Illustration of a woman working from home, and waiting for a site to load due to high latency.

How Latency Affects Hybrid and Remote Work Performance

Diagram representing the difference between low latency and high latency. Low latency is showing a race car representing the fast reception of data, and high latency is represented with a snail being an example of the slow reception of data.

What is latency?

Understanding how latency can affect remote work means first understanding what latency is.

Latency refers to the delay between a user’s action and the response from a system. Usually discussed in terms of computer networks and internet connections, latency measures the time it takes data to travel from the source to the destination and back. Latency is affected by the distance data must travel, the speed of the connection, the processing time of the devices in the network, and network congestion. Lower latency is better because it means quicker responses and a smoother experience. High latency leads to lag, where actions feel delayed—such as on a Zoom or Webex call, where lag can make conversations seem difficult and unnatural.

In a post-COVID era, where remote and hybrid work is far more common than before, latency and lag affect video conferences, presentations, and other occasions involving instantaneous communication between parties across distances.

question mark pattern
question mark pattern

Over half of the people polled don’t know what latency is.

In a survey of 500 Americans aged 16+ in August 2024, we learned that 53.93% of people don’t know what latency is, compared to 46.07% of people who do.

Do you know what latency is?

Yes - 46.07%
No - 53.93%

Data collected via Pollfish and is current as of 9/6/2024

Latency’s effects on remote work conversations

There have already been academic investigations done on remote communication. A study published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies in May of 2014 showed that delays between remote participants were blamed on the participant on the other end of the call rather than on network delays. Participants viewed the person on the other end of the call as inattentive when the rhythm of the conversation was ruined. Understanding latency can help us avoid blaming our counterparts in virtual conversations and the resentment or frustration that follows.

Another study in the Journal of Pragmatics from January 2021 shows that latency causes participants to perceive silence at points where talk should occur. Participants treat these silences as gaps or lapses, and silence resolution strategies frequently lead to overlapping talk. In the words of the study, “Participants have a non-mutual reality, but act as if their reality is shared.” This will be exacerbated even more if one or more parties do not know what latency is.

Illustration of a snail and a racecar.

Bridging the latency gap

Virtual communication technology is constantly improving, along with faster internet connections, but with long-distance collaboration becoming even more common, latency will always be an issue. The key to bridging the communication gap and avoiding resentment begins with educating employees about latency and its effects.

Methodology

We surveyed 500 Americans 16+ in August 2024 using the online survey platform Pollfish. The results presented are post-stratification; stratification aligns results with the larger population. In this case, we applied stratification to age and gender to bring the results in line with current U.S. demographics.

About Us

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