Think twice before you accept a counter offer

You wrestle with the decision. You consider the impact on your family, co-workers, and yourself. You think you’ve made a decision, then you change your mind. Finally, with the help of your recruiter, you find a new job with more pay and growth prospects and you are determined to resign.

On Friday morning, you get up the nerve. You call a meeting with your boss and give your 30-day notice. You walk out feeling relieved and the excitement of starting a new job begins to take over.

But, just when you thought you had it all figured out, your boss throws you a curveball by making what appears to be an attractive counter offer. You are confused, should you stay or should you go?

This is a common dilemma, that many individuals encounter when going through a career move. In South Africa, the skills shortage is a particular problem and no company wants to lose their skilled employees. Sure, it's an ego boost, but a backhanded one, when you think about it. If you were so valuable all along, why did you have to quit to get your employer to recognize it? However, the decision of whether to stay or go is a personal one, there are common pitfalls that you must be aware of before accepting an employer’s counteroffer.

Questionable Loyalty
The moment you resign, your loyalty to the company is immediately questioned. Employers who make counteroffers typically make them out of desperation and panic. Your manager will do what he or she can to protect the interest of the company. They realize that their financial loss will be greater than losing a productive employee and paying to find a replacement, than losing the cash associated with a counteroffer, which may get you to stay. Finally, it’s a fact that people and companies seldom change, and the reasons and circumstances that motivated you to leave the job in the first place will likely remain unchanged.

No “quick fix”
A counteroffer does not fix the reason you were looking in the first place for the majority of cases. Should it reach the point of resignation before issues are addressed and your salary is at the right level? Think about what else would change if you stayed (besides receiving more money). Review each of your reasons for wanting to switch jobs and take an honest look at your deal-breaker issues. Will they somehow magically disappear if you accepted the counteroffer? Unlikely. More often than not you will find you are unhappy again 6 months down the line but with a higher salary making it harder to move to a new job.

Reputation
By opening the door to a counteroffer, you jeopardize your relationship with your new employer. You are putting your integrity at risk and damaging your relationship with a future employer who has proven that they recognize your talent, and are willing to risk their future by investing in you. In addition, earning a promotion by resigning sends the wrong message to colleagues, and will leave unanswered questions in everyone’s mind about whether or not you truly earned it.

Statistics are not in your favor, it shows that employees who decide to accept a counteroffer end up leaving within the year. Does that mean you shouldn’t accept a counteroffer? Not necessarily. What it does mean is that you should prepare for all the possible scenarios that may arise. Whether you decide to stay or make a clean break is up to you. Just be sure that your decision is an educated one.

Communicate Recruitment‘s candidate services focus on providing accurate and impartial advice on career planning and management of your long-term career goals. We would be able to assist in providing advice on how to manage a new job offer. Check out all our vacancies which include Finance jobs, IT jobs, Engineering jobs, Freight jobs, and Supply Chain jobs. Apply now!