I'm working in a reputed law firm as HR, and during our annual appraisal, the hike given to me was not the same as for others. When I questioned my CEO, she said that since I am in HR (support functions), I cannot compare myself to production (lawyers), so the hike percentage will always be less for support in comparison to production. I absolutely do not agree with this comment. I felt very demotivated. Please guide me on how I should tackle this issue. I have been a real value-add to this firm and have brought in several processes they need in HR. In fact, they never had an HR before, so I have started everything from scratch, and to get this feedback is really annoying me.
From India, Calcutta
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
From India, Calcutta
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Shilpa,
Don't worry; this is not your fault because your CEO does not understand the importance of the HR role in the organization. This mostly happens with CEOs who are too young and come from operations backgrounds. Please show her the importance of HR.
With Best Wishes,
From India, Vadodara
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
1Don't worry; this is not your fault because your CEO does not understand the importance of the HR role in the organization. This mostly happens with CEOs who are too young and come from operations backgrounds. Please show her the importance of HR.
With Best Wishes,
From India, Vadodara
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear Shilpa, I can understand your feelings. However, it is a general observation that companies have a lower budget for increments in support functions (Admin/HR/Back office) compared to marketing/production, justifying that they are in the field or they bring in business. You can refer to your HR policies for the breakdown.
Advice on Addressing Salary Concerns
I would advise you to document your achievements and major contributions, and then speak positively to your seniors that the salary rise should have been commensurate with your work. You have not mentioned your tenure in the firm, which is also an important factor.
All the best.
Regards, Vaishalee
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Advice on Addressing Salary Concerns
I would advise you to document your achievements and major contributions, and then speak positively to your seniors that the salary rise should have been commensurate with your work. You have not mentioned your tenure in the firm, which is also an important factor.
All the best.
Regards, Vaishalee
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
This practice is prevalent in many organisations. They accord preference to the core dept than support dept. pon
From India, Lucknow
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
From India, Lucknow
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Dear All,
Thanks for the updates and information.
@Milap123, I agree they never had an HR earlier in this firm. Secondly, my CEO is 60 years old and is mostly involved in marketing and client relationships, so I guess she really does need to understand the importance.
@Vaishalee, I agree. I will start documenting my work regularly. I actually joined here only last August 2010. Still, as per our firm's policy, the production team receives bi-annual appraisals, and new joiners also get a raise after 3 months based on their performance.
My CEO has repeatedly mentioned that I am performing very well and adding value to the firm. However, I have not received a monetary raise like the production team. I love my job and role here, but due to this, I am feeling rather down and demotivated.
Regards,
From India, Calcutta
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Thanks for the updates and information.
@Milap123, I agree they never had an HR earlier in this firm. Secondly, my CEO is 60 years old and is mostly involved in marketing and client relationships, so I guess she really does need to understand the importance.
@Vaishalee, I agree. I will start documenting my work regularly. I actually joined here only last August 2010. Still, as per our firm's policy, the production team receives bi-annual appraisals, and new joiners also get a raise after 3 months based on their performance.
My CEO has repeatedly mentioned that I am performing very well and adding value to the firm. However, I have not received a monetary raise like the production team. I love my job and role here, but due to this, I am feeling rather down and demotivated.
Regards,
From India, Calcutta
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi Shilpa, do not get demotivated. Continue your good work; it will pay off one day. Once you have considerable achievements to your credit, you can apply elsewhere. You joined last August, so don't be in a hurry to leave the job. Look at the positive aspects of this job.
All the best!
Regards,
Vaishalee
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
All the best!
Regards,
Vaishalee
From India, Pune
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Hi Shilpa, please take my advice seriously.
In any industry or activity, the people who do the core job that brings business always get more power, pay, and respect. Whether you accept it or not, and whether the other members accept it or not, it's the truth.
In manufacturing industries, engineers, mechanical engineers, and electrical engineers are highly paid. In my experience, the HR manager of a manufacturing industry was paid 40K, whereas the Manufacturing Manager was paid Rs.100K. The HR manager did not complain.
Okay, please understand that what your CEO told you is correct. Don't feel bad about receiving less payment. Payment is not everything; money is here today, gone tomorrow. Enjoy your work and enjoy life. Cheers
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
In any industry or activity, the people who do the core job that brings business always get more power, pay, and respect. Whether you accept it or not, and whether the other members accept it or not, it's the truth.
In manufacturing industries, engineers, mechanical engineers, and electrical engineers are highly paid. In my experience, the HR manager of a manufacturing industry was paid 40K, whereas the Manufacturing Manager was paid Rs.100K. The HR manager did not complain.
