Adding more workplace technology no longer guarantees greater productivity. Instead, organisations are shifting their attention to reducing the friction that slows employees down.
That was a recurring theme during a customer panel at Logitech’s Southeast Asia Partner Connect 2026, where IT leaders from Accenture, Agoda, and PwC discussed why successful workplace transformation now depends less on deploying new technology than on removing barriers to how employees work.
From technology deployment to workplace experience
Parag Shah, Director of IT at PwC Singapore, said that one of the biggest challenges organisations face is helping employees navigate an increasingly fragmented digital workplace. One consequence is the need for employees to constantly switch between different applications and workflows throughout the day.
“The biggest friction point is context switching. Typically, organisations have lots of applications, and employees have to do lots of context switching, which takes up a lot of time.”
Parag also pointed to meeting overload, the growing balance between security and usability, and the challenge of moving AI beyond experimentation. While many organisations are eager to embrace AI, he said, many have yet to establish a clear path towards delivering measurable outcomes.
Nutpol Chutwiriyacharoen, Director of IT Facilities at Agoda, said the growing number of collaboration platforms has made interoperability an increasingly common challenge.
“A very classic example for me is we’re using Teams, but some of the partners are using Zoom, and the other partner might be using Google, and China partners might be using Lark,” Nutpol said. “How do we make it work together? How do we make sure that our users have a friction-free experience?”
Rudy Guiao, CIO at Accenture Philippines, argued that the issue extends beyond technology itself.
“The biggest workplace challenge today is no longer the technology gap,” he said. “It’s actually an experience gap.”
Guiao said organisations have moved from an era where access to technology was the primary concern to one where employees must navigate an increasingly complex technology environment. Rather than introducing more tools, he said, organisations should focus on ensuring employees can use existing technologies effectively to remove everyday obstacles from their work.
Employee experience becomes a business priority
Organisations are increasingly evaluating workplace technology not just by the tools they deploy, but by the impact those investments have on productivity, employee retention, and business performance.
Shah said organisations are increasingly investing in workplace technology, devices, and digital tools not only to improve productivity, but also to attract and keep talent.
“Employee experience is now sitting at the board level,” he noted. “Getting employees is difficult, retaining employees is even more difficult.”
Shah added that one of his team’s key objectives is to reduce the effort employees spend completing routine tasks.
“A KPI specifically for me is, how do I reduce the number of clicks for my employees?” he said. “Technology teams should focus on making frontline staff more productive rather than introducing additional complexity.”
Nutpol echoed that view, saying employees returning to the office expect workplace technology to work reliably so they can focus on their jobs rather than resolving technical issues.
“The better experience gives better productivity as well,” Nutpol said. “When they arrive at the office, if they need to spend like an hour troubleshooting and they cannot start a meeting if the room didn’t work, that gives them negative feedback.”
AI should solve problems, not chase trends
The discussion also turned to how organisations can move AI beyond experimentation and into measurable business outcomes.
Shah said many organisations are eager to embrace AI but have yet to establish a clear path towards adoption.
“Everyone talks about AI,” he said. “But there are no tangible outcomes that people have achieved.”
Guiao said organisations should shift the conversation away from the technology itself and instead focus on where employees and customers lose time.
“The best AI strategy for me is not asking where AI can work,” Guiao said. “It’s actually asking where people or employees or our customers are wasting their energy.”
Rather than automating existing processes, he argued that organisations should first rethink how work is performed before deciding where AI can deliver meaningful value.
Anil Iype, Head of Global Partner Development at Logitech, echoed that sentiment, saying organisations should focus less on AI itself and more on the outcomes it enables.
“I don’t think we should think about AI,” Iype said. “I think we should think about what it allows you to do.”
He pointed to examples such as automatically generating presentation slides, summarising meetings, and producing meeting recaps, arguing that the value lies not in the technology itself but in the time and efficiency it gives employees back.
Transformation starts with employees
When asked what advice they would give organisations embarking on workplace transformation initiatives, the panellists consistently emphasised designing around employees rather than technology.
“Start with the employee journey,” Chutwiriyacharoen said. Before introducing new technologies, organisations should understand how employees work, what challenges they face, and what they expect from the workplace. That feedback should then shape office design and technology decisions.
Shah echoed that view.
“Technology should not be given to people; rather technology should be given for people,” he remarked. “We have to identify the friction points and give technology that enables people to do their work, rather than giving technology to people and saying, ‘Just use it.'”
Iype said organisations should also involve employees throughout the deployment process rather than waiting until implementation is complete.
“Thoughtfulness, intention, including employees in the process… and pilots, phased deployments are so key before we go spend,” he said, adding that organisations should seek employee feedback before rolling out workplace technologies at scale.
Guiao similarly cautioned organisations against treating workplace transformation as a technology rollout.
“Do not transform for them or to them, it’s actually with them,” he said. “People resist change if they are not part of the discussions before the actual change.”
He also urged organisations to rethink existing processes rather than simply digitising them, adding: “Do not automate the past. Reinvent your future.”
