What’s the Fair Salary for an HR & Admin Manager in a Small IT Company?

Dear All,

I need your help. Please let me know the current industry norms for the salary of an HR & Admin Manager working in a good IT company. The role involves handling the entire HR & Admin department alone and providing support to the sales & marketing, accounts department, as well as the technical team. This position requires multitasking, with the main responsibility being the oversight of the HR & Admin department. As the number of employees is not significant, she also provides support to other departments. Please reply to me soon on this.

Thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
Preeti

Hi Preeti,

Your query can be better answered by me and the rest of the community if you could inform us about the location where the person is to be placed, as well as the seniority you are looking for (e.g., number of years of experience, age criteria, certifications required, etc.).

Also, I would like to inform you that the position you are looking for is quite specialized and comes with significant responsibilities.

Regards,
AJ

Hi,

Thanks for your reply!! I think my post was not clear... I dropped in a hurry. Firstly, I will tell you the person is already working in this profile for more than 1 and a half years in Mumbai. The total years of experience are 3 years; qualification is B.Com, cleared M.Com Part-1, and has done a PG Diploma in HR. Now, she is promoted as Manager. What should be the salary if we keep in mind all these things + her performance, considering she manages all activities alone and delivers work on time? The current package is 2,16,000 p.a., which she feels is underpaid compared to her performance.

Please reply.

Regards, Preeti

Hi All,

Please reply seniors, I am stuck! I have to answer my management asap. I want to know if the candidate deserves a hike in his/her salary and is asking for a three times raise as he was underpaid for the last year. We have promoted him as a manager and want to give him a salary hike too. But what should we consider before doing so? Please reply.

Hi,

I believe for the person who started off for less and since your firm seems to have given him a promotion, you can ask him to settle for 4.5-5.5 lakhs per annum. The guy deserves to get paid much more according to the responsibilities he has to look after, but since he has only 2 years of experience and since your firm might have a good appraisal system in place, I think the amount mentioned is quite competitive.

Regards,
AJ

Dear Preeti,

If you are looking for these functions, everything depends on the location, age group, exactly what you are looking for in HR, and how many people are working in your company. All of these things depend on salary.

Aka

Hi Preeti,

I have gone through your post and felt that you might be undervaluing her. Provided the information as:

Exp: 3+ yrs Qualification: B.Com, PG Diploma in HR, and M.Com part 1 Relevant experience to the Job profile: 1.5 yrs Efficiency: Delivers work on time Location: Mumbai

I think you can consider a raise for her. Her current compensation is 2.16 Lac per annum, which monthly comes to around 18K. I believe this amount is low, especially in a financial capital like Mumbai. Her take-home pay would be even less than that.

Considering her situation, I would suggest you to consider a salary between 22K to 25K. If you ask why, here are a few reasons that I think justify my opinion:

a. She has an overall experience of 3+ years, with relevant experience of 1.5 years b. She likely has good liaising and business partnering skills c. She covers areas of HR and Admin comprehensively, making her a key person playing a vital role d. She has a PG Diploma in HR, which indicates awareness of HR core functions e. She is in a geographical area where the cost of living is high, yet she has been associated with the company for over a year.

I hope this answers your queries to the best of my knowledge.

Thanks & Regards,

P Umesh

Dear Preeti,

I think you are demotivated. Think positive. Don't feel that you are getting less salary. I know many people who are well educated and haven't even reached the manager tag yet are getting a salary around 8-10K. Now, you can think about how much better you are.

The basic principle of HR is that you have to motivate everybody, but it starts with yourself. Once you are motivated and satisfied with your company, only then can you convince anybody in your staff.

What do you think? Am I right? I may be wrong because I don't know your actual position in the company. Otherwise, I may try to explain in more detail.

See ya... I am in Gujarat, and we have one good principle here, which is the Feel Good Factor, and it really works. Try it out!

Dear Preeti,

I would suggest you follow the advice from Mr. SD Umesh. He was serious and reasonable in his advice because in India, salary is subject to horse-trading and negotiation. However, we must also take into consideration the economic reality of today's world.

