Biscuit and bread maker Britannia Industries has sacked some 42 employees across all levels across India in a single day last week for non-performance.

While the company did not give the exact number of employees sacked, reports put it at 42, rported domain-B.

The move came rather abruptly, some of the employees who have been laid off reportedly said.

Britannia said it sharpened performance parameters for the staff this year, differentiating them into 'great, good and gone', and rewarded the top performers with bonuses as high as 150 per cent.

A Britannia spokesperson said, "This is part of the ongoing performance management process, which differentiates the great, good and under-performers and has nothing to do with any other factor.

"Each year, under-performers (usually 20 to 30) are put on a performance improvement plan and their progress is consistently and carefully monitored. Where the level of performance continues to be below the acceptable benchmark and there is no noticeable improvement, employees are transitioned."