Visa

One of the best companies to work for if you are a fresher. The infrastructure is good.

Worst company to work for if you are a lateral hire, especially if you are part of O&I. To illustrate my point, let me explain why.

I joined O&I (Visa Bangalore). I was okay with everything, although I had not gotten the kind of hike I had asked for. But I was content that this would be a good opportunity, as they had recently started this center and everything looked glam from the office to the fun at work culture. (Point to note: subsidized lunch started only recently and transport will start from the 15th of next month – this is what we have been hearing for the past 6-8 months).

Initially, while interacting with other colleagues within O&I, it came to light that everyone had a hard time negotiating with HR for a hike. [HR (for laterals at least) has been outsourced to INFOSYS, and they did not leave any stone unturned to make laterals beg for each penny].

Hearing about this, I (at least the human inside) was happy until I came to know that other laterals in other departments (VDP, DMPD, etc.) with the same years of experience had gotten much more than us in O&I (at least 150%). I consoled myself with the logic that they have different skill sets and we are a cost center for the company, while they are the cash cow.

But the nail in the coffin happened to be the info about the salaries of freshers joining from college. Let me give you an insight here (for O&I, of course).

The salaries for laterals with 2-4 years: 5.5L-8L; 4-8 years: 8L-12L. Now, the salaries for freshers: IITs – 22+ L, NITs – 12-14+L, and others >8L (6+ L for a few colleges).

Let me clarify: I have nothing against the freshers, but the idiotic decision-makers who thought this would be a good experiment to observe human behavior when people are kept under dire circumstances.

Think of the situation where we have to give KT and teach the freshers while knowing that they earn way more than what we are earning. We should not be feeling this, but it seems they mock us behind our backs and even feel pity for us.

The reason I am writing this is to make the HR department realize: if you do not normalize the salaries (if rumors are to be believed, it has been done for VDP, who were way better off than us), then I don't see why there would not be a 30% alteration in O&I.

And the micromanaging of employees by the O&I local boss is not helping your cause. Visa O&I work culture is worse than service-based companies; forget about product-based companies.

If you do not act upon this urgently, then you can never make VISA Bangalore a success story.