, many professionals do not fully understand the extent of the impact or how to address it.
Packet Loss: The Silent Disruptor
The report delves into a technical issue often overlooked: packet loss. Both legacy and some modern security approaches add latency, which, when combined with packet loss, can significantly reduce connection speeds. The report states that “adding just 0.5% packet loss on top of 10 milliseconds of latency can cause throughput to plummet by 90%.” Cloudbrink found that 60% of end users experience packet loss above 0.5%, which greatly exacerbates normal network latency.
Prakash Mana added, “Unfortunately, you can’t solve all connectivity issues with a bigger pipe. Frustrated workers paying for high-speed connections still experience maddeningly slow upload speeds. Packet loss is the ten-ton gorilla hiding in the shadows, and it’s a more prevalent problem than most people think.”
Report Details
The Cloudbrink report is based on real usage data from millions of sessions daily from hybrid workers and a survey of 251 IT/network (57.8%) and cybersecurity (42.2%) professionals across various industry sectors. More than half of the survey participants work at companies with 5,000 or more employees.
For more details or to download a copy of the report, go here.
