(FORTUNE Magazine) – REMEMBER THE LATE '90s, when U.S. companies struggled to hang on to techies inundated with job offers from competitors? High-tech employers in India now face the same problem: Attrition rates hover between 20% and 30%. So Wipro, the biggest outsourcer, with over 40,000 workers in 35 countries (about 75% of them in India), has resorted to some novel strategies for retaining people--notably a company-sponsored matchmaking service known as the "Cupid section," on Channel W, Wipro's intranet. At last count, 621 singles had signed on, and more than a few marriages have resulted since Cupid launched a year ago.

How does that go over in a culture in which arranging marriages is widely considered a parental prerogative? "In many ways this is also an arranged marriage," says Bijay Sahoo, Wipro's vice president of talent engagement and development. "The only difference is that it is arranged using the web as a medium. So far, we have not heard of any concerns from employees' parents, as this is positioned as a matrimonial service--commonly offered in Indian newspapers, for example--and not a singles' chat board." Wipro, citing cultural taboos and employee confidentiality, was reluctant to let us speak to any of the happy company couples. But via e-mail, one 26-year-old IT manager said that he applauded the idea of his com- pany's trying to help him find a soulmate. And even his attached co-workers have scanned his profile and set him up with friends and family. This Wipro-ite, however, says he's still holding out for "the one."

And unlike in the U.S., where office romance tends to be discouraged, Wipro genuinely believes that playing Cupid is good for business. "We support having both spouses work for us. The emotional bond with the company gets stronger," says Sahoo. After all, getting a paycheck is great. But a spouse? Priceless. -- Anne Fisher