Companies always want to hold onto their top employees, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise if your resignation letter is followed by a counter offer.
It can be quite flattering that your employer thinks so highly of you, and it is often quite common for the employers to try and convince staff to stay with them. But there are valid arguments as to why you should stick with your plan to resign and explore new opportunities.
A counter offer may make you question your decision to leave, but does the offer address the reasons behind your resignation?
Here are six things to consider when you receive a counter offer.
A counter offer doesn’t solve the issue
When you receive a counter offer, the first thing you should do is think about why you wanted to resign in the first place, and ask yourself does the counter offer solve the problem? You may feel like there isn’t any career progression opportunities, or that you want more responsibility in your role. Or other factors such as the commute, the hours, working conditions, or you simply may have just had enough with your job.
Accepting a counter offer is likely to only offer a short-term solution to these problems. That’s because it rarely addresses the reasons why you wanted to leave the role in the first place. Even if a promotion is promised, or more responsibility in your role, are you certain it will happen? And why did it take you to hand in your resignation to finally be offered this?
Your loyalty will be questioned
Are you aware that accepting a counteroffer can bring new problems? Your employer may take your resignation personally and see it as a lack of loyalty to the company.
If the trust has gone, your employer will never be certain about how long you’re going to stay in your role. This can then have an impact on your working relationship in the future, and you may see yourself being overlooked on bigger projects.
Most employees leave within 6 months
Most employees actually look to leave their role within 6 months of accepting a counter offer. You may genuinely still do your best for your current employer, but your managers and co workers may treat you differently by thinking you have shown a “lack of loyalty”.
A counter offer may be a cost-saving method
The process of recruiting, interviewing, and training a new employee is expensive for a business, and it can be more cost-effective for a company to retain an existing employee rather than deal with the inconvenience and cost of bringing in a new employee.
If you believe this could be the reason behind your counter offer, is there any real benefit of you staying? It can have a negative impact on your career development if the only reason your employer wants to keep you is that it’s easier than finding a replacement.
Too little, too late
Your counter offer may involve a pay rise, and you may see this as your problem solved if this was the main reason behind your decision to leave. But you need to ask yourself why it took handing in your resignation to be offered a pay rise.
If you have tried to negotiate a pay rise in the past but were refused, it can suggest that your employer was trying to get away with paying you less than what you are worth. Who’s to say that won’t continue in the future?
Explore new opportunities
Having worked for your employer for a length of time, it’s likely you have a vision of how your career will develop with that company.
Sometimes it is worth exploring new opportunities and getting more experience in a new environment, where you can find different ways your career can develop. You don’t want to be left wondering what could have happened if you rejected the counter offer and tried something new.
A counter offer can be gratifying but do the risks outweigh the rewards? Follow your plans with your new job and be sure to leave your job on good terms. By doing this, you always leave the door open to return in the future if you feel like that is your best option.
In summary
In the end, if you decide to accept your counter offer, our advice is to make sure you get everything you want in writing from your employer. It is also important to be professional and handle things responsibly with your potential future employer and recruiter who have worked with you on your new job opportunity – you never know when you will be in contact again.