``At Velocient we believe that our people are our richest resource and we work within a strong value system at all times. And work is not measured by hours worked but the results,'' says Upendra Zutshi, CEO, Velocient Technologies Ltd.

Velocians have a lot of freedom to achieve their objectives in different ways. ``Ends are measured and not means. The belief is that the intellectual stimulation of the job is fun. And, it is accepted that these high-pressure times mean that you need to sometimes blow off some steam and refocus,'' explains Zutshi.

That's why Velocient has chosen a unique way of helping its employees cope with day to day business pressures. According to its chief financial officer Shantanu Rudra, VeloCity provides the hardworking Velocian the room to take a breather and start a fresh. Decorated in a mix of vibrant colours, the ambience is exciting and lively. There is a whole range of recreational amenities like pool, table tennis, darts and chess to choose from. An ideal place to unwind, de-stress and fight mental fatigue, the gym is fully equipped to get you back on your feet.

And if it's not enough, there's a dance floor with a state-of-the-art music system for those who want to relax and shake a leg. An Internet corner ensures round-the-clock connectivity for those die-hard netizens, adds Rudra.

VeloCity is also equipped with a bar and snacks counter to give Velocians a choice to soothe jarred nerves and hungry tummies. For those addicted to books, there is a library complete with books and periodicals on the software industry, classics and manuals.

The critical point underlying the creation of VeloCity is that it propagates a certain kind of work culture-a culture which blends work and play in perfect harmony, explains Zutshi. Today, Velocient builds innovative, mission-critical, business applications on the web. Wherein high-quality, cost-effective, digital strategy, enterprise solutions and IT consulting services to deliver complete, sophisticated e-business solutions to mid-market companies and .com start-ups are all combined.

According to Rudra, in this software set-up, the company should have the ability to provide for the individual to perform. For this a compensation strategy should be performance-based and that's where the esops come in. And, it is important to realise that if esops are being offered then they should be handled carefully or problems can erupt at work place, he adds.

In the software industry, there are base salaries and there are performance-based compensations. One has to build a variable cost structure, wherein you are able to influence the mind of your employees, he adds.

He further adds that one should know how to manage productivity at a 24-hour work place. One of the issues is that of appraisals, which should be relationship oriented. How far have they delivered and what is their relationship with their peers? Here emotional binding is very important. Since this assumes a great deal of importance. Therefore, there is the need is to have a multi-faceted human resource policy, he asserts.

Zutshi says, ``As part of our policy we constantly have internal polls over the performance of various teams, and soon at the end of the year the best team would be given awards in the form of cars.''