If you have accepted an offer from a new employer, and, on giving
notice to your present company, a Counter Offer is made –you
should consider the following:
Ask yourself if you were worth “X” dollars yesterday, why are they suddenly willing to pay you “Y” dollars today when you were not anticipating a raise for some time.
Consider the fact that your present employer could be merely “buying time” with this raise until he or she can locate a suitable replacement. Suppose you were given an annual raise of $3,000 as a Counter Offer. When they find a replacement for you in, say, 60 days, then the actual cost to them is only $500.
Is just more money going to change everything in your present job? Consider the new opportunity you will be giving up that looked so favorable when you accepted it.
The company will probably feel as though they have been “blackmailed” into giving you a raise when you announced your decision’ to leave.
Realize that you are now a marked person. The possibility of promotion is extremely limited for someone who has “given notice.” The company is vulnerable, they know it and will not risk giving more responsibility to someone who was previously committed to leaving.
When economic slowdowns occur, you could be one of the first to go. You indicated your intention to do so once before, so it is only natural that your position would probably be eliminated in a slack period.
You should know that statistics compiled by the National Employment Association confirm the fact that over 80% of those people who elected to accept a Counter Offer and stayed are no longer with their company six months later.
Carefully review in your mind all the reasons you wanted to make a change in the first place. Does the Counter Offer really offset these reasons?
If you intend to seriously consider a Counter Offer, be sure you ask your present employer to confirm all the details of said offer in writing
We strongly urge you to carefully think about all these facts before making a final decision, it is your career, your livelihood. One imprudent mistake at any time could be very costly in terms of your professional growth.