Never accept a counter offer
A subject I find myself coming back to time and again when talking with people about their future career.
You have been with the same company for many years, you do your job well, you obey the rules and to an extent you are comfortable in your position. Then you find out that you are doing more work than newer employees and that you are receiving less in benefits or pay.
This triggers the desire to take a step back and look at how you are going to advance your career to suit your changing needs and aspirations. Many people will talk to their line managers and ask about promotion and a well-deserved increase in pay; for some the negotiations go well and a successful result is achieved. For others the offer is derisory and makes them all the more determined to find a new position.
With the right help a new opportunity arises, one that offers you the chance to really advance your career and increase your reward both financially and personally.
Armed with your new offer it is time to resign; it is very likely your company knew you were looking after your previous negotiations, however they never expected you to resign as you are a major contributor to the well-being of the organisation.
As soon as your resignation is handed over your company realises that you leaving will create a vacuum; because no one has your skills or can work as efficiently as you. Immediately the counter offer wheels will start turning.
You are told that since your last, failed negotiation, they have been working hard behind the scenes to meet your demands, but they couldn’t tell you. They now have an improved offer of more money, more responsibility, a better title, a company car shorter hours and anything else they can throw at you to stay.
This is now the most dangerous position for you to be in, you know the company, you are worried about the unknown new company, you feel unsure.
You must now be sensible and look to the future by looking back at the past; why did you look around? Because you have been taken for granted, your pay has dropped behind newer employees, you have been passed over for promotion and you have learned nothing new for a long time.
Once you have made the decision to leave you should never accept a counter offer, no matter how good it appears.
What to expect should you accept a counter offer. First off the company will now distrust you and any future prospects will be limited. It may not be immediately obvious and it may take time to surface. The company will start training someone else for your position should you decide to go in the future. The company will know that you can be bought and they will take full advantage of this knowledge by leaving you out of important decision making.
In many ways this is where the United Kingdom is today, our Prime Minister has spent time at the conference table trying to renegotiate a deal to improve the lot of the British people and he has come away with crumbs.
These crumbs are supposed to influence the British voter on their decision as to whether we remain part of the EU or if we pull out and go it alone. There are benefits on remaining a member of the EU and there are benefits on leaving.
Whatever the outcome of the referendum will be the decision must be final, if it is to stay then we must embrace Europe and become a full member and stop all the moaning about it. If on the other hand the vote is to leave then we must go and stand alone.
I suspect if the vote is to leave the EU then the EU commission will try and renegotiate a new deal and start promising us everything, plus things that haven’t been asked for. Like the individual accepting a counter offer we will open ourselves up to ridicule and we will lose any influence we may have had. Other members will know that we are spineless and they will have no respect for us.
There are many similarities between an individual resigning and us leaving the EU, but no matter what; my advice is the same “NEVER ACCEPT A COUNTER OFFER”.
The times they are a changing.
If you require help on how to resign then get in contact with me anytime.
