The Counter-Offer: What Should I Do? ?

Picture this…

You’ve become increasingly unhappy at work and despite raising these concerns with your boss, nothing has changed. So, you have decided to take the leap and find a new role. You’ve written a new CV, applied for jobs, gone through a number of interview stages and have an offer from a company with a shiny new role. Congratulations!

You then hand your notice in, which your boss is disappointed about and invites you to a meeting. They offer to match your new salary to stay in your current role, promising everything you’ve wanted and everything the new role offers.

What do you do?

It is important not to rush into anything in this circumstance and remember that it’s a really exciting point in your career! An increased salary package or an increase in responsibilities to stay where you are may look very beneficial, but it’s important to look at this thoroughly and understand both the new and current opportunities properly.

Some things to consider are:

• Why were your concerns not met and managed when you raised them initially? Why did it take handing your notice in for your company to realise your value?

• If the counter-offer is not just focusing on the pay increase, but it is also looking at increased work flexibility and a differing level of responsibility then counter-offers may be filled with empty promises. In our experience, we see people take a counter-offer and end up on the market 3-6 months later when other factors of their job hasn’t changed

• Now that your Boss knows you’ve been interviewing elsewhere, they may struggle to trust you again and overlook you for further promotions

• If you take that pay increase, the money must come from somewhere – could this mean that you won’t be offered that bonus you’ve worked hard for, or won’t be offered that promotion in a few years’ time?

• Are you staying in your comfort zone? Moving jobs is challenging and can be an exciting but albeit scary move. Consider what the counter-offer means for your wider career and if you’ll truly learn, develop and grow the way you want to if you stayed

Ultimately, when being counter-offered to stay where you are (no matter what this entails), it’s flattering and something to really consider. In our experience, they don’t always go to plan once accepted but it’s only you and you alone who can make this decision. Our biggest advice: look at the counter-offer and the new opportunity as though you are unemployed… Which opportunity holds the most potential? And don’t forget to remember why you started to look for a new role in the first place.