At a time when HR tech is evolving from mere automation to intelligence-driven employee enablement, greytHR is at the forefront – helping over 30,000 businesses and 3 million+ employees navigate HR with clarity, compliance, and care. In this exclusive interview, Girish Rowjee, Co–founder and CEO, shares how greytHR is driving this shift – responsibly, at scale, and with a sharp focus on real impact.
1. AI-Driven Employee Experience
IT Voice- How is greytHR using AI to create more personalized employee experiences – especially in communication, feedback, and performance?
Girish Rowjee- At greytHR, we’ve always believed that HR tech should do more than automate – it should enhance how people connect, communicate, and grow at work. That’s why we’ve integrated AI thoughtfully across our platform to support smarter engagement and greater HR efficiency.
Bella, our AI-powered chatbot, introduced over a year ago, is now used by lakhs of HR professionals to get instant answers to routine HR queries – helping them save time, reduce support overhead, and focus on high-impact work.
We’ve also embedded greytAI, our AI-driven recommendation engine, within the Engage module. It helps employees articulate feedback more effectively and recognize peers more meaningfully. For HR teams, it surfaces sentiment trends and provides deeper visibility into engagement levels.
One of greytAI’s core capabilities is analyzing tone in written communication and offering suggestions to improve clarity and empathy – especially valuable in hybrid work environments.
Together, these tools help HR teams act faster, communicate better, and build stronger connections across the organization.
2. Emotional Intelligence in Tech
IT Voice- Tell us more about greytAI. How does the tone & emotion analyzer work, and what kind of impact has it had in workplace communications so far?
Girish Rowjee- We’re genuinely excited about what greytAI is enabling for our customers. It’s our AI-driven recommendation engine, embedded within the employee engagement module.
One of its key features is tone analysis, which uses natural language processing (NLP) to assess how a message might be received – whether it comes across as neutral, encouraging, or potentially harsh – and offers gentle suggestions to make it more empathetic and constructive.
The intent isn’t to change what people are saying, but to help them communicate in a way that’s clear and respectful – especially in hybrid work environments, where tone can make a big difference.
For many of our customers, greytAI acts like a quiet coach in the background – helping teams avoid friction, give better feedback, and build healthier everyday conversations.
3. AI Trends in HR Tech
IT Voice- From chatbots to predictive analytics—how do you see AI reshaping the HR tech stack over the next 2–3 years?
Girish Rowjee- AI is reshaping HR tech in a big way – moving beyond automation to support smarter, faster, and more proactive decision-making.
Over the next few years, we’ll see AI capabilities embedded across every layer of the HR stack – from chatbots that enhance communication to predictive tools that improve hiring, retention, and workforce planning.
Tools like AI assistants and agents will take over repetitive, rule-based tasks – freeing HR to focus on strategy and people. At greytHR, we’re already seeing this through our AI-Chat Support, Bella, and our AI-driven recommendation engine, greytAI, which powers features like timely feedback nudges and communication tone suggestions within the Engage module. These systems help HR teams lead with insight – anticipating issues, improving experiences, and driving stronger outcomes.
4. Balancing Automation with Human Touch
IT Voice- As automation increases, how do you ensure that human-centric values aren’t lost in the employee lifecycle?
Girish Rowjee- At greytHR, our goal is to automate the repetitive parts of HR – so that professionals can focus on the parts that require context, empathy, and good judgment.
We streamline tasks like payroll, leave tracking, and compliance so HR teams can spend more time with people – coaching, listening, and making better decisions. That’s where technology supports – not substitutes – real connection.
We also design our tools to encourage meaningful interaction. AI-driven recommendations, tone-aware messaging suggestions, and mobile app access all help managers stay engaged and employees feel heard – whether they’re in office or remote.
Technology is most effective when it supports clarity, speed, and responsiveness – without taking away the space for trust and thoughtful dialogue. That’s the balance we aim to maintain.
5. The SMB Revolution
IT Voice- What factors are accelerating HR tech adoption among Indian SMBs, and how does greytHR cater to their unique challenges?
Girish Rowjee- A few years ago, HR tech was seen as optional for SMBs. That’s changed. Post-pandemic digitization, rising compliance complexity, and the pressure to operate efficiently with lean teams have made automation essential.
SMBs today are looking for tools that are easy to adopt, simplify compliance, and help them manage core HR processes without a large HR department. Many are realizing that better HR systems directly impact payroll accuracy, employee satisfaction, and retention.
greytHR is designed with these needs in mind. Our platform is modular, cloud-based, and quick to deploy, with automation built in for everything from payroll to attendance tracking. We process payroll for over 3 million employees every month, across ₹1.8 lakh crore+ in annual salaries, ensuring both scale and accuracy.
But beyond numbers, the impact is visible in how SMBs use greytHR every day. A factory worker logging attendance on the mobile app, a frontline employee applying for weekly leave, or a white-collar professional downloading salary slips – all of these tasks happen instantly, without support tickets or delays. That’s when tech truly enables people – quietly, reliably, and at scale.
6. Enterprise Expectations
IT Voice- How are larger Indian enterprises approaching digital HR differently compared to SMBs, and how does your platform adapt to both?
Girish Rowjee- Enterprises and SMBs operate at very different levels of complexity.
