team lunch, appraisals and peanuts

Friday evening...
i was out with my team at Spicy Venue(the name reminiscent with Hyderabad's spicy flavor). This was my third team lunch in as many months. but it was different as it was not thrown coz one of my team mates was leaving(which has become sort of a trend in the last few months); it was coz one of my team-mates won a performance award(n believe me wen i tell u dat the award was $$$ and plenty of it).

I ordered Manchow soup(the only soup i like). i started sipping gleefully at the soup.little did i kno that i wud be in the same transluscent liquid that im drinking as soon as i reach office, figuratively speaking.


The lunch was gud; the dessert was better. once done, i entered the office, drowsy, thanks to a gr8 meal(ppl who visit hyderabad must try visiting the restaurant)

The moment i turned on my computer my manager came to me, letter in hand and a broad smile on his face. I have developed a new skill here;that of reading my manager's mind from his face(no wonder the proverb says "face is the index of the mind"). The letter started with a congratulation for the job done well so far. Then came the interesting part, the revised salary. The figure was staring straight at my face, my mind calculating the annual sal and the % of hike(the calculations took some time tho, thnx to my prowess in math).






I discovered my hike was 9%, at a time when the industry average is 20-30%. One phone call to my friend, i came to know that i did not get my grade change too(a privilege campus joinees get irrespective of the kind of work they do). If the appraisal surprised me, me not getting a grade change shocked me.that too wen ppl on bench wer getting a change.

I approached my manager, a sober look on my face. i explained that my appraisal was pathetic and my grade was startling. I started a monologue describing my hard work, sincerity and dedication(with a heavy dose of build-up tho) and that i was expecting a grade change. Now for ppl wondering why im so concerned abt my grades... my current grade is an intern, not a s/w engineer. Tho im addressed and treated as a s/w engg and enjoy all the privileges, still its always better to get a better grade.

Wen i finished showcasing my whining talents, my manager started his well-prepared MBAish jargon about bell curves, normalisation, comp ratio, HR policies and how ppl dont always get wat they deserve and a full scoop of company politics. Then came his final words, "Sometimes the world may be cruel to u", to which i replied, "there are places where i mite not be treated so cruelly"; words that i regret saying, especially as my mid-term appraisals still depend on my manager. Then a dose of 'be confident', 'work hard', 'u hv the ability' and 'u ll b happy with the mid-term appraisal' followed and he looked at his watch. This was the 'i hv spent enuf time with u intern' message after which im supposed to leave. i did leave with a grin on my face(a grin big enuf that wud hv made ppl think that i got a 50% hike or something)