Cautioning Infosys employees that the road ahead is long and not easy, company CEO has stressed the importance of automation and warned against "lackadaisical" attitude towards greater value creation.

In his New Year message to the employees, he said by achieving all that they set out to do, Infosys can be a force powering the purposeful evolution of our world.

"We must remember that operational excellence is an imperative for each one of us. We must focus on delivering the best solutions in the smartest, fastest way possible, and not give up or give in to weaker instincts," Sikka has said in a letter to employees.

"Often teams deliver only what is told without going beyond the given scope and with a lackadaisical attitude towards greater value creation.This can no longer be the case."

He noted that teams have begun to understand and execute on the duality of automation and innovation and to bring value to clients "not just mechanically execute the jobs we are handed," adding, "there is a long way to go, and the road ahead is long and not easy."

He said "the mountains ahead are tall ones. But there is no other way but to get there and go...If we don't, we will be made obsolete by the tidal wave of automation and technology-fuelled transformation that is almost upon us."

"On the other hand, if we do achieve all that we set out to do, we can be that one force powering the purposeful evolution of our world. The world where our AIs may make us more successful, but also more human....." he added.

Sikka took over as CEO and Managing Director of the country's second largest IT firm in August 2014.In February, 2016, his tenure was extended by nearly two years till March 2021, saying his initiatives have helped the company move towards reclaiming its leadership position.