Former CEO Of Pepsi Says She Finds Asking For A Raise 'Cringeworthy'

Recently, a former CEO of a major soft drink company shared her views regarding asking for raises and the act of asking for one in today's working world. Her statement, though, has left people fuming with anger.

By deeming the asking for raises 'cringeworthy', former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has alienated herself from the working-class women who may have looked up to her in the past.

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Sharing her own journey to the top, Indra Nooyi opens up about the time she spent as a CEO. Nooyi says that while serving her position as CEO for 12 years between 2006 and 2018, she never once asked the board of directors for a pay raise.

In fact, Nooyi says that she even hates the idea of asking for it. 

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In her New York Times interview, Nooyi said, "I've never, ever, ever asked for a raise. I find it cringeworthy. I cannot imagine working for somebody and saying my pay is not enough."

Nooyi says that even there was a time when she even refused a raise from the board, feeling uncomfortable taking one during the financial crisis.

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However, her statement didn't sit well with many people out there especially the working-class women. 

Especially given the fact the whopping amount she has earned during her time at the company when in her first year, she made over $31 million.

It can be rather easy to not think about a raise while making tens of millions of dollars every year.

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Nooyi has been an icon and a leader for many people who look up to her when defining their definition of success. 

It is rather tragic that her biased and privileged statement comes with negative consequences for working women. While Nooyi never felt the need to ask for a pay raise but that doesn't necessarily mean other women out there are coming from the same privilege from which she is coming. 

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"I never had reason to go to them and ask for a raise because there were compensation consultants that advise the board and the board treated me fairly," Nooyi mentioned in her interview.

However, is it too late for Nooyi to realize that for her organization to even have compensation consultants is a luxury that most workers will never experience?

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Only if she had done some research before causally sharing her opinion on such a big platform not unknowing how her words will have grave consequences for many deserving women out there.

Studies have shown that, though women ask for raises at the same rate as men, they're less likely to receive them and are often thought of worse for asking compared to men.

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According to Harvard Business Review, women receive the raises they ask for about 15% percent of the time, while men receive them 20% of the time.

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Even though Nooyi is an accomplished businesswoman and a celebrated icon but there is no denying to the fact that her words are completely biased and coming from the place of privilege and mostly untouched by the reality of the world. 

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