A techie in Bengaluru compared his nine-year stint at one of India’s largest IT companies to “unfettered slavery”, revealing his traumatic experience in a post on Reddit. Despite nearly a decade of service, his monthly salary was just INR 35,000 when he left the company.
Today, working for a global IT giant, his earnings have risen by almost 400%, underscoring the stark pay disparity he endures.
His story sheds light on the systemic issues plaguing the organization. Low annual increases – often between 4-6% – have left salaries stagnant, while the “graduation” system merely moves employees down sub-levels without pay increases or expanded roles. “When I left after nine years, my monthly salary was Rs 35 lakh. Today, I earn Rs 1.7 lakh,” he wrote, calling for a change in the company’s culture.
In his Reddit post, the tech expert criticized policies that ignored market salary corrections, unlike his current and former employers, who routinely adjusted wages to match industry standards.
Employees at his former company faced pay raises, leaving them underpaid despite years of service. Referrals to his new employer often earned former colleagues an 80-100% salary increase, underscoring the discrepancy.
Aside from salaries, the technician detailed other burdens. Employees were charged INR 3,200 per month for transportation, while parking charges added to their expenses. The cafeteria costs were exorbitant, with a cup of juice costing 40 Indian rupees, double what he now pays at his current workplace.
The company has imposed a minimum number of actual hours worked, tracked by an ID swipe. This led to employees visiting the office on weekends for trivial reasons, such as completing laundry, just to meet the required hours.
While the company’s leadership projected a charitable image, employees often joked that some of this generosity could have been directed toward employee well-being and improving their wages.
The technical expert urged systemic reform, calling for a ‘minimum wage policy’ across all sectors in India. His story is not just a personal narrative but a rallying cry for fair treatment, better pay structures, and labor policies that prioritize employee dignity.