Things have changed; no one can work for such a meager amount as expressed by you as an HR Manager. The minimum average salary for a 3-year experience should be sustainable to retain you as an HR Manager for the next 2 years because after that, you will earn almost double the salary of your present scale.

Regards,
Sawant

Hi All,

Thanks a ton for replying to me. I am so glad after reading all your replies. Thanks again.

I am the person who is looking for a salary hike. My company gives a three times hike if someone is promoted and if we have not appraised the employee for a long time. I am still with this company. You can read my last year's post and will understand how frustrated I was with my present job. I have dropped last year's post "What do you mean by an admin assistant?" After that post, I started taking things in a different way. Of course, all your replies have helped me a lot in making such a decision and to stay with the same organization. Till date, I have done too much hard work to come here. I am happy and hope things will go on smoothly now. It was not at all easy for me to do all this alone without the support of my director to whom I report, and he is the one who makes decisions. But now, he also appreciates me a lot, and I am involved in many things now; he seeks my opinion on many things. There are still small issues, but I know they will be sorted out slowly.

I had a meeting with my director on Friday, and he has agreed to give me Rs. 40,000 as a monthly salary. I am handling the entire HR & Admin department, providing support to the sales & marketing department, accounts department, and AMC support to the technical team. We are a staff of 13. I am able to manage all things, and I always try to give my level best to each and every task assigned to me. Now, management has strengthened me with one helping hand as an assistant to me.

Please let me know if not leaving this job was the correct decision in the past or not, and if what I am getting now is just with me or not. As everyone in my organization is now highly paid, and others have also received hikes in their appraisals. But I don't want to compare my salary with them, even though I know I am getting less than them and doing much more work in comparison with them.

BR, Preeti

Hi Preeti,

The general survey on HR's salary that I have done differs across metros. The bandwidth varies with the nature and reputation of the company.

Bombay:
- Trainee (fresh): $7,500 - $9,000
- Executive (1-2 years): $8,000 - $14,000
- Sr. Executive (2-5 years): $12,000 - $25,000
- Asst. Manager (5-7 years): $18,000 - $30,000
- Manager (5-10 years): $25,000 - $50,000
- Sr. Manager (>10 years): $45,000 - $70,000

Chennai:
- Trainee (fresh): $6,000 - $9,000
- Executive (1-2 years): $8,000 - $10,000
- Sr. Executive (2-5 years): $10,000 - $18,000
- Asst. Manager (5-7 years): $15,000 - $25,000
- Manager (5-10 years): $20,000 - $40,000
- Sr. Manager (>10 years): $40,000 - $60,000

Though the salary difference is by a few thousand in the bandwidth, the cost of living and the type of industry (IT/ITES/Mfg/Construction/Service), and the nature of the company (domestic/MNC) matter a lot in salary fixation.

Mostly, appraisals have to happen when every employee completes one year of service. Some companies do it in Jan/June, and when such things happen, the locked-up months are not taken into effect for arrears. For example, if one joins in Feb, they have to wait till Jun for a hike, and the hike will be effective from June only.

If recruitment is done only in Jan or June, then there are no issues. But is this always possible? Some may leave, and some will join. When some people fall victim to this delayed appraisal, they quit. So, according to this, every month somebody would join, and somebody would complete one year. Therefore, the appraisal has to be a continuous process.

This can be rough guidance and cannot be authenticated. I hope to some extent I have given the picture.

Regards,

Chandru
Chennai

Well, I agree with a few points that she must receive a higher salary, but her performance is evaluated by her seniors and management. Some companies have salary constraints for their employees, which may be the reason her current company is unable to offer her a raise. She can choose to stay in her current job or gain more experience and explore other opportunities that may provide her with a better compensation package and opportunities for growth.

Regards,
Sadhana

Hello Chandrasekhar,

Would you please tell me what should be the salary of an HR executive in Kolkata having 2 years of experience and relevant experience of 1 year?

Hi Preeti,

According to your email, a person with 3+ years of experience handling HR and other activities, and who has been promoted to manager, should be paid no less than 25-30k (since you mentioned that the team is not large).

I agree with Mr. Umesh's suggestion.