Larger enterprises often need multi–layered approvals, complex workflows, cross–country compliance, and deep integrations with systems like ERP or finance. They also expect robust analytics, scalable deployment, and role–based access across thousands of users. In contrast, SMBs value tools that are simple, fast to deploy, and easy to use—especially when HR teams are lean and resources are limited. greytHR is built to flex across both. Our microservices–driven platform, modular architecture, and enterprise–grade APIs support scale and complexity – while keeping the experience intuitive, responsive, and user–friendly. That’s how we deliver on our core promise – to simplify HR at every stage of growth.
7. What’s Next for greytHR?
IT Voice- Can you share a sneak peek into your product roadmap—any upcoming innovations that you are particularly excited about?
Girish Rowjee- We already offer a full–suite HRMS – covering the entire employee lifecycle, from recruitment to exit. As we continue to scale, our focus is on strengthening each of these areas with deeper capabilities, smarter automation, and AI–driven intelligence.
Our roadmap is shaped around four priorities: reducing repetitive work, enhancing employee experience, simplifying decisions, and enabling growth with AI.
In recruitment, we’re building tools to screen large volumes of resumes, reduce bias in shortlisting, and speed up hiring decisions. On the performance side, we’re enabling teams to set SMART goals, exchange continuous feedback, and run more meaningful reviews. We’re also developing an AI-powered learning management system – so employees can build relevant skills with guided, personalized learning paths.
And as our customers expand across geographies, we’re enhancing local compliance support across APAC markets to help them navigate diverse regulatory environments with ease.
Our product vision is clear: remove the manual effort from HR, deliver intuitive experiences, and give HR teams the intelligence they need to lead with confidence.
8. Scaling Globally
IT Voice- With a strong presence in India and the GCC, do you see greytHR expanding to new regions or verticals soon?
Girish Rowjee- Yes, we’re actively expanding into Southeast Asia, where there’s growing demand for compliant, easy-to-use HR technology.
As businesses in the region adapt to hybrid work, regulatory changes, and evolving workforce expectations, we see an opportunity to bring the same level of automation, compliance, and employee experience that greytHR has delivered in India and the GCC.
We’re also enhancing our capabilities to support industry-specific needs – in sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and retail – where HR processes often require more flexibility and on-the-ground usability.
For us, scaling globally isn’t just about entering new markets – it’s about being locally relevant and helping businesses run HR with clarity, speed, and confidence.
9. Employee Voice & Recognition
IT Voice- With tools like greytHR Engage—polls, kudos, and feedback—how are you helping HR teams foster stronger workplace culture, especially in hybrid settings?
Girish Rowjee- GreytHR was envisioned as a full–suite HR platform from the very beginning – covering everything from payroll and attendance to performance and beyond. And right from the start, we’ve seen engagement and communication as essential to the HR experience – not separate from it.
With greytHR Engage, we help teams stay connected through features like Kudos for peer appreciation, quick polls to capture real–time sentiment, and timely nudges that encourage regular feedback. We’re also introducing 360° feedback and an employee survey module to help teams exchange more balanced, structured feedback.
And with built–in email and SMS tools, organizations can keep communication consistent and timely – whether teams are in–office or remote.
By giving every employee a voice – and every manager real–time insights – we help cultivate transparency, trust, and a culture where people feel seen and heard, no matter where they’re working from.
10. Performance & Hiring
IT Voice- Your new Performance Management System and Recruit module seem timely. How do they reflect current shifts in how companies evaluate talent and streamline hiring?
Girish Rowjee- The way we evaluate talent is evolving – and our tools are built to match this shift.
Our new Performance Management System supports continuous goal–setting, real–time feedback, and manager coaching. It moves away from rigid, annual reviews toward dynamic performance tracking aligned with business outcomes.
Meanwhile, our Recruit module leverages AI for resume screening and candidate–job matching, helping businesses reduce time–to–hire while improving quality. It’s about smarter, faster, and more inclusive hiring – because the new age of work demands it.
11. The greytHR Marketplace
IT Voice- What’s the vision behind the Marketplace? Are there integrations or partnerships you’re particularly excited about?
Girish Rowjee- At greytHR, we’ve always believed that delivering value goes beyond implementation. Our focus has been on building a robust post–sale ecosystem – from customer success and compliance support to learning resources and community initiatives that support HR teams at every step.
The greytHR Unite Marketplace is a natural extension of that ecosystem. It allows customers to integrate trusted, complementary solutions directly into their HRMS – without complexity or fragmentation.
We’re particularly excited about our integration with ClearTax, which simplifies tax filing for employees. We also offer partnerships with Advantage Club for employee rewards and Pazcare for wellness, empowering companies to deliver holistic benefits and boost engagement.
In hiring, our partnerships with background verification providers like Instaveritas and SpringVerify, help customers conduct fast, reliable checks at scale – improving onboarding speed and ensuring workplace safety from day one.
Our long–term vision is to create a scalable, open HR ecosystem where businesses can plug in the tools they need – securely, seamlessly, and with complete flexibility.
Conclusion
At greytHR, our mission has always been clear – to help businesses streamline HR, stay compliant, and grow with confidence.
That’s why we invest heavily in continuous product innovation – rolling out over 100 new features and updates every year to simplify processes, improve visibility, and enhance the employee experience. This includes embedding AI thoughtfully across our platform – in ways that improve efficiency, support decision-making, and enrich user experiences.
As we scale, we’re equally committed to doing this responsibly – with enterprise–grade security, privacy–by–design principles, and a strong focus on transparency and control for our users.
As the world of work evolves, we’re focused on helping our customers stay ahead – with practical, powerful HR tools that grow with them.
