Counter-offer advice

lazernuts

Hi,
Would anyone have any advice on a situation where a job offer is accepted, then when resigning with current employer, the current employer decides to match the salary+benefits offered by the prospective company.

So the question is whether it would be a good idea to remain at current company?

Has anyone experienced this situation?
Is the employee always seen as being disloyal from then on?
Would it scupper future promotional opportunities?

Thanks.

helimachoptor

Op it depends , most likely i am going to find myself in the same situation, I have done in the past.

The way I look at it most people move for better money so if your company up your salary & benefits then they see you as hard to replace so thats good.

On the other hand I guy I used to work with got a counter offer and a 5k rise from his current employer and then for the next 6 months the had him doing menial work so he packed it in.

Saint_Mel

Always remember that you are leaving the current company for a reason, then evaluate the counter offer and see if this solves the problem you had.

They might throw an extra few quid at you to stay but this might not change the actual reason you decided to move on!

lazernuts

thanks for the responses, my reason for leaving would be mainly down to pay and finding i was paid less than my peers in the same department.

Keano

Saint_Mel wrote: »

Always remember that you are leaving the current company for a reason, then evaluate the counter offer and see if this solves the problem you had.

They might throw an extra few quid at you to stay but this might not change the actual reason you decided to move on!

I'd be of the same opinion OP

Shelli

Yup, it really depends on why your leaving. If you like your job and it's just a pay issue then I would stay. I was in the same position about 2.5 years ago, ended up staying with my employer and it worked out really well. If they are any kind of a decent company they will understand in this day and age that most things come down to money and will not hold it against you at all.

fret_wimp

I would rarely/never accept a counter offer after handing in my resignation.
They now know you want to walk, and will walk. they know you are not loyal to the company.

In exceptional circumstances i may take the new offer, but two things have to apply:

1. your manager has to be genuine and you have to know that he believes you were only leaving due to issues you discussed with him prior to going for a new job.

2. They must be willing to change a bit to facilitate you and help remove the issues that caused you to want to leave in the first place.

if you just went for a new job, then resigned without discussing the issues that cause you to want to leave with your manager first then dont take the new offer.

This is what i learned from a friends expirience.

Xcellor

A couple of weeks I handed in my notice. I was originally going to using the job offer as a bargaining chip but decided just to dump my current company because I knew they could never match what I was being offered, less hours, more money, more holidays, better health plan, subsidised canteen, training etc. etc.

I liked my old job (which I am still doing.. 1 week left) but at the end I had to balance up where i was and my progression. I had reached the highest point that I could within my dept and was still being paid significantly less than I felt I should be and having to work 40 hours for it!

The choice was clear

board om

Hey Op,

if it is only the money that is a problem and you would rather stay in your current job, then take the counter offer and stay put. no company is going to make you a counter offer and ask you to stay just to treat you like crap. they are amking you a counter offer becuase they want you to stay so they obviously like you and the work you do. just make sure you make your present employer aware that you want to stay but that it is a money issue, and that you have no other issues with them apart from that.

good luck with it.

Pigletlover

lazernuts wrote: »

thanks for the responses, my reason for leaving would be mainly down to pay and finding i was paid less than my peers in the same department.

If I was in this postition I would take up the new role. I'd be p*ssed off that my current employer was only willing to pay me the same as my co-workers because I was about to walk out the door.

Eoin

Pigletlover wrote: »

If I was in this postition I would take up the new role. I'd be p*ssed off that my current employer was only willing to pay me the same as my co-workers because I was about to walk out the door.

Come on - a company will rarely pay you more than what they think you will work for - why would they? There are many cases of senior staff on less than junior staff because that's the salary they agreed upon.

I don't believe that the OP would be seen as "disloyal", otherwise there would be no counter offer in the first place. In fact, by considering a counter-offer it displays that you enjoy working for the company, but there are just a few things you want changed.

If it's purely a money thing, then you're sorted. If you are expecting more subjective changes (nature of the work you're doing etc) then it's not as easy, as these things are much harder to put in writing and get agreement on.

The one caveat I'll make is that once you're in the mood to change jobs, it's hard to get out of that mindset once you see what's out there. If you are considering the counter-offer, then just make sure that all the issues you have are brought up.

Pigletlover

eoin_s wrote: »

Come on - a company will rarely pay you more than what they think you will work for - why would they?

Because they value you as an employee maybe?

Because they want their employees to feel thay are being treated fairly?

tk123

I was just offered a few quid to stay on at my job but i said no. I said earlierto them that i was leaving mainly because of salary and lack of benifits so they paniced. I don't think they value me as an employee thou because they never offered me a promotion or increase when my boss left but expected me to do it for no extra compensation. I think it's more so they value my role as benificial to them if that makes sense?

Stky10

@OP... I think I've read before that approx 90% of people who accept these counter offers leave the company within 12 months, mainly because the reason they wanted to leave in the first place is still there, but also partly because they experience harassment/resentment from management because of what happened.

Remember as well, that if you do accept the counter offer, whenever your salary review is next normally up, you'll almost certainly get no increase, and possibly the next time after that as well. Whereas if you move, you should get normal wage increases.

In other words... Make the jump... unless there's a very good reason not to.

dazberry

When I was "junior" I accepted a counter offer when looking to leave my second job. It was a huge mistake and I ended up leaving 5 months later anyway. Each case is different, but personally I wouldn't make that mistake again.

D.

tk123

Well here's an update on my case- thank god i said no :
Currently Salary - 32 - handed in notice because I'm junior sys ad in title and pay but doing work of snr since boss left and no progression. Offered 'early 40s' to stay - politely refused. Have since found out that the person who they are hiring in (with my job spec/duties!!!) is going to be paid 55-65k - so muggins would have been getting 20k less than a newbie!

Pigletlover

Sounds like you were being seriously underpaid so you done the right thing. Best of luck with the new job.