Dealing with a counteroffer!
At Sigma Recruitment, we often find that candidates will receive a counteroffer from their current employer shortly after receiving an employment offer from another company. In our experience accepting a counteroffer is usually a very bad career decision. Again in our experience, candidates who accept a counteroffer are looking to leave again with a 3 – 6 month period.
Please see below for some of the reasons not to accept a counteroffer:-
- Your current employer is attempting to cover themselves. When you leave, they lose money. When you leave, your manager looks terrible. Better to keep you onboard until they can find a replacement.
- You become a trust risk to your current employer. You’ve threatened to leave once. It’s only a matter of time before you do it again, and smart companies won’t allow themselves to be put in this situation. You will never be perceived the same to them once you’ve threatened to leave and decided to stay.
- Any situation which causes an employee to seek outside offers is suspect. For example, if money is your issue, why has it had to take you finding a new role elsewhere for your employer to realise they need to pay you more? If you’re worth more money now, why weren’t you worth it 15 minutes ago? Same applies to promotions if it’s taken the threat of you leaving to get them to promote you, how are you going to get your next promotion?
- The reasons for you wanting to leave will still remain, even if they are temporarily shaded. Employers tend to overpromise and under deliver when it comes to changes promised as part of a counteroffer.
- Quality, well-run companies, won’t give counteroffers…ever! How would you feel if you were the manager and one of your employees forced you into something? ”If you don’t do _______, then I’m quitting.” I know personally I’d be angry. In fact, I’d be more than angry. If they don’t like working for you, then they should go.
