More women to ask for pay hike compared to men: Survey

A large number of women are dissatisfied with their current pay compared to men, and they also believe that men are being paid more.

About 67% of women respondents confirmed that they would be asking for a pay rise in comparison to 64% of men, a survey revealed.

According to job site Indeed, 20% of women respondents believe that their male counterparts are being paid more than them, and only 9% of men feel their female peers are being paid less than them.

Indeed conducted a survey of employees across industrial sectors in India in order to gauge their expectations on wage growth in 2018. The survey was conducted by Censuswide, a UK-based survey consultancy, on 2,005 employees from companies across various sectors like IT, Telecom, Education, Manufacturing & Utilities, Finance and Healthcare.

A majority of these participants were in the age group of 25-44 and in full-time occupations. While the average length of employment at the current company was about 6 years, the average annual pay was a little over Rs 6 lakh.

According to the survey findings, 93% of the respondents possibly or definitely plan to ask for a pay rise in the coming appraisal cycle for 2018, with women more likely to ask for a rise than men.

The survey indicates that most employees are not satisfied with their current level of remuneration. Also, more than half of the respondents stated that they had asked for a hike in the previous year, while a third said they had done so more than once during the same period of time, only to be refused.

The primary reason given for the refusal was the lack of budgets; however, close to a third of respondents were also told that their quality of work was not up to the mark. In comparison to remuneration in other countries, over 64% of respondents believe that Indian salaries are generally lower than the average.

However, a number of respondents also stated that they would be willing to accept alternative benefits at work in place of a pay rise. Over 60% stated flexible work hours as an alternative to a pay hike, while 47% suggested an increase in annual leave. Close to 40% also cited paid parental leave as a benefit they would prefer, while 63% respondents asked for healthcare benefits instead of a pay rise. Interestingly, of the respondents who do not plan to ask for a pay rise, 43% claimed that their present salary was satisfactory.

Sashi Kumar, Managing Director, Indeed India said, “While wage growth continues to be the leading priorities for employees, it is imperative on part of organisations to ensure that employee expectations are met. In today’s era of transparency and peer consultation, employees are far more informed about industry standards and company cultures. Millennial job seekers in particular - are today exploring highly aspirational career paths, and are not afraid of seeking greener pastures and newer experiences to further their professional goals and widen their horizons.”