Okay, think less "my home internet connection went down" and more "the build server fell over" or "I need confirmation from Bob and he's not responding on Slack

Okay, think less "my home internet connection went down" and more "the build server fell over" or "I need confirmation from Bob and he's not responding on Slack." It's a learning-to-work-without-direct-supervision problem, not a technical problem. Also since you raised the issue: keep in mind that some people simply don't have internet infrastructure at home that's prepared for this kind of use. Think of rural DSL lines or satellite internet. (Some old, poorly maintained phone lines drop DSL packets like crazy whenever it rains. Don't ask me why.) Or someone who has a teenager that plays Fortnite and who doesn't know how to implement traffic shaping on their home network. :-)