The JobSync Blog
Rejecting a Counteroffer
January 9, 2012
With the new year well underway, job hunting can also be expected to pick up. Which means more interviews, more job offers and… possibly a counteroffer from your current boss. It’s good to be wanted, right?
Not always.
According to a recent piece on U.S. News & World Report’s website, you should exercise extreme caution before accepting a counteroffer from your present employer. Chances are, your old company has a good reason for offering you more money, time off, and other perks, and they may not be in your best long-term interest (and this also applies if you are simply quitting without a new job to go to). No company wants to see a solid worker leave and then have to contend with the cost and aggravation of recruiting and retraining your replacement. And your departure could hurt your boss’s record – keeping you around a bit longer may give him an opportunity to find your replacement on his terms.
Sometimes accepting a counteroffer can be a good move, but keep these six concerns in mind before you do:
1. Quitting made you more valuable to your company. So, you’re only appreciated and considered for a raise when you decide to walk? This doesn’t speak well of how you were treated there nor bode well for your future at the company.
2. Things won't change. Oh sure, there may be