The
Dangerous Allure of Counter-Offers
Top executives
agree that the “good old days” of rewarding employees
for 35 years of loyal service are a thing of the past. Years
ago, individuals who had experience at several companies were
considered “job-hoppers”. Potential employers
wondered what was wrong with them and why they couldn’t
hold a job. Today, changing jobs has become a necessity if
individuals expect to advance their careers. The very traits
that made them unstable are now hallmarks of a well-rounded,
ambitious and assertive professional.
Change
and its associated risks are never easy. To quit or not to
quit is often a gut-wrenching decision – requiring careful
consideration and soul-searching. It involves one of those
passages in life that requires abandoning the comfort of the
old and assuming the risk of the new. Should you leave behind
your friends, your status and the company that helped you
progress professionally. As a professional, your career decisions
must be made objectively, not emotionally which is easier
said than done.
When
one door closes, another opens: but we often look so long
and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see
the one which has opened for us.
-
Alexander Graham Bell
Once
the often-agonizing decision to leave has been made, you must
plan your resignation and how you will handle your employer’s
response. It is important to end your relationship as professionally
as possible and not to burn your bridges; you never know when
you may need a future reference. Compose a letter stating
your last day of employment as well as expressing that your
decision is irrevocable. Keep it short, simple and positive.
Avoid the temptation to recite a list of grievances. Before
you present your resignation letter, you must be committed
to leaving. Otherwise, “temporary promises and solutions”
in the form of a counter-offer may entice you to stay.
Surprisingly,
the very best companies rarely make counter-offers. They believe
they treat their employees fairly and wish them well if a
better opportunity exists elsewhere. If you work for one of
them, don’t be disappointed if you fail to receive a
counter-offer.
On the
other hand, most employers do not like to be fired. Your departure
may jeopardize an important project or vacation schedule,
create additional workload and even negatively impact employee
morale.
In order
to prevent you from leaving and causing turmoil within the
organization, your employer may make you a counter-offer.
Appealing to greed or ego, companies will offer resigning
employees promotions, additional training, more money or simply
promises of future consideration. They may also prey upon
the employee’s conflicting emotions by creating guilt
about the present (“How can you leave us at a time like
this?”) or uncertainty about the future (“We hear
the Justice Department is investigating them”).
Some
common tactics include:
- “We
haven’t given you the recognition you deserve; please
give us another chance”.
- “You’re
too valuable for us to lose.”
- “We
were just about to promote you (or give you a raise), but
we had to keep it confidential until now.”
- “The
grass isn’t always greener, you know. Why take the
chance?”
Counter-offers
can be very flattering. Before you fall victim to accepting
one , here are a few things to think about:
- Why
did you have to resign before they offered to give you what
you are worth?
- Where
is the additional money coming from? Is it simply your next
raise a few months early?
- Is
your employer “buying time” until a replacement
can be found?
- When
the next opportunity for promotion comes along, will the
company consider you as loyal as your competitors for the
position?
- Once
the word gets out, can your relationship with your co-workers
ever be the same?
- When
an economic slow-down occurs, will you be the first to go?
- Have
the same circumstances that caused you to consider a change
disappeared?
In fact,
statistics prove that nearly four out of five people who accept
counter-offers are gone within the first year – and
on their employer’s terms and timing.
Although
your employer may truly consider you to be an asset and may
genuinely care about you, your interests are secondary to
your boss’ career and your company’s profit. Counter-offers
are attempts to manipulate you to do something that is in
your employer’s best interests, not necessarily yours.
You should hold a steady course from the beginning and stick
with your decision to move on to a bigger and brighter future.
|
