From Quick Fixes to Smart Work: How AI is Empowering HR

Across India and emerging markets, the concept of quick fixes a.ka. jugaad—a frugal, improvisational approach to problem-solving—has long been admired for its ingenuity and resilience. It embodies the ability to do more with less, often thriving in resource-constrained environments. While jugaad has driven remarkable innovation in business, its application in HR often leads to inefficiencies that hinder long-term growth and competitiveness.

In HR, quick fixes manifest as reactive hiring, generic policies, and unstructured learning initiatives. While these tactics may offer short-term relief, they create systemic challenges—high attrition, disengaged employees, and misaligned talent strategies. Instead of investing in scalable, data-driven solutions, organisations relying on quick fixes or patchwork fill gaps reactively, making them ill-equipped to handle the demands of a rapidly evolving workforce. In today’s business landscape—where companies are competing for top talent and striving for sustained growth—HR can no longer afford to depend on ad hoc approaches. The future demands structured, technology-enabled, and strategic workforce management.

HR as a function is undergoing a radical shift, evolving from a primarily administrative role into a key driver of business transformation. The days of relying on improvised, workaround solutions to manage talent are over. Instead, HR leaders are now leveraging cutting-edge technologies and forward-thinking strategies to build agile, engaged, and future-ready workforces. One of the biggest catalysts in this transformation is Artificial Intelligence (AI). From predictive hiring and personalised learning to real-time employee engagement insights, AI is not just enhancing HR functions—it is fundamentally redefining them.

Let’s explore real-world examples that demonstrate why HR must embrace transformation, moving beyond makeshift solutions to build a scalable, future-ready, and high-impact people strategy.

AI Revolutionising Recruitment

Consider the case of Chipotle Mexican Grill, a global fast-food chain that recently faced the daunting task of hiring 20,000 workers for its busiest period—dubbed ‘burrito season.’ Traditionally, mass hiring meant an exhaustive manual recruitment process, but Chipotle took a different approach. It introduced an AI-powered assistant, aptly named Ava Cado, to streamline the recruitment experience.

Ava Cado interacted with candidates, answered frequently asked questions, collected necessary details, scheduled interviews, and even extended job offers. The impact? A staggering improvement in application completion rates from 50% to over 85% and a drastic reduction in hiring time from 12 days to just 4 days. This AI-driven hiring strategy not only expedited recruitment but also enhanced candidate experience and engagement. Another remarkable example is Unilever, which embraced AI-driven video interviews to assess candidates. Instead of human recruiters sifting through thousands of applications, AI evaluates facial expressions, tone of voice, and word choice to match candidates with the company’s ideal employee profile. This transformation cut recruitment time by 75% while also improving hiring diversity by 16%. 

Enhancing Employee Experience with AI

Recruitment is just one piece of the puzzle—HR transformation also extends to the employee experience. AI-driven automation is significantly reducing the administrative burden on HR professionals, allowing them to focus on strategic, high-impact activities.

Take Communicorp UK, for instance. Grace Orr, the company’s Director of People, leveraged AI to automate time-consuming HR functions like payroll processing. What once took multiple days was now being completed within one hour, giving HR teams the bandwidth to focus on employee engagement, wellbeing, and development. The outcome? A boost in employee satisfaction and a more dynamic HR function. 

AI in Workforce Development and Retention

With businesses facing acute skill shortages, organisations are turning to AI to bridge talent gaps and enhance workforce development. Johnson & Johnson uses AI for ‘inference of skills’—a sophisticated system that predicts and maps employees’ competencies to emerging job roles. This proactive approach enables personalised career planning, keeping employees engaged and reducing attrition rates.

Similarly, DHL’s AI-driven career marketplace matches employees with internal job openings based on their skill sets, suggesting relevant training programs to help them upskill and advance. This has proven to be a win-win, as employees feel empowered in their career growth, while the company benefits from an agile, future-ready workforce. 

DeepSeek’s Disruptive Hiring Philosophy

AI is not just about automation—it’s also about challenging traditional hiring philosophies. DeepSeek, a Chinese AI lab, is revolutionising the way companies approach hiring by prioritising creativity over experience. Founder Liang Wenfeng believes that seasoned professionals often follow conventional methods, whereas fresh graduates or less experienced candidates are more likely to experiment with innovative solutions. This counterintuitive hiring approach has led to DeepSeek’s rapid success, prompting competitors to rethink their own recruitment strategies. 

The Future of HR: Beyond Jugaad to Transformative Excellence

The traditional quick fix approach or the ‘jugaad’ mindset, while resourceful, is no longer sufficient in today’s fast-paced and complex business environment. HR leaders must embrace structured, transformative strategies to remain competitive. The integration of AI in HR is not just a passing trend—it is the foundation of the future workplace.

As these real-world examples illustrate, AI-driven HR transformation leads to faster hiring, improved diversity, better employee engagement, and a more skilled, agile workforce. Organisations that fail to adapt risk being left behind in the race for top talent.

For HR professionals, the message is clear: The path to success lies in innovation, not improvisation. The time to embrace transformation is now.

This shift towards AI-powered, data-driven HR will be a major focus at People Matters TechHR India 2025, Asia’s largest HR and work tech conference. Bringing together visionary HR leaders, technology pioneers, and business strategists, TechHR India 2025 is where the future of work takes shape. From deep-dive sessions on AI-driven talent strategies to case studies from global organisations, this is the space to explore, network, and gain actionable insights. As HR leaders rethink how they attract, engage, and develop talent, events like TechHR India offer an unparalleled opportunity to stay ahead of the curve and drive meaningful transformation.

Don’t just read about AI in HR—experience it. Register Now to join us at People Matters TechHR India 2025 on July 31st and August 1, 2025 and be part of the transformation.