It's a smart ploy to keep employees engaged. Walk into the lobby of the Gurgaon headquarters of Hughes Software Systems (HSS), and you will see a bulletin board. Pinned to it are 10-odd sheets of paper, with names of the people who worked on HSS' latest patent-pending technologies.

Bragging about its products team is the company's way of ensuring that its employees stay engaged. People will join only if they get to do cutting-edge work, says Jairam Easwaran, the HR honcho. Playing up the products division, he says, "reassures employees they will not end up doing humdrum maintenance work. That they will not get outdated."

But that's not all. HSS also puts all vacancies up on the intranet for employees to apply for. This was started four years ago when some people quit because outsiders were being hired for the products division. With the IJPP, as the programme is referred to internally, employees can apply without asking their managers. "We tell our recruits that your development is in your own hands. We will just provide you with all the inputs and support you need," says Easwaran. Then, the company identifies high potential employees - even soliciting feedback from clients. The client has no axes to grind, Easwaran says. "At times, we get ruthlessly honest feedback."

Talking of feedback, everyone at (and above) the rank of an assistant manager gets 10 questionnaires. Four go to peers, four to subordinates, one to the boss and the tenth is filled by the manager himself. It asks questions on role and behaviour - like 'Does the manager celebrate the success of the team?' The results don't go to the HR team; they come back to the manager. This, says an employee, is just a development tool. "Since this is not evaluative, the feedback is frank and constructive. It is for every manager to decide what he wants to do."