Picture a seasoned bank teller in a busy branch in Pune who, after 20 years of handling everything from pension payments to fixed deposits for elderly customers who prefer personal interaction, finds herself relegated to supervising a new AI-powered digital banking kiosk. While officially ‘upskilled’ to a ‘Digital Banking Assistant’, she watches as elderly customers struggle with the interface, unable to directly help them as she once did. Her role has shifted from trusted financial advisor—often addressed respectfully as ‘Madam-ji’ by longtime customers—to a technological overseer, technically promoted but stripped of the personal connections that gave her work meaning.
This scenario, increasingly common across India’s rapidly digitalising service sector, illustrates how technological advancement can inadvertently undermine both professional dignity and cultural values that emphasize human relationships.
“Leadership must adopt a human-first approach, ensuring that AI and automation free employees from mundane, repetitive tasks while keeping work intellectually stimulating and socially fulfilling,” argues Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life Insurance. Yet achieving this balance proves particularly complex in India, where personal relationships often define professional success.
Leadership must adopt a human-first approach, ensuring that AI and automation free employees from mundane, repetitive tasks while keeping work intellectually stimulating and socially fulfilling.”
Sharad Sharma, CHRO, Pramerica Life Insurance
Consider the case of a leading Indian automotive service chain that recently implemented an AI-driven diagnostic system. While the technology improved efficiency, it also created rigid protocols that prevented service managers from exercising the flexible problem-solving—or jugaad—that Indian customers often expect. The system’s inflexibility highlighted how Western technological solutions sometimes clash with Indian business practices.
According to Atul Mathur, head of L&D, Aditya Birla Capital, “Clear role definitions and upskilling initiatives are crucial.” When employees understand their evolving responsibilities and receive relevant training, they maintain professional confidence. This proves especially important in India, where job titles and roles often carry significant social status.
“Clear role definitions and upskilling initiatives are crucial.”
Atul Mathur, head of L&D, Aditya Birla Capital
Some organisations are finding culturally appropriate solutions. Reverse mentorship programmes, where younger tech-savvy employees guide senior leaders through new technologies while learning business wisdom in return, help bridge both generational and hierarchical gaps while preserving traditional respect structures.
The physical workplace itself has become another battleground for dignity. As Ramesh Shankar, a senior HR leader, notes, “Remote work, if not managed well, can breed mistrust.” Some managers, accustomed to physical oversight, suspect remote employees of underperformance—a mindset that corrodes professional dignity. Progressive organisations counter this by focusing on outcomes rather than surveillance, treating remote work as a matter of mutual trust rather than technological monitoring.
Remote work, if not managed well, can breed mistrust.”
Ramesh Shankar, senior HR leader
Performance evaluation presents particular challenges in AI-augmented workplaces. Traditional annual reviews, already widely criticised, become nearly obsolete when AI systems generate real-time performance metrics. Sharma advocates for “holistic reviews incorporating direct and transparent communication channels.” The goal is to use AI-generated insights to enhance rather than replace human judgment in performance assessment.
Yet technological integration needn’t diminish workplace dignity. Companies succeeding in this transition typically share several characteristics:
First, they prioritise transparent communication about technological changes. Employees learn about new systems not as fait accompli but as tools they’ll help implement. This approach transforms potential victims of automation into agents of change.
Second, they invest in meaningful upskilling. Rather than simply teaching employees to operate new systems, they provide training that enhances human capabilities alongside artificial ones. A customer service representative learning to work with AI doesn’t just monitor automated responses—they develop higher-level skills in complex problem-solving and emotional intelligence.
Third, they redesign workflows to emphasise human judgment in critical decisions. AI handles routine tasks while employees focus on exceptions requiring nuanced understanding—cases where human experience proves irreplaceable.
Finally, they flatten hierarchies to encourage innovation from all levels. When every employee can contribute ideas about technological integration, the workplace maintains its human dynamism despite increasing automation.
The stakes extend beyond individual job satisfaction. Organisations that fail to maintain workplace dignity during technological transition face increased turnover, reduced innovation, and deteriorating customer service—precisely the outcomes their technological investments aimed to improve.
Looking ahead, successful organisations will likely be those that view AI not as a replacement for human work but as a tool for enhancing it. This requires careful organisational design that preserves autonomous decision-making, encourages continuous learning, and maintains meaningful human interaction despite increasing automation.
The future workplace need not choose between efficiency and dignity. The challenge for leaders is to harness technological advances while remembering that the most valuable workplace assets still arrive on two feet. In this light, preserving dignity becomes not just an ethical imperative but a business necessity—one that determines whether technological advancement truly serves its intended purpose of improving human work rather than merely replacing it.
