Woman tech leader earning Rs 50 LPA quits over 3% hike, questions fairness in appraisals

Discussions around salary hikes and career growth are picking up again, especially in the tech space. As appraisal season plays out, many professionals are sharing how things went for them, and not all experiences are encouraging. One such story is now getting a lot of attention online.At the center of it is a senior woman professional who decided to quit her job after receiving a 3% salary hike. She was reportedly earning close to Rs 50 lakh per annum. Her experience is now being seen as part of a bigger conversation around pay, recognition, and what employees expect from their workplaces.She was working as a senior technical lead in the data and AI space at a product company and had spent several years there.She shared that she had chances to switch jobs earlier for better roles but chose to stay. The decision came from her belief in the product and the comfort she had with her team.During the latest appraisal cycle, she received a 3% hike. She made it clear that she was not expecting anything unrealistic.She wrote, “I wasn't expecting anything unreasonable,” but said the final number still left her surprised and disappointed.After the appraisal, she tried to raise the issue internally.According to her, she did not get a clear explanation.She said, “I tried discussing it, but it went nowhere. Just vague responses and delays.”Instead of revising the hike, the company offered her ESOPs and told her she is a valuable employee. However, she did not see that as a fair trade-off.She added, “It didn't feel like meaningful compensation.”She also noticed that others in similar roles received better increments.She pointed out that several managers and leads received hikes of around 10% or more. Even teams that were not performing well saw higher increases.This difference made her question how the whole process was being handled.Along with the pay issue, she also spoke about her experience as a woman in a technical leadership role.She shared, “Being a woman in a deeply technical leadership role, I'm used to having to prove my depth more than once.”But this time, it felt different to her.She wrote, “But this is the first time it has felt like there's an invisible ceiling not just on influence - but on compensation as well.”After all this, she decided to accept another offer that came with better pay and chose to leave.She also mentioned that once she resigned, the company suddenly tried to retain her. At the same time, she heard that a replacement might already be under discussion.Her post led to mixed reactions online.One user commented, “It's a common tactic. A lot of corporates deploy this because they know that these are the types that'll never question back, so we can churn them out till they are here.”Another user spoke about how tough switching jobs can be, saying, “The problem is job searches and switches are easy only on reels; in the real world, it's a terribly difficult, complicated task,” and added, “We live in Bharat here, crowd, and overcompetition ruins us daily; just at my company, every month, many, many guys are interviewing.”Disclaimer: The views and claims mentioned in this article are based on a social media post and online reactions. The Times of India has not independently verified these claims.Thumb image: Canva (for representative purposes only)