The ’10-month itch’ – What a data set might be telling us about the GCC industry
There was an organisation that recently caught our eye – it was hiring, a lot, which is fairly normal in the Global Capability Centre (GCC) sector. At first glance, this signals growth. But a closer look suggests something else: many of these roles are likely backfills rather than net-new positions.There’s no denying it Hyderabad has become the crown jewel of India’s GCC expansion story. With Knowledge City and its surrounding area offering world-class infrastructure, scalability, and lifestyle appeal, it’s an obvious choice for global firms setting up new centres.
But beneath the surface of this growth story, a familiar challenge fails to be overcome: attrition. And more importantly, early-stage cultural breakdown.
Recently, I analysed hiring patterns from a newly established GCC that appears to be recruiting aggressively. At first glance, this signals growth. But a closer look suggests something else: many of these roles are likely backfills rather than net-new positions.
Curious, I dug into employee sentiment data across platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox. What emerged tells a story that is continually being retold although perhaps not this quickly.
The “Honeymoon Drop-Off” Is Real and It’s Accelerating
In early 2025, employee satisfaction and culture scores started strong — comfortably above 3.5. But by Q4 2025, roughly 10–12 months post-launch, the numbers had dropped sharply:
Overall satisfaction: 2.07
Culture rating: 2.21
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Monthly ‘New GCC Hyderabad’ AmbitionBox Ratings for Overall and Culture
At the same time, review volumes surged suggesting employees had moved beyond onboarding optimism and were now expressing their day to day experience.
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Review Rating and Volume by Quarter
This pattern of strong initial sentiment followed by a steep decline reflects what I’d call the “10-month itch” in GCCs.
From Optimism to Polarisation
The composition of reviews tells an even more compelling story.
Early on, 4 and 5-star ratings dominated. Fast forward a few quarters, and 1-star reviews accounted for the largest segment. What’s more telling is the emergence of a bimodal distribution high volumes of both very positive and very negative reviews which to me signals a polarised workforce:
Early joiners or well-aligned employees remain positive
A growing cohort feels misaligned, disillusioned, or frustrated
That kind of divide is rarely sustainable.
What’s Driving the Decline?
A thematic analysis of employee comments highlights a few consistent issues:
Toxic culture (most frequently cited concern)
Role-reality mismatch (aspirational JDs vs BAU delivery roles)
Micromanagement and lack of autonomy
Unclear career pathways
Heavy operational pressure post-transition
Interestingly, one of the most commonly cited positives? Food and benefits.
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New GCC Hyderabad Freeform Comments Thematic Analysis
It’s interesting because when perks outweigh purpose in employee feedback, it often indicates a transactional relationship — employees feel compensated, rather than valued.
The Psychology Behind It
We all understand the excitement of something new a new job, a new office, a new brand. That initial dopamine hit can mask underlying issues.
But unless organisations continuously evolve the employee experience and deliver on what was promised, that excitement fades.
What’s left is the operational reality. For many GCCs, this transition happens around the 9–12 month mark:
Setup teams move on
Migration stabilises
BAU pressures intensify
Leadership focus shifts to delivery over experience
Why This Matters Now
Employee reviews may not always be perfectly balanced but they are influential. In a highly competitive GCC talent market:
Candidates do read reviews
Negative sentiment creates hesitation
Polarised feedback raises red flags
At a time when there’s already anxiety around AI and job stability, the last thing the GCC ecosystem needs is a reputation for:
Toxic environments
Misleading role expectations
Unsustainable work cultures
A Critical Moment for GCC Leaders
Hyderabad’s growth story is far from over. But sustaining it requires more than infrastructure and hiring momentum. It requires:
Clarity of roles from day one
Investment in culture beyond the setup phase
Strong local leadership, not just offshore oversight
Alignment between hiring promise and delivery reality
Because if not addressed, the “10-month itch” won’t just be an internal challenge, it could become a systemic risk to the GCC model itself.
There’s no denying it Hyderabad has become the crown jewel of India’s Global Capability Centre (GCC) expansion story. With fabulous new buildings and world-class infrastructure and lifestyle appeal, Hyderabad is an obvious choice for global firms setting up new centres.
But beneath the surface of this growth story, a familiar challenge fails to be overcome: attrition. And more importantly, early-stage cultural breakdown.
Recently, we came across a GCC in Hyderabad that appears to be recruiting aggressively. At first glance, this signals growth. But a closer look suggests something else: many of these roles are likely backfills rather than net-new positions.
Curious, we dug into employee sentiment data across platforms like Glassdoor and AmbitionBox. What emerged tells a story that is continually being retold although perhaps not this quickly.
The “Honeymoon Drop-Off” Is Real and It’s Accelerating
In early 2025, employee satisfaction and culture scores started strong — comfortably above 3.5. But by Q4 2025, roughly 10–12 months post-launch, the numbers had dropped sharply:
• Overall satisfaction: 2.07
• Culture rating: 2.21
This pattern of strong initial sentiment followed by a steep decline reflects what I’d call the “10-month itch” in GCCs.
From Optimism to Polarisation
The composition of reviews tells an even more compelling story.
Early on, 4 and 5-star ratings dominated. Fast forward a few quarters, and 1-star reviews accounted for the largest segment. What’s more telling is the emergence of a bimodal distribution high volumes of both very positive and very negative reviews which to me signals a polarised workforce:
• Early joiners or well-aligned employees remain positive
• A growing cohort feels misaligned, disillusioned, or frustrated
That kind of divide is rarely sustainable.
What’s Driving the Decline?
A thematic analysis of employee comments highlights a few consistent issues:
• Toxic culture (most frequently cited concern)
• Role-reality mismatch (aspirational JDs vs BAU delivery roles)
• Micromanagement and lack of autonomy
• Unclear career pathways
• Heavy operational pressure post-transition
Interestingly, one of the most commonly cited positives? Food and benefits.
It’s interesting because when perks outweigh purpose in employee feedback, it often indicates a transactional relationship — employees feel compensated, rather than valued.
The Psychology Behind It
We all understand the excitement of something new a new job, a new office, a new brand. That initial dopamine hit can mask underlying issues.
But unless organisations continuously evolve the employee experience and deliver on what was promised, that excitement fades.
What’s left is the operational reality. For many GCCs, this transition happens around the 9–12 month mark:
• Setup teams move on
• Migration stabilises
• BAU pressures intensify
• Leadership focus shifts to delivery over experience
Why This Matters Now
Employee reviews may not always be perfectly balanced but they are influential. In a highly competitive GCC talent market:
• Candidates do read reviews
• Negative sentiment creates hesitation
• Polarised feedback raises red flags
At a time when there’s already anxiety around AI and job stability, the last thing the GCC ecosystem needs is a reputation for:
• Toxic environments
• Misleading role expectations
• Unsustainable work cultures
A Critical Moment for (GCC) Leaders
Although framed from the perspective of Hyderabad’s GCC growth story, there are far reaching lessons for all businesses growing at pace and with an ever evolving talent profile. Beyond infrastructure, employees are looking for:
• Clarity of roles from day one
• Investment in culture beyond the setup phase
• Strong local leadership, not just offshore oversight
• Alignment between hiring promise and delivery reality
If you’re seeing unusual trends in your employee feedback either internally or externally, get in touch with us – we can help bring clarity and clear action to what is being said.