Regards,
Priya

Hi everybody,

I appreciate Mr. Chandrasekhar from Chennai for the salary chart. This is close to reality but actually based on judgmental anticipations, not on any principles. Because in India, hardly any logic or principles are applied; it's a market-driven negotiation as well as demand and supply-based model.

It's difficult to predict; that's the reason all professionals, managers, and craftsmen do not stick with one organization for long due to unpredictable variations in salary patterns. Many factors contribute to salary fixation, including the negotiation power of engineers/professionals/managers or circumstances of hiring companies for specific expertise, as well as the nature and level of the job, which again depends on negotiation power.

In general, we find all job site advertisements have inflated salaries, especially in IT, where salaries have hijacked talent hiring, leveling the salaries in the Indian market for non-IT engineers/professionals and managers, relying around 75 percent of IT salaries.

We must appreciate the good work under the circumstances so difficult, as explained to sum up salary levels in different parts of India on average.

Regards,

Sawant

Dear,

I believe that having 3 years of experience in HR may not provide an overall exposure to HR and Admin functions, as HR and Admin is a vast subject to learn.

According to my experience:

1st Option:

If she performs well and your management wants to provide a salary hike, you can implement a performance incentive linked with HR targets. This amount can be paid to her on a yearly basis based on the performance achieved.

2nd Option:

If your management intends to give a direct pay raise, offering up to 2.50 ctc could be a suitable figure for someone with 3 years of experience.

Furthermore, increments also depend on factors such as workload, number of employees in the company, the significance of HR in the organization, the extent of HR involvement in the daily functions of each department, or if they are primarily focused on recruitment and salary aspects. Company's paying capacity, etc.

Increment decisions should consider various aspects and not solely rely on an employee stating that they are underpaid.

I suggest thinking and discussing with your management to make a decision.

Thanks and Regards,

Rameshwar

Hi All,

Can you tell me what should be the salary of an HR Manager in Kolkata with 4.5 years of total experience and 2 years of relevant experience?

Thanks and regards,
Bhaswati

Dear Preeti,

It all depends on the capability to deliver rather than education and so on, since she does multiple jobs. How would you rate her, considering factors like psychological abilities, smartness, etc.? By analyzing these aspects, you will come to a conclusion. However, the amount paid in the market for smaller organizations ranges from 3.7 + perks to 4.5 + PA.

Thanks,
Balaji
T & D Executive
Mumbai

Hi All,

Thanks for all your replies. My area director has decided to give nearly a threefold raise on the current CTC. As I told you all, I have put in a lot of hard work to reach this point. I am happy with this now. Please let me know if I am wrong.

Regards, Preeti

Hi all,

Thanks a ton, dear Sohini and Megha. I hope a few more issues will also be cleared in some time. I should give more time to sort out those issues. I have struggled a lot to reach here. I am happy as my work has got recognition.

Dear Chandru,

Hi Preeti, The general survey on HR's salary that I have done differs with metros. The bandwidth varies with the nature and reputation of the company.

Bombay:
Trainee (fresh): 7,500 - 9,000
Executive (1-2 years): 8,000 - 14,000
Sr Executive (2-5 years): 12,000 - 25,000
Asst Manager (5-7 years): 18,000 - 30,000
Manager (5-10 years): 25,000 - 50,000
Sr manager (>10 years): 45,000 - 70,000

Chennai:
Trainee (fresh): 6,000 - 9,000
Executive (1-2 years): 8,000 - 10,000
Sr Executive (2-5 years): 10,000 - 18,000
Asst Manager (5-7 years): 15,000 - 25,000
Manager (5-10 years): 20,000 - 40,000
Sr manager (>10 years): 40,000 - 60,000

Though the salary difference is by a few thousand in the bandwidth, the cost of living and the type of industry (IT/ITES/Mfrg/Construction/Service), nature of the company (domestic/MNC) matter a lot in salary fixation. Appraisals mostly happen when every employee completes one year of service. Some companies conduct appraisals in Jan/Jun, and in such cases, the locked-up months are not considered for arrears. For instance, if someone joins in Feb, they have to wait until Jun for a hike, and the hike will be effective from June only.

