Our guest blogger is Tanya Sobti of Arnold Group Australia in Melbourne, Australia. Arnold Group Australia has been a member of NPAworldwide since 2004. Arnold Group Australia has a number of specialist divisions that provide recruitment services in safety, injury management, general insurance, broking, sales and marketing, and shared service.
I recently had a counteroffer situation which has prompted me to put my thoughts on paper.
In my opinion, most people decide to look for a new job due to one of two reasons: the push and pull factor come into play here. These reasons are:
- Seeking new challenges or career growth — essentially the “pull” into a more enticing opportunity and a positive environment.
- The lack of financial rewards and career growth, poor culture etc. — essentially factors that “push” you to seek an environment that is better.
The cost of replacing an employee, especially in a candidate-short market, can be quite high. Hence, some employers make counteroffers to save themselves the trouble of recruiting a replacement and do everything they can do to keep the current incumbent. Sometimes these counteroffers are accepted. However, the statistics are 80% of these employees leave the organization within 6 months because the real reasons for wanting to leave have not disappeared.
Once you’ve made your employer know you’re not happy, it’s never the same again. From this day forward you will always be considered a fidelity risk. Having once demonstrated your lack of loyalty (for whatever reason), you are likely to lose your status as a “team player” and your place in the inner circle. Counteroffers are only made in response to a threat to quit. Will you have to solicit an offer and threaten to quit every time you deserve better working conditions?
Accepting a counter offer rarely eliminates the factors that drove you to look for a new job in the first place. Even in the rare instance that these factors were resolved, why did it take a resignation for you to get better working conditions, career progression, salary raise etc.? Did your employer not think it was worth it before?
Counteroffers should never be accepted….EVER! Those very few instances where accepting a counter offer is beneficial occur just about as frequently as being struck by lightning.
