5 Reasons NOT to Accept a Counter Offer
By: Justin Pleadwell, Marketing Manager & Jennifer Heimberg, Technical Recruiter (CPSR)
So, you’ve accepted a new job offer. Congratulations! It has been a long journey and you couldn’t be more excited. You’ve updated your resume, worked with a recruiter, navigated the interview process on your lunch breaks, taken time off work to meet your new boss, tested the commute, reviewed benefits, spoken to your family and friends, and finally made a decision.
And now here you are. In your boss’s office, being told how invaluable you are to the team, how the ‘pay raise that was just around the corner’ can be bumped up a few months and now you can work Fridays from home. Interested?
Prior to taking the counter offer, you must seriously consider the long-term benefits and consequences. In general, unless pay is the only reason to leave and you love everything else, accepting a counter offer is almost always a bad idea.
Before you sign, consider these five reasons not to accept a counter offer:
1. If you accept a counter offer, you won’t be around for long
According to the National Employment Association, 80 percent of employees who decide to accept a counter offer are no longer with the company six months later. Oftentimes the satisfaction from a pay raise is fleeting and does not address the initial key reasons for leaving. Continue reading below to understand the factors behind this statistic.
2. If underlying job dissatisfaction issues aren’t addressed, things are not going to change
Ask yourself, what motivated your search in the first place? Was it truly only about money? Had you already tried to get a raise, or promotion, with no success? Most people find themselves seeking a new job opportunity for reasons other than salary. They need a change, a new challenge. Maybe your organization is flat and there’s no room to grow. Perhaps the culture has changed and your team has disbanded. Do you and your boss see eye to eye? Do you agree with where the company is going?
An increase in pay will not change the key reasons why you initially decided to leave. The brief satisfaction of increased pay will be short-lived. This will lead you back to the same situation six months down the road.
3. Counter offers are simply a response to you leaving
When you give your two weeks’ notice, your manager’s initial reaction will be, ‘how can I keep this person?’ You need to be aware of their motives. They are simply seeking a way to meet the current project deadlines and avoid an immediate crisis. The counter offer is less about you and more about avoiding these issues and the expenses of finding a replacement.
If you need to threaten to leave in order to earn the compensation that you deserve, then the workplace culture may be the issue. The promotion or raise that you may receive from a counter offer is not based on performance or merit, but the fear of losing you. What does it say about the company if you need to go to these lengths to be compensated fairly?
4. Your reputation with the company will suffer
You have a honkin’ target on your back now. Your boss knows that you are willing, and even planned, to leave the company. Everything is peachy now, but what about when your project is completed? How will your boss’s budget be affected by your huge raise? Is that sustainable? Your boss will be on the lookout to find an engineer that can do what you do, but for the cost you used to do it for.
When future promotion opportunities become available, you will be last on the list. In the same sense, if the company needs to lay off workers, you will be the first to go. You will always be associated as the person that wanted out. Additionally, your employer may hold you just long enough to replace you or get you to train someone else until they no longer need you. A counter offer is usually a stall tactic that companies utilize so that they can find a replacement and then terminate you when it is on their terms.
5. Relationships with coworkers may get strained
If you accept a counter offer and your coworkers catch wind of it, they may become resentful and jealous. Your peers may see you as being disloyal and respect you less for receiving special treatment. This could alienate you from certain groups and negatively impact your interpersonal relationships at work.
Overall, the negatives heavily outweigh the positives of accepting a counter offer. Prior to accepting another job offer, analyze your reasons for leaving and make every attempt to fix the issues that are possible to mend. If you feel like you are underpaid, ask your boss for a raise. If you are not being challenged, discuss ways that you can be assigned projects that broaden your experience and develop additional skills. Once you have analyzed and attempted to fix all the issues in your control and it is still not working out, then you will be able to make a confident decision to leave without wavering, even if presented with a counter offer.
Still don’t believe us?
Don’t just take our word for it – Google “accepting a counter offer” and see for yourself. For example, here is an article from Forbes explaining why you should never accept a counter offer when you resign. In fact, try to find any article saying that taking a counter offer is a good idea – they don’t exist!
Next Steps
Reach out to our team of recruiters to discuss any IT career questions you may have because believe me, they have heard them all.
Email the author, Justin Pleadwell – Marketing Manager, directly for more information.
About Digital Prospectors
We believe all people should love their jobs. Founded in 1999, Digital Prospectors is a top IT staffing agency in Boston that has placed thousands of contractors and direct-hire employees with hundreds of prestigious companies nationwide. Our work is about improving the lives of the people we serve by connecting opportunity and talent in meaningful ways. Life is short – Love your job!®
Contact
Justin Pleadwell, Marketing Manager
Digital Prospectors – Boston, MA | Exeter, NH
(617)938-6100
Email: jpleadwell@digitalprospectors.com
