HR automation has become one of the most talked-about priorities in Indian workplaces, with organisations racing to digitise everything from leave approvals to succession planning. But in the rush to keep up with competitors and industry trends, many companies skip a critical first step: examining whether the processes they are automating actually work. Automating a broken or poorly defined process does not fix it. It simply makes the dysfunction faster, harder to unwind, and more expensive to correct.
To understand what separates successful HR automation from costly missteps, we spoke with Shaji Swarnesh, whose experience spans the practical realities of redesigning HR processes before technology enters the picture. In this conversation, he explains why competition pressure often drives premature automation, how poor data quality and unclear approval hierarchies can derail even well-built systems, and why involving HR teams and employees early is non-negotiable. His central message is straightforward: fix your processes first, then automate.
TPB Team: Why do organisations often rush to automate HR processes without first reviewing how those processes work?
Shaji: Primarily, it is competition pressure or Industry pressure; like all other organisations in our business space have gone for it, so we should also automate our process. The new HR Head would have joined the organisation from another industry where HR automation is prevalent; hence, he wants to do it. We should do due diligence on our HR process and its current relevance and try to streamline it if possible.
TPB Team: How can automating a broken HR process actually make the problem worse?
Shaji: Let us take the leave approval process. If the approval hierarchy and timelines are clearly not defined, then the legacy process is better than automating it. Automation can increase timelines if the process is not clearly defined.
TPB Team: What are the warning signs that an HR process needs to be fixed before it is automated?
Shaji: All the processes would be many years old and would need streamlining based upon current requirements.
TPB Team: From your experience, which HR processes are usually the easiest to automate, and which require more careful planning?
Shaji: Absence management is slightly easier than other processes like Recruitment, performance management, succession planning, and grievance redressal. This varies according to business needs as well.
TPB Team: How important is it to involve HR teams and employees when redesigning processes before automation?
Shaji: Crucial to involve HR teams to get vital information on the process and its suitability for end users. Involving HR teams is a fundamental requirement in designing process automation; they would highlight various operational challenges in designing the automation process. Employees can also add insights required from their end.
TPB Team: What role does data quality play in successful HR automation?
Shaji: Data quality is the building block for any successful outcome in the process of HR automation. Poor quality data may lead to deviant process identification and will impact successful outcomes.
TPB Team: How can organisations balance standardisation with the need to accommodate different business requirements?
Shaji: Large conglomerates can follow the indian constitution model in creating law at the central level, and all the states can devise rules pertaining to their requirements; likewise, a common process can be devised for the whole group of organisations, and individual businesses can frame rules for any deviation required for their specific needs.
TPB Team: Why do some HR automation projects fail to deliver the expected results even when the technology itself works well?
Shaji: Most HR automation tools are designed with specific legal and business requirements of a region or country, which may not be suitable for other regions; then it has to be customised for clients’ requirements, which may not produce the desired results.
TPB Team: How can HR and IT teams work together more effectively when redesigning and automating HR processes?
Shaji: Primarily, both the teams have to chalk out a clear “Need and Want” list. Then both of them should come to a consensus and agree on a common list which should be end-user friendly.
TPB Team: How should organisations decide which HR processes to automate first?
Shaji: Less impactful processes or processes that are labour-intensive, and that process is the one which provides basic information to another process, could be automated and used as a testing ground.
TPB Team: How can organisations measure whether HR automation is actually improving efficiency and employee experience?
Shaji: Could be measured by a survey or through an organisation climate survey or through a dipstick method.
TPB Team: What are some common mistakes HR leaders should avoid when starting an automation journey?
Shaji: Automation needs an analysis to be done to understand whether it is needed to automate or not. Build consensus with employees and start talking to employees in groups to understand their inputs and buy-in. Taking concurrence of the business heads and benchmarking with other organisations who are also in the similar business space or industry.
In the End…
The thread running through Shaji Swarnesh’s insights is that technology is never the starting point. Automation succeeds when it sits on top of processes that have been reviewed, streamlined, and stress-tested against current business needs, and it struggles when organisations treat it as a shortcut around foundational work they have not done. From building consensus with employees and business heads to insisting on clean data and clearly defined workflows, the groundwork matters far more than the platform.
