From Rigid HR Systems to Agile Workforce Transformation: How Times of India Reimagined HR with uKnowva

8X

8X

Faster recruitment TAT.
10X

10X

Improvement in payroll automation efficiency.
6X

6X

Better HR data accuracy & accessibility.
40%

40%

Reduction in manual HR interventions.

About Times of India

The Times of India (TOI), part of Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. (BCCL), is one of India's largest and most influential English-language newspapers. With a legacy spanning over 185 years, TOI has played a significant role in shaping public discourse, delivering credible journalism, and connecting millions of readers across the country. Operating in a fast-paced media environment with a workforce of 5,600+ employees across multiple locations, TOI manages large-scale editorial, operational, and corporate functions while maintaining agility and innovation at scale. Its people-first approach and commitment to digital transformation continue to strengthen its position as a leading media powerhouse in India.

uKnowva HRMS implemented in Times of India

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Challenges Faced

Standardized Workflows : TOI's existing SAP SuccessFactors setup enforced rigid, standardized workflows that were misaligned with the organisation's actual business processes, limiting operational effectiveness.
Limited Customization & System Rigidity : The inability to customize modules and adapt the system to evolving HR needs led to broken internal workflows, slower HR decision-making, and reduced agility across 189 locations.
Recruitment & Integration Bottlenecks : Hiring cycles slowed down and around 25 integrations became dependent on external workarounds, pushing HR teams to bypass the system entirely and creating operational delays.

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Investigating The CausesView More

Strategy DevisedView More

Departments Benefited

HR & People Operations

Moved from manual execution to strategic enablement with a self-service ecosystem, automated lifecycle processing, and real-time workforce data for better decision-making.

Recruitment

Achieved 8X faster recruitment TAT through structured, configurable hiring pipelines that eliminated bottlenecks and reduced dependency on workarounds across all locations.

Finance & Payroll

Unlocked 10X improvement in payroll automation efficiency with compliant, scalable processing that replaced manual interventions and integrated seamlessly with downstream systems.

IT & Systems

Reduced dependency on IT vendors and external workarounds through uKnowva's integration-ready architecture, enabling 25+ integrations to function natively within the platform.

Our Solution
We conducted in-depth market & competitor research before executing the best practices in user experience design.
Deployed Core HR, Recruitment, PMS, and Payroll modules — each custom-built around TOI's unique workflows across 189 locations.
Replaced static, paper-based HR operations with dynamic, configurable processes and a self-service ecosystem for 5,600+ employees.
Delivered seamless downstream connectivity through integration-ready architecture, eliminating the need for external workarounds.
Completed full multi-module rollout in 5 months, transforming HR from an execution function to a strategic, decision-driving capability.
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