Counter Offer


Proceed with Caution

You have just accepted a position with a new company, you have submitted your resignation to your current employer, and you are cleaning out your work area when your manager walks up and offers you $10,000 more in salary to stay.  What should you do???

Counteroffers have become more the norm than a rarity particularly in light of record low unemployment and shortages of skilled employees - especially in the Finance, Accounting, and Information Technology areas. Counteroffers are almost a given as the cost of replacing employees has become a lot higher.

Should you accept a counteroffer if you get one?  Generally, we caution against doing so.  Most individuals that accept a counteroffer find themselves back on the market looking for a new job in less than a year.  Whether it was money, a promotion, or working with new technology that was promised as part of counteroffer, most people find themselves disappointed within a short period of time.

When faced with a counteroffer, you must stop and think about the reasons that motivated you to leave in the first place.  Was it an unruly boss, a position that not longer offered you a challenge, or perhaps you commute is too far.  Accepting a higher salary won’t change any of those frustrations.  Additionally, your salary may have become “artificially” higher in relation to the market place. If you try to leave, you may not find a position that pays as well.

Other issues to think about if you accept a counteroffer:

• You will need to inform your new employer that you won’t be joining after all.
• Your employer knows that you are still unhappy so chances are they are quietly looking for someone to fill your position at a lower salary.
• Do you want to work for a company that gives you more money and/or responsibility only after you   threaten to leave?
• When it comes time for promotions, your employer will remember who is loyal.
• When the word gets out, your relationship with your co-workers may not be the same.

Progressive IT realizes that each individual customer and employee has its own definition of quality. Therefore, we make it our business to work closely with our customers and to have one-on-one relationships with our candidates. This way we can match the finest trained and skilled professionals to the right company. Progressive IT is always reliable, has a large base of highly satisfied customers and offers attractive rates.