If recruitment is done only in Jan or June, then there are no issues. However, this may not always be possible as some employees may leave, and new ones will join. Those who are affected by delayed appraisals might choose to leave. Therefore, there will be a continuous process of some employees joining and others completing one year.

This can provide rough guidance and cannot be authenticated. I hope I have given a clear picture to some extent.

Regards,
Chandru
Chennai

Dear Chandru,

Can I get a salary bandwidth for Delhi too? I'm alone handling 1400 odd employees in Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, etc., and looking after the entire HR activity ranging from Line HR to Strategic roles. I am currently earning only 2.10 Lakh/annum.

Kindly reply, as it will help me in deciding my future.

Regards,
Pali

Hi all,

The same is the case for Preeti. A friend of mine is a Commerce graduate with a Post Graduate degree in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations and LL.B. Additionally, he has a total of 9 years of experience in Factory HR activities, including attendance management, salary calculations, disciplinary actions, liaising with government departments, ensuring statutory compliances, conducting HR audits, and negotiating with unions. What would be his salary? Currently, he is working in Mumbai.

Please let me know.

Avinash K.

Dear Preeeeti,

I have a suggestion. Why don't you conduct a small survey with either your friends or a random selection of companies? You need to consider the company's budget for that specific opening. If the company can afford it, then you can negotiate. Firstly, consider the job responsibilities in your current company and compare them with the job responsibilities and designation in the prospective company. You should also do a random pros and cons analysis if you consider the candidate and the future demand of the organization. Remember to keep the career path in mind.

Regards,
Sheryl

It depends on the size of the company and the experience of the person to say, "I am working in a startup company where with 1 year of experience, I am earning 1.5 lakhs per annum in Hyderabad."

Dear all,

I am really new to this field, but I still want to share my viewpoint. The salary for any individual should be viewed as a form of recognition. Organizations should recognize this and structure the pay packages accordingly.

Often, HR department positions are paid less than their counterparts. There should be a consistent level of payment, and HR professionals should be valued at the same level as other functions such as finance or marketing.

Regards,
Hrishikesh

Dear All,

Regarding the salary aspect, everything seems quite confusing. The service industry sectors and years of experience both play a role. It's noticeable that the IT sector offers a significantly higher salary compared to other sectors. Some argue that education is also a crucial factor. However, I've observed instances where individuals with 5-6 years of experience, but only holding a graduate degree, earn more than MBA holders.

While this holds true to some extent, my friend, who works as an HR Manager in an Education consultancy with 2 years of experience, earns a salary of 3.75 Lacs. She completed her MBA with me and has attained a good position and salary.

This situation often leaves me feeling perplexed. Most websites mainly focus on Cost to Company (CTC) structures prevalent outside India. What about us here?

Regards, Pali

Hi,

Once management decides to promote an employee to a higher position, it strongly indicates their satisfaction with his/her work performance, experience, and education levels, among other factors. Management can determine the appropriate pay for that employee based on:

1. The company's pay structure for that position
2. Competitive industry pay for the same position
3. Experience level, education, and age group

All these points should be considered when confirming the salary hike. In the current market conditions, what you are paying for that position is less. If a dry promotion is given without the right monetary benefits, the candidate may become demotivated, leading to a potential decrease in productivity, in my opinion.

Thanks,
IV

Hi Preeti,

Your question regarding a salary hike for employees, please understand one thing as an HR professional: there is no end to the expectations of any employee. In this scenario, if you have appreciated an employee's efforts, all the salary appraisals that you conduct in your organization need to be rationalized correctly. You cannot overpay a person; at the same time, you cannot underpay them either. The point here is how you justify whatever hike you offer to any employee depends on how you rationalize the salaries internally.

I will give you an exercise as I don't want your creativity to be unexplored. Please think about ways to rationalize the salaries internally and let me know. Then I will share with you the best ways to satisfy all employees.

Good luck,
RK

Hi All,

This is in continuation of the mail regarding Sal's discussion and subsequent suggestions from respective members. I have a query: for example, a person having 3+ years of experience in HR (1+ year in recruitment, 2 years as an HR Generalist), managing a team of 150 members in the service industry and currently working in Hyderabad.

