Feeling Stuck After Two Years: How Should I Negotiate My Salary Increase?

Respected All,

I need your urgent intervention and opinion on the matter I am going through. I joined the present organization, The Calcutta Medical Research Institute, on May 13, 2008, as a senior executive systems with a salary of Rs. 10,000 per month, nearly the same as I was receiving in my previous organization. I chose this organization because it is close to my house and has a prominent reputation.

If needed, I can email you my Key Result Areas (KRA), but in summary, I am responsible for Management Information Systems (MIS), Vendor and Asset Management of IT in the organization, as well as Hardware, Software, and Human Resource Management to support the organization.

For over a year, I have devoted more than 12 hours a day, including working on holidays, to organize everything efficiently, hoping for a significant raise. However, I received only Rs. 500 as an increment and was assured that it would improve in the next review.

Despite this, I maintained my dedication, but this year, I received the same increment of Rs. 500.

Similar situations have occurred to others in the department, leading young, talented individuals to resign.

Today, my Head of Department (HOD) inquired about my expected salary.

Could you please assist me in deciding what my expected salary should be at the earliest?

My CV is attached herewith for your kind perusal and necessary action.

Regards,

Pradip Kumar Singh - 9831428875

For the first job, you should focus on the role and responsibilities, not the salary. Look at the growth opportunities in the field, set targets, and remember that the future is yours.

Hello Pradip,

Please confirm, why do you think your boss asked you about your expected salary?

There isn't any hard and fast rule that salary raises should be this much or that much after 1/2 years. It varies from company to company and also from department to department in the same company.

You have mentioned that all the others too in your department were given the same increase. What about other departments? Try to discreetly gather those facts. Then your comparison could be more realistic.

Possibility 1: If you find that other departments are being given higher figures, most likely the culture in your company could be pointing to a lack of understanding of the IT department's role in the organization in today's world (meaning they must be 20 years behind).

Possibility 2: And if you find that other departments too are given the same figures, there is no point in fighting or even asking for higher amounts, since there seems to be an unwritten policy of giving Rs. 500 consistently.

Next, I agree with Priya420 to an extent—the extent being if you aren't being taken advantage of. This should be exposed if Possibility 1 is the general practice.

Regarding your boss's query, just mention to him that 'he will be the best judge of your work'. Try to avoid putting any figure on your expectations—the reason being: this could (please note 'could'—not 'would') be a ruse to gauge your pulse, especially since you mentioned that many have quit. If you mention a figure beyond what he (or the company) has in mind, they will conclude that you could be the next person to leave—you can understand the possible changes in the work environment later. So, it's better to err on the safe side. Allow them to come out with the figures—in a way, this will also give you an indication of how they view the IT department (even after witnessing many departures and still wanting to limit raises to Rs. 500, that says a lot about the management culture there).

In that case, just keep doing your work with dedication and begin to look out for better opportunities—the reason I mentioned 'with dedication' is this: the cardinal rule for a professional should be—never let your opinion about the management affect your work. It's your work that will secure you a better job later—not what you think of the management or boss.

All the best.

Regards,

TS