Good learning, but salary hikes and rewards are disappointing - Senior Software Engineer HCLTech Employee Review

1. Salary hikes are extremely disappointing, even for top performers. Receiving the highest rating doesn’t translate into meaningful financial reward — increments are negligible, making high performance feel undervalued. 2. Recognition is mostly symbolic. While physical trophies or certificates are given to high performers, they feel empty without corresponding compensation or career advancement. It starts to feel more like a formality than real appreciation. 3. Promotions are slow and lack transparency. There’s no clear path or criteria, and performance rarely seems to influence the timeline. This creates frustration and uncertainty for those genuinely working hard. 4. The appraisal and salary revision cycle is unnecessarily delayed. Unlike most companies that align hikes with the April financial year, HCLTech often shifts it to July or August — and in some cases, hikes are only communicated by December, with an effective date of October. This delay cuts 3–5 months of rightful compensation every year, without explanation or backpay. It quietly undermines employee trust and morale. 5. Long-term employees are often left behind. While external hires are brought in with better pay for similar roles, internal talent that has consistently delivered value ends up waiting — both for recognition and fair compensation. This creates a sense of inequality and discourages loyalty.