2 Whether you answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’, what are the reasons for your answer? Microsoft India Corporation Ltd was set up in 1990 with headquarters in the city of Hyderabad and expanded to 13 other cities in India. Microsoft India has grown consistently and now employs over 5,000 people with offices in 13 other cities in India. As of 2012 Microsoft India includes Microsoft Corporation’s largest R& D centre outside its headquarters in the US. The company works with the local technology industry and its interests incorporate not only the private sector but also the Indian government (Microsoft India, 2012).

While corporate India experienced significant growth brought about by globalisation after the 1990s, the economic slowdown following international economic upheaval in late 2008 subsequently interrupted years of steady growth at Microsoft India (Pradhan, 2011). Among the challenging outcomes were workforce reductions and difficulty holding on to essential and highly trained staff members. Microsoft India’s HR strategy had traditionally focused on building organisational capability and strengthening employee engagement to support the growth of the local IT industry. The uncertainty of the world economy prompted a major overhaul of Microsoft India’s HR approach. Joji Sekhon Gill, shortly after taking up the HR director position, initiated a process to reshape the company’s HR strategy by introducing new performance management measures and employee retention practices.