in layman terms, Hike depends first on individual performance against laid down goals, availability and price of skills in the market and lastly company's financial performance.
soumik, the word "discretion" is misleading and incomplete.
its a scientific process and transparent too.
job evaluation methods like Hay Point factor, salary surveys etc help in the above process.
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next if the company has a jb grading system in place then even hikes would be defined.
this sentence is not correct "There is no such rule to bind the percentage of hike in any company".
and job grading has been there for several decades.
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increment can be on basic or CTC ?
Basic is the cornerstone of various calculations so for the last several decades its most popular.
in middle east, its basic + housing..
its normally not on CTC cos there are various complications involved.
there are several allowances which vary across roles/ geographies etc
so reverse calculations may not be a easy task.