The 10 Dangers of Accepting a Counteroffer
A counteroffer, in the context of recruitment, is a response made by an employer to retain a high-performing employee who has submitted their resignation. This offer is typically presented after the employee has given notice, aiming to convince them to reconsider their decision to leave. Here are ten reasons why you need to question any counteroffer you receive before you decide whether to accept or not.
- Your Employer Might Not Be Paying You Enough
Most counteroffers involve a pay raise, which may seem very tempting to accept if the higher salary if it is the main reason you handed in your resignation. Before you agree to a counteroffer with a pay raise, it is crucial to question why you have not had a pay raise before. Is your increase simply just get you to the salary you should have been on already? Over forty percent of employers have given counter offers in the last 12 months to retain their staff... YOU ARE ONE OF MANY.
- An Underlying Issue Isn’t Solved by a Counteroffer....
Usually, there are several reasons you may want to leave your job: working hours, your boss, you just don't like your job, the commute, etc. This is the problem when you receive a counteroffer: the only thing that’s likely to change is the salary. Increased pay will be an attractive option at first, and this ensures that most people accept the offer, but it doesn’t resolve the long working hours, how far the commute is, how weird your boss is, or just how much you hate your job.
- No Chance for Career Progression
Counteroffers invariably mean pay rises, but at the expense of other factors such as career progression. Are you sure that pay rise isn’t just to keep you quiet in the same job?
- Loyalty May Be Questioned After a Counteroffer
It does not matter how good your relationship is with your employer, if you receive a counteroffer as a response to your resignation and stay, your loyalty as an employee will still be questioned both now and in the future.
- It May Be a Long Time Before You Get Another Raise
Think about it: if you were leaving your current employer because you felt you were not getting paid enough and they only way to get a raise was to offer your resignation then the odds of you getting a raise in the future (without handing your notice in) are slim.
- Counteroffers Can Be a Stalling Tactic
Often employers will pay you more because they know it will only be for a short while. They will then start searching for a replacement who will take a lower salary with a similar skillset to yours. Some say show you loyalty; many won’t.
- A Counteroffer Will Not Guarantee Job Satisfaction
People hand in resignations and look for new jobs when they are not satisfied with their current position. A counteroffer may give hope of better working conditions and salary, but statistics show that this is invariably not the case, and nearly three quarters of people restart their job hunt within twelve months of their original resignation.
- Your Employer Doesn’t Know How Long You Will Stay
If you end up accepting a job counteroffer, your employer will always be questioning how long you will stay at the job since you were so willing to quit.
- If Times Get Tough…
If your current employer experiences hard times or if the economy, in general, falls not recession they are more likely to hang on to employees that have shown loyalty rather than ones who have been job shopping for another opportunity.
- You Might Not Be Appreciated
If you feel you were not fully appreciated as a valuable employee in the first place, handing your notice in is hardly likely to endear you your employer any further. For advice on offers of employment, interview techniques, counteroffers and whether to take them or not, call your nearest KPI Commercial office below or email Commercial@kpir.co.uk.
- KPI Commercial Crewe 01270 589943
- KPI Commercial Stoke 01782 712230
- KPI Commercial Telford 01952 797577
- KPI Commercial Warrington 01925 637871
- KPI Commercial Wigan 01942 597215
