Dear Amit,

My college is divided into two departments i.e  BBA and MBA. Two years back I gave interview for lecturer in MBA department and I also have been selected for the same and The Director issued me appointment letter in Dec 2007. But I was called to join the college on 26 july2008. At that time the Director told me that they have not yet started MBA till date and they wanted me to teach BBA students till they start their MBA batch. I  agreed to it and joined the college. After two months i.e in September, MBA batch started and then I started teaching MBA as well as BBA students. I am the only faculty who is teaching both the departments.

In Feb 2009, our college revised the pay scale and implemented 6th pay scale. There was a great difference between the increments of BBA and MBA departments and I was shocked when I came to know that even after taking the classes in both the departments I got increment as per BBA department. Then regardngthis I had a talk with Director and he told me that they soon are organising a panel interview for permanent selection of the faculties and the panel included top university experts. I was satisfied that I will soon get what I deserve. In between they had a 360 degree appraisal to know my feedback which was positive. They wanted me to give interview for BBA also but I refused to do so and also said that if I am not competent enough then I will resign myself.

Soon the date came of 7 Aug 2009 when we had our interview and this time also I got selected in panel interview however till now I am getting the same salary but on friday CEO of our college called me and tried to get my consent on increment of Rs 1000 only and this was not as per the norms. He also told me that I will get the increment in feb as a yearly increment. As a practice we are getting increment in one year and according to that I should get the increment in July but they refused to all the faculties giving the reason that they revised pay scale in feband have given the yearly increment in the same month. My last statement to CEO was that “I AM NOT SATISFIED” and in reality I had loss in many terms. As I am over engaged with both the departments, I can’t even think of self study and my yearly increment is also late by 7 months. CEO said that after Diwali holidays he will discuss…

Now pls tell me what should I do in such a scenario?
Should I fight for the same? However I  am doubtful that they will give the grade from feb.

Also since one and a half year I am honestly doing my work and even going the extra mile and putting in extra efforts as comparison to other people, I feel cheated and hurt for the same.

Young HR Manager thinks…….

Going through your situation I think there are certain gaps which I find at your end:

a) You got the appointment letter in Dec 07 and you were called to join in July 08 (7 months) and finally you joined in September 08 (total of 9 months). Why the hell you waited for so long to join them? Either there was no other college or you were not competent enough to hunt for a better job or this was your dream college you wished to join since old days. Sorry if I am too blunt here. Now think from the management’s perspective and what message is been delivered to them. They might think that you didn’t get or find any other job for so long or they thought you were an average performer however they need a faculty for their new college so they will compromise with you and till the time they do not get any other person they will adjust with you in terms of salary and designation. You need to think why were you so eager to join them.

b) They haven’t started MBA so they asked you to teach BBA. Fair enough, and after they started MBA you got an opportunity to teach both departments. Good for your career. But my question here is that even you started teaching MBA, what was the designation that was offered to you at that point in time. If they designated you for MBA and till the time it wasn’t functional you will teach BBA, ok withme as long as they stick to their commitment and give you what you deserve. That didn’t really happened as I presume you might have joined at a grade where you would be teaching both departments, however enjoying perks given as per the lower department. I think I am making my point clear to you. But was this mentioned anywhere that you were chosen for higher teaching which was not functional currently but even if you go for lower or mixed teaching you will still get salary which is fixed for higher department. If you have joined in BBA and got increments as per those norms, I think you shouldn’t blame the management for such an act. Its all about communication gap either at your or thier end. Whose the looser? I think I don’t need to answer this.

After the pay scale revisions they are bound to run the college as per government norms and provide benefits as mentioned in the recommendations of the sixth pay commission, which you very well got as per BBA which I think will be at TGT (Trained Graduate Teacher) levels. Right.?

After giving your interview you have been asked to continue at the same level with a mere Rs 1000 increment which is as good as NO increment.

The Management Perspective:

May be they are going under a money crunch and they cannot afford to raise salaries after giving 6 pay scale. This can be judged by the interactions you under go with your senior management. People who stick with the organization when it undergoing a bad phase can ultimately lead to much greater benefits at a later stage. You need to check on their genuinity.

For You:

You can either continue with them or look for another job till the time you find one and then bid them good bye or else can also leave the job and pursue higher studies. The choice is Yours.

Buddy what I can figure out from the entire episode is that you have compromised since the day you gave interview for this post. There is a saying that even a mother never feeds her hungry baby until he/she cries for it. If you would not properly communicate your feeling to them they will have a perception that you are happy. Share your thoughts but in a professional manner and if you don’t find them convincing you have other avenues to explore as life never ends here. Sorry if I sounded rude anywhere.

Amit Bhagria

 Straight from the mind of the Young HR Manager.

If someone has questions related to their career, jobs etc I would love to help you out. My email id is amitbhagria@younghrmanager.com. You can also get in touch with me via my Contact Page