- An Indian software developer declined a Rs 20 lakh salary hike for work-life balance
- The promotion required late-night US calls, frequent travel, and managing a larger team
- He prioritized personal time for family plans, fitness, and weekly family dinners
An Indian entrepreneur has shared the story of a Bengaluru-based software developer who turned down a Rs 20 lakh annual salary hike, choosing work-life balance over a bigger paycheque. Rohan Dhawan, founder of business consultancy firm UAbility, shared the experience in a LinkedIn post, saying his 31-year-old friend currently earns Rs 45 lakh a year. The proposed promotion would have pushed his salary beyond Rs 65 lakh and come with a bigger team and a more senior designation.
While the financial jump was significant, the promotion also came with several demands that were not mentioned in the offer letter. According to Dhawan, the new role would have required late-night calls with a US-based team four nights a week, frequent work travel and managing a team nearly twice the size of his current one. His weekends would also have become less predictable.
"Calls with the US team 4 nights a week. Travel he wouldn't be able to refuse. A team almost double the size, which means his calendar stops belonging to him and starts belonging to 12 other people. Weekends that stay technically free and never actually are. He and his wife are planning a kid next year. He trains five mornings a week. He eats dinner at his parents' place every Wednesday," Dhawan wrote.
His decision reportedly did not go down well with his father, who questioned why he would reject an additional Rs 20 lakh when many people switch jobs for much smaller hikes.
Dhawan argued that after reaching a certain income level, additional money can come at the expense of time, relationships and personal priorities. "People don't realise that past a certain salary, the extra lakhs stop coming out of the company's pocket and start coming out of yours. His evenings, and the version of him his wife married. Every offer letter tells you exactly what you'll be paid," he added.
See the post here:
The post has struck a chord online, particularly among professionals who see career growth as more than simply earning a higher salary. One user wrote,"I did similar thing last February, Had an offer with almost 50% hike on fixed and over 80% hike in TC but decided to stay in present team as I had a baby just couple months back."
Another said, "And honestly, rejecting this offer doesn't make him less ambitious than anyone else. His priorities are different and a lot of other opportunities will come for sure."
A third stated, "In one's life cycle priorities keep changing as they should, salary is one dimension of the cube."
A fourth user added, "Very bold yet sensible decision. Taking into account that not everything in life has to be related to money, wise call."
