I travel a lot for work, which takes me to all kinds of companies and offices. Logitech’s of course, but also suppliers, partners and customer spaces around the world. And I’m seeing a trend which has got me thinking about the future of work. I thought I’d share it with you…
Many of the companies I visit are choosing Logitech at the moment – mice, webcams, keyboards, video conferencing. While this is always gratifying, I’m more interested in “why” they buy, what that means for the workplace and how thoughtful choices can optimize the outcomes for any business.
Companies are investing in returning office workers
These companies are buying Logitech in part because many have instituted or increased their return to office (RTO) mandates. More employees are coming in more often, so the companies they work for are refitting their office spaces to accommodate them.
This isn’t just an anecdotal trend I’m seeing on my travels – it’s a real statistic and it’s global. According to JLL’s 2025 Office Market Dynamics report, 55% of Fortune 100 companies require five-day office attendance, up from just 5% in 2021. And CBRE says 89% of US employers require employees to be in the office at least 3 days a week, up from 78% in 2025. Their data is similar for Asia Pacific.
Control over workplace technology can bring big advantages
So what does this mean for the workplace?
We just completed some research, in nine countries around the world, looking at how technology impacts people’s mood, wellbeing, performance, accomplishments and potential. This Ctrl Tomorrow Study revealed some surprising insights.
On the face of it, we all instinctively understand that tech that fails us makes us frustrated and angry. Too many times I’ve found myself muttering curses under my breath at a spinning blue circle or scrambling around under a desk to check something’s plugged in.
What the study finds, though, is something deeper: two people with similar tech setups can both have very different experiences of it, and the impact of those experiences affects aspects of their lives you might not expect. Over time, it can affect your physical and mental wellbeing, your creativity, your potential. You carry it with you from work to home, and to bed at night.
What divides these people? It’s their sense of control over their technology.
Of those surveyed, 77% of people agreed: those who feel in control of their technology get more out of life.
When employees feels in command of their tools, they unlock a control dividend:
- 81% say the right technology setup can be the difference between reaching their goals and falling short.
- 58% feel more optimistic about their future when they are in control of their tech.
- 63% report more confidence in their own abilities.
- 54% report real improvements in physical or mental well-being.
- 52% say control of their technology enabled them to accomplish something they did not think was possible.
- About 3 in 5 say tech control increases their creativity and their ability to focus.
And those who do not feel that sense of control, pay a compounding control tax:
- 64% report feeling frustrated, anxious or angry.
- 46% report feeling helpless, embarrassed, exhausted, or like they are falling behind when technology fails.
- 58% experience physical discomfort — wrist pain, eye strain, neck fatigue — at least monthly from their tech setup.
At the individual level, that’s concerning. But what about at scale? What happens to workplace teams, functions or whole workforces when the sense of control is left to chance?
The majority of workers we spoke to agreed that the control dividend exists in the workplace. 82% of workers stated it unlocks creativity and enables peak performance.
Control over workplace technology can bring big advantages to individual workers. So, imagine how that multiplies at the team and organizational level. A confident, empowered, productive workforce; a more successful business!
Yet, the reality is likely a bit different. The compromises companies necessarily make in order to ensure their technology is secure, scalable and brings return on investment can feel restrictive to individual workers. Employees are picking up a control downgrade at the office door – at scale. Especially as RTO mandates mount.
48% of workers indicate employer technology restrictions prevent them from achieving the full benefits of control at work. A confident, empowered, productive individual can go to work, only to sit amongst a larger group of people feeling frustrated and limited by the technology they have to work with. They’re expected to perform in the one place they feel least equipped.
“Controlling” the outcome
It’s clear that RTO mandates have raised the stakes on decisions made by companies refitting their office spaces. Logitech recently published more data on this and some useful insights in our Workplace Equation research study of 1,700 workplace experience decision-makers. A key finding was that strong workplace experiences start when IT, HR, and Real Estate teams work from the same playbook.
They also start when companies take into consideration the question of control. This is about controlling the outcome – excuse the pun. Engage with your employees, understand their needs, train them, support them. You can even ask teams to take a short quiz to gauge their Ctrl Score – it will tell you how employees feel about the tech in their lives.
The office is a multiplier. A hundred workers that feel in control of their technology will bring dividends in creativity and productivity. A hundred that don’t, won’t. You can invest as much as you like in technology to drive productivity in your workforce, but if they don’t feel a sense of control, you’re more likely to be addressing issues of frustration, anxiety, lack of focus and physical discomfort.
Remember, the laws of multiplication work both ways. Multiply by 0 and you get zero.
