Cloudbrink reveals that work-from-anywhere (WFA) employees, globally, are starting earlier and logging off later than the typical 8-hour workday.
In the report, “2025 Trends in Hybrid Work Report: The Facts Behind Balancing Security and Performance” usage data shows heavy transfer of data on Fridays, an indication that WFA employees actually put in longer hours than their ‘9 to 5’ counterparts — with heavy usage starting at 7:00 am and continuing to 7:00 pm. In addition to weekdays, data transfer trends suggest many workers are also logging in on Saturdays and Sundays.
Despite employer fears about worker focus, the report concludes that employees are working quite a bit outside the office, but could be even more productive if technical challenges could be reduced. The report points to the impact on network performance by security measures such as VPNs and traditional ZTNA approaches as an issue impacting hybrid work.
“Employers shouldn’t worry that remote workers are slacking off. It’s simply not true. Our data shows they actually work longer hours,” said Prakash Mana, CEO of Cloudbrink. “What’s really impacting productivity is when users waste hours trying to get work done because of network connectivity issues caused by VPNs and other outdated security. There’s no question security is a requirement, but it doesn’t have to slow down productivity outside the office.”
A USA-only survey, commissioned for the report, found workers needing to securely connect to company resources but facing challenges in getting their work done. Issues ranged from the inability to maintain a steady connection, poor quality audio and video, dropped conference calls, slow performance for file transfers, and the inability to access apps and systems. Balancing security with remote access is a challenge for every employer with remote workers. Survey results, globally, stated 70% of companies believe that their security negatively impacts performance and user experience. However, findings suggested professionals do not understand the full impact or how to fix it.
The hidden culprit: Packet Loss
The report highlights one technical culprit of poor performance that is often overlooked: packet loss. Legacy and even some modern security approaches add latency which combined with packet loss can reduce a 100Mbps or 1Gbps connection to just a few Mbps. According to the report, “Adding just 0.5% packet loss on top of just 10 milliseconds of latency can cause throughput to plummet by 90%.” According to Cloudbrink, 60% of end users struggle with packet loss above 0.5%, enough to greatly exacerbate the impact of normal network latency.
Mana added, “Unfortunately you can’t solve all connectivity issues with a bigger pipe. Frustrated workers paying for high-speed connections still experience maddening upload speeds that get slower instead of faster. Packet loss is the ten-ton gorilla hiding in the shadows, and it’s a more prevalent problem than most people think.”
