Why You Should Think Twice Before Accepting A Counter Offer

The UK Construction sector is skills-short market, and there is nowhere near enough talent to meet the resource demands of this booming sector.?So, it really shouldn’t be a surprise to you when you resign from your job and are met with a substantial counter-offer from your employer.?Put yourself in your Line Manager’s shoes – is it easier for you to:

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1. Give your employee the pay rise he or she deserved ages ago and carry on as normal
2. Let that person leave, be a head down and have the extra stress of more workload and time spent reviewing CV’s and interviewing candidates for a replacement??Not to mention the potential recruitment fee...

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When making a counter-offer, your Line Manager is thinking more about their needs and what’s easiest for them, rather than what’s best for you and your career.

If your sole motivation is financial, then you might want to consider remaining with your current employer. (Although, you should’ve had an honest conversation with the powers that be before going to market). If your motivations go beyond salary and package, then you should really think long and hard before accepting your employer’s proposition.?Of course, extra money goes a long way in today’s world, but no salary is going to change that toxic boss, long commute, or poor job security.?Soon, you’ll be used to the extra money but the reasons you attended interviews in the first place are still alive and well.?Studies show that the comfortable majority of people who accept counter-offers are active job seekers again within one year.

There’s a good chance that the pay rise you’ve been given is an advancement on what you were due in the months or years to come, and you might find yourself waiting longer than most for another uplift.?When starting a new job, it’s a fresh slate and if you perform well, you’re likely to get an uplift sooner than you would have done if you accepted that counter-offer.

Another thing to consider is that your loyalty could be questioned in the future.?It will be known amongst management that you wanted to leave, which could affect where you are in the pecking order when it comes to things like promotion and sponsorship for education and qualifications.?Perhaps you will be more likely to be made redundant than others when, or if, times get tough.

When considering a counter-offer, my advise would be to digest the discussions that you’ve had and thoroughly analyse all offers that are on the table.?When your boss is pulling your heart strings and the Director is throwing the kitchen sink at you in the same meeting room, it can be easy to accept a proposition there and then.?The best course of action would be to digest it, sleep on it and not make any rash decisions – helping you make the right logical choice not in the heat of the moment.?Any counter-offer you verbally accept should be issued to you contractually before you agree to stay, otherwise you may find yourself chasing that improved contract for weeks, or worse, months.

If you’re happy with?the?offer?from your new employer?then the statistics are on your side.