Mamta Sharma For years, compensation design in India Inc followed a familiar formula: keep the basic salary component relatively low, load up allowances and reimbursements, maximise take-home pay, and keep statutory payouts such as provident fund (PF), gratuity and other social security-linked costs under control. That equation is now changing. At the heart of the shift is the Code on Wages, 2019, which introduces a uniform definition of wages.