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Jobs
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The Counter-offer
Expect it and be
prepared for it. Anytime you leave a company and it is not their idea
that you leave, it is at the very least inconvenient for them and they
will most likely attempt to talk you into changing your mind. A
counter-offer may come in several ways such as:
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Telling you
of plans for a promotion either now or in the future.
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Explaining
reorganization goals which hold promising future rewards for you.
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Offering you
more money, perhaps matching or even exceeding your new offer.
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Asking you to
meet, perhaps over dinner, with one or more company executives before
you make a final decision.
Hazards of a Counter-offer
A counter-offer can be very flattering and your emotions
may cause you to temporarily lose sight of your original objectives. You
may second guess your decision and feel the pull of the familiar. This
is exactly what your present employer hopes will happen. Here are 10
important reasons for not accepting a counter-offer.
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When the "smoke clears" following a
counter-offer, all the reasons why you wanted to leave are still
there! You made the decision to leave because you felt that another
opportunity would better fill you career needs.
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If you are worth more when you are
leaving, why weren't you worth more when you were staying? Where is
the money for the counteroffer coming from? Is it your raise early?
Companies have strict wage and salary guidelines which they are not
going to change just for you.
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Your company will probably immediately
start looking for your replacement at a lower salary.
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When tough times come, your employer
may begin the cutbacks with you.
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You have now made your employer aware
that you are unhappy. From now on, your loyalty may always be in
question.
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Accepting a counter-offer may make you
lose respect by seeming unsure and indecisive.
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It may seem harsh, but chances are
good that the reasons for a counter-offer have more to do with
inconvenience and avoidance of change, than with your indispensability
to the company.
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Statistics show that if you accept a
counter-offer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or
being let go within one year is extremely high. By that time, this new
opportunity will be only a distant memory.
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Accepting a counteroffer is most
likely an emotional rather than an intellectual decision.
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In the final analysis, a counter-offer
comes because of a resignation. Will you have to threaten to quit
every time you want to advance within this company?
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