Okay, please understand that what your CEO told you is correct. Don't feel bad about receiving less payment. Payment is not everything; money is here today, gone tomorrow. Enjoy your work and enjoy life. Cheers
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
[QUOTE=Milap123;1542227] Dear Shilpa, Don't worry; this is not your fault because your CEO does not understand the importance of the HR role in the organization. This often happens with CEOs who are too young and come from operational backgrounds. Please show her the significance of HR. With Best Wishes,
Please don't brainwash Shilpa; instead, help her understand the truth and how the company operates. May I ask on what basis you claim that HR is compensated equally with core business personnel? Do you have any examples? How is the CEO mistaken?
Correct Spelling and Grammar: Identify and fix any spelling or grammatical mistakes in the text.
Handle Line Breaks: Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs. If there are multiple line breaks, reduce them to one.
If the user starts with “Hi,” followed by a line feed, remove that line feed to ensure the first line does not appear blank.
Preserve the Meaning: While correcting the grammar and spelling, make sure the original meaning and tone of the message remain unchanged.
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Please don't brainwash Shilpa; instead, help her understand the truth and how the company operates. May I ask on what basis you claim that HR is compensated equally with core business personnel? Do you have any examples? How is the CEO mistaken?
Correct Spelling and Grammar: Identify and fix any spelling or grammatical mistakes in the text.
Handle Line Breaks: Ensure there is a single line break between paragraphs. If there are multiple line breaks, reduce them to one.
If the user starts with “Hi,” followed by a line feed, remove that line feed to ensure the first line does not appear blank.
Preserve the Meaning: While correcting the grammar and spelling, make sure the original meaning and tone of the message remain unchanged.
From India, Madras
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Handling Increment Discrepancies in HR
This is prevalent in many organizations, where the support functions may receive a lesser increment compared to operations or core functions. Please try to deal with this situation wearing your professional hat. As an HR department, you are privy to a lot of employee and business information related to individual increments, which is accessible to you only because you are from HR. Let this information not be your benchmark to ask for a higher increase.
Take an example:
There was an HR operations person in my previous organization who had access to annual increment data for the organization. When she came to know of what increment she was getting (even before she got the letter), she confronted the HR head, saying she had received a very low increment compared to the core functions and needed to be paid more. The HR head asked her to draw a line between her personal case and professional duties. The increment data she had access to was part of her professional duties and should not be a factor in deciding her own case. There are various other variables involved.
I do not agree that because we are in HR, we should be paid more or at par with operations. It is all dependent on our respective roles, experience, and the maturity of the organization to reward the support functions, commensurate with our job and achievements. There could be two people in HR in different organizations, doing the same role but paid differently. This is a fact of life, like the sun rising and setting.
Do have a talk with your management about what your achievements are, savings in time and money for the organization, and how you have made a difference to your role and the company. At the end of it, if you still feel you have been shortchanged and the organization is not willing to recognize your work, maybe it’s time to think of other options.
Regards
From Netherlands
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
This is prevalent in many organizations, where the support functions may receive a lesser increment compared to operations or core functions. Please try to deal with this situation wearing your professional hat. As an HR department, you are privy to a lot of employee and business information related to individual increments, which is accessible to you only because you are from HR. Let this information not be your benchmark to ask for a higher increase.
Take an example:
There was an HR operations person in my previous organization who had access to annual increment data for the organization. When she came to know of what increment she was getting (even before she got the letter), she confronted the HR head, saying she had received a very low increment compared to the core functions and needed to be paid more. The HR head asked her to draw a line between her personal case and professional duties. The increment data she had access to was part of her professional duties and should not be a factor in deciding her own case. There are various other variables involved.
I do not agree that because we are in HR, we should be paid more or at par with operations. It is all dependent on our respective roles, experience, and the maturity of the organization to reward the support functions, commensurate with our job and achievements. There could be two people in HR in different organizations, doing the same role but paid differently. This is a fact of life, like the sun rising and setting.
Do have a talk with your management about what your achievements are, savings in time and money for the organization, and how you have made a difference to your role and the company. At the end of it, if you still feel you have been shortchanged and the organization is not willing to recognize your work, maybe it’s time to think of other options.
Regards
From Netherlands
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
I think it's the right time to prove HR is a business partner. Please don't be demotivated. You have all the rights to negotiate your salary with the CEO. Kindly ensure the use of HR's in the organization to your Honorable CEO. Take it as a challenge to prove that HR is a business partner. Request your CEO to evaluate and hike the salary based on performance. Make it a practice of performance-based pay. You must always prove that HR is a fruitful tree to the organization.
Regards,
Nanjegowda
Shahi-HR
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
Regards,
Nanjegowda
Shahi-HR
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]
From India, Bangalore
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)CiteHR is an AI-augmented HR knowledge and collaboration platform, enabling HR professionals to solve real-world challenges, validate decisions, and stay ahead through collective intelligence and machine-enhanced guidance. Join Our Platform.
Salary & Compensation Guidelines.zip
Compensation and HR practices- questionnaire.d oc