Sneaky Strategies Employers Employ to Dodge Salary Increases

The word salary increment rejuvenates my mind and fills it with dopamine whenever I hear it. Dopamine is scientifically known as the "feel good" hormone. It is a neurotransmitter part of the brain's reward system. The increase in salary gives the same feeling as dopamine. I worked day and night to get the performance reward in real monetary form, to increase my purchasing power in the market.

My life is subject to the global market prices; the market is a complex system that affects my life in many ways. It determines the prices of goods and services, which affects my ability to afford them. It started with my birth and will end after my death.

I work in a sector where human welfare is considered a primary goal of the business. When it comes to employee welfare, the company/organization acts in the same way as their partner (another company). Employees come last on the list of company priorities. Salary increment is not clearly defined under the “Minimum Wages Act” in India. Thus, the "Game of Thorns" strategy favors the employers. In order not to increase employee salaries, employers put their soul into this endeavor.

Employers can play unfair games with workers classified as laborers in many ways.

·         As a performance reward, an employer may offer a one-time reward once a year, but it is not an increment; the one-time reward won't be included in the CTC, which means CTC will remain as it was the previous year.

·         A variety of insurance options, food coupons, and transport facilities will be added to CTC. Despite the fact that these are all employer-provided benefits, they are not cash payments. They are often added to the CTC to appear as if the employee is earning a higher salary.

·         Putting a large chunk of variable component into CTC. In performance-based sectors, this is a common tactic. The employer will offer a high CTC, but a large portion of it will be variable.

·          Employer keeps changing performance review criteria to make it harder for employees to earn salary increases.

·          Employers create a culture of fear in the workplace where employees are afraid to ask for raises.

 

If employers don't make real salary increases, what impact does that have on worker life?

As the basic salary remains the same as before, no changes are made to the monthly salary, which will adversely impact any individual. The EPF contribution will remain the same, it will also affect gratuity calculation. And the salary will not be able to keep up with inflation. Low or no salary increment lowers the salary's purchasing power. Negotiation power on the job market is also directly affected.

To conclude, it is important for a company or organization to be sensitive to its employees' children and families. We are also part of society as a whole.

Rinki