What would be the ideal salary for a person in this role? Please consider that the individual mentioned is MBA (HR) qualified.

I kindly request all respective members to provide their valuable suggestions on this matter.

Regards,
Swati Rao

Can an employer reduce any component of salary while the Gross Salary remains the same? For example, if an employee is receiving a Gross Salary of 10,000, which includes 5000 as Basic, 800 as conveyance, 3000 as HRA, and 1200 as Special Allowance in a particular year, can the employer then restructure the salary from the next year onwards to be 6000 as Basic, 500 as conveyance, 2500 as HRA, and 1000 as Special Allowance? Is it permissible for the employer to do so? Your prompt response is appreciated.

Ravi Gupta

Dear all,

After reading all the views of dear members, I too want to know about the salary of my profile. I am M.Com, having working experience of more than 9+ years which includes 2 years of experience in the Gulf as well. I have worked in multiple capacities such as in accounts, HR, admin, liaising, secretarial, and PA roles in the export house and IT industry. Though due to family reasons, I had taken a break in between. After a break of 2 years, I joined an IT company last year. I am capable of fulfilling the given tasks in a timely manner, and so far, none of my bosses has had any complaints about the quality of work done.

Currently, I am assisting the VP in the IT industry situated in NCR. My work profile responsibilities include coordinating projects, customer support, audits in VSS, and all other miscellaneous tasks handed over by the VP to assist in getting work done quickly.

Looking forward to a favorable reply.

Regards,
Puunam

Hi Preeti,

Congratulations! Now that you have achieved what you aspired for, you should be willing to work even better and improve the efficiency of the team. Also, take care of your team members the way your Director has taken care of you. Please remember that mentoring team members is very important for every manager. All the best!

Regards,
Swaminath Adabala

Here, do any of HR stalwarts have contact with HR operations in a Microfinance sector? We could find a lot of financial institutions coming up nowadays with a focus on providing microcredit to the poor. There are big institutions like the one in Bangladesh - Grameen Bank; here, too, we have many micro institutions. Can any of you let me know the structure of the Training department and how they plan for that? As I am a training person, could someone have expertise in this?

Arumugam.K
Manager, Training

My understanding is that you also have to consider the work of others in the company. You cannot justify an increase in one person's salary if it is low. The whole system needs to work together.

Regards,
Sapna

Dear Preeti,

Based on the requirements, I believe the salary should fall within the range of 3.5 to 4.5 lakhs for this position.

Regards,
Shobha

I would like to know the current salary structure for Mumbai:

- Trainee (fresh): ₹7,500 - ₹9,000
- Executive (1-2 years): ₹8,000 - ₹14,000
- Senior Executive (2-5 years): ₹12,000 - ₹25,000
- Assistant Manager (5-7 years): ₹18,000 - ₹30,000
- Manager (5-10 years): ₹25,000 - ₹50,000
- Senior Manager (>10 years): ₹45,000 - ₹70,000

Please let me know if you need any further information.

Hi Ravi. Sorry for the late reply. It is possible, but it has to be notified to the Labour Dept & PF because PF contribution also varies suddenly and affects tax planning. So planning has to be done before implementing the structure. Such practices are headaches and better to be avoided.

Dear Chandru,

Can I get a salary bandwidth for Delhi too? I'm alone handling 1400 odd employees in Delhi, Jaipur, Ludhiana, etc., and looking after the entire HR activity starting from Line HR to Strategic one. I am getting only 2.10 Lakhs/annum.

Kindly reply, as it'll help me in deciding my future.

Regards,
Pali

Dear Pali,

Thanks for the query. Sorry for the late reply. You have not mentioned your education, experience, and position. Taking on normal terms of a career, for you in Delhi, you have to get at least 3 lakhs per annum. Try to motivate your management to support you with a proper hike. Hahaha!!

Chandru

Hi Ravi,

Sorry for the delay in my response. It is indeed possible for an employer to make such changes. However, it must be communicated to the Labour Department and PF because PF contributions also vary suddenly and can affect tax planning. Therefore, proper planning should be done before implementing the new salary structure.

Such practices can be quite challenging and are better to be avoided.

Chandru