A shortage of technology talent has Indian companies offering sweeteners like more vacation time and gender-neutral parental leave as they compete for graduates and professionals. One Bangalore startup is trying a more dramatic solution: a three-day work week.

Fintech company Slice is offering new hires a three-day week with salary at 80% of the going market rate. This is a win-win approach that frees the workers to pursue other passions or interests — or other gigs — while still locking in a steady pay and benefits from Slice, said Rajan Bajaj, the company’s founder.

This is the future of work,” Bajaj, 28, said in a phone interview. “People don’t want to be tied down to a job.”
 
Global investors are pouring billions of dollars into India’s tech startups, putting entrepreneurs under pressure to ramp up teams. A massive talent crunch has ensued as IT outsourcers, Silicon Valley giants, global retailers and Wall Street banks’ technology centers vie for engineering and product talent alongside hundreds of fast-growing startups.