The biggest corporate scam: "You're doing great!"
Had a 1:1 with my manager just last week. The guy spent 30 minutes hyping me up. "You took complete ownership", "Critical to the team", "Exceeded expectations." I was flying high, thinking finally my 10-hour shifts and weekend support are paying off. Expected at least a 15% bump since my CTC is already on the lower side (14 LPA for 3 YoE).
Yesterday, the appraisal letters dropped.
0% hike. ZERO. Not even a basic inflation adjustment.
I pinged him immediately. Suddenly the tone completely changed. "Macroeconomic conditions", "leadership froze budgets", "you know how the market is right now."
Are you f*g kidding me? If there was no budget, why string me along with fake praises? Just tell me straight up that the company is broke or that you don't have the spine to fight for your reportees. Don't feed me this "star performer" bullshit just to keep me grinding while you save your budget.
I feel so used and genuinely pissed off. These managers will squeeze every drop of blood out of you with a smile, wrap it in "good feedback," and ghost you when it's time to actually pay up.
Time to dust off my Leetcode. Anyone else's manager pull this exact same stunt this cycle? ch*tya banaya, bada maza aaya.
Yeah it's pretty sad. I had terrible experiences as well.
I was pulled into a dying team with a hope "to fix things" and "ownership". I quickly realized how bad the situation is. My then manager told me.. I have exceptional stakeholder management, great communication, authority, problem solving etc etc.. it's just "I need to do more technically". Ok. Fair enough. I told him there's nothing for me to learn new.. he slashed me and talked about everything other than my growth.
Fast forward. He quietly left the team. Just came one day and told me "Hey I'm changing teams for more exciting work". Lol.
A new manager kicks in. We again ahead same talk. Do you know what he told me? "Hey you are really good at tech, really amazing work. But you know what? Anyone can do tech. That never creates the diff. Take more leadership, better stakeholder management, better communication "
Lmao.
I resigned the next day.
At least your manager acknowledged your work, mine never gets satisfied and always complains one thing or the other and then finally during appraisal meeting brings these things up to tell I won't be getting a hike. She once told me that I am not a team player just because I was not available to work on a Sunday. What abt the 10-12 hrs I spend everyday?
3 yrs 14 lpa is really low haaa...huhh...man so much hype you are creating about yourself
That’s crt.. 3yrs and 14lpa isnt low dude..
Hey, there's no one-size-fits-all for income we don't know his story or the grind he put in to get there. 14 LPA might feel low from your vantage point, but for someone rising from real hardship, it's a huge win. Let's not bully; backgrounds matter.
Been in the same situation didn't get hike got laid off after that exact call exactly 6 months later with a very vague reason ended up jobless for one year been there done that it's life.
Did you get the job bro? How did you convience the hr after 1 year? In similar situation right now. Need guidance about getting calls after 1 year and how to convince HR about the gap.
Haha . I totally understand your frustration. Take note , managers are middle level leadership .. Hike and Promotion budget is NOT decided by them. Good that your manager acknowledges your work. Real problem would be if you get good feedback while others in team get the hike. If this is the situation that only you got zero hike despite good work , change your project and thus manager else its all how corporates are grinding now a days. Leave for better if you can.
lol Earlier today I literally posted " Appraisals are the biggest scams in the corporate world" on some random insta post
A typical situation at Accenture: despite consistent profits over the past four years, employees are seeing little to no salary growth. Promotion hikes are down to ~13%, while regular increments are often 0–6%, citing budget and market conditions. Lol.
Agar hikes possible nahi hain toh at least ek flexible exit hona chahiye but mandatory 90-day notice period makes switching difficult, as most companies are not willing to wait that long.
Hey, It's better to search for opportunities outside your current organisation. There's no point arguing with your manager. They are not your friends or family. So, keep quiet 🤐 search for different options and just go!! Hope you get your dream package!! ☺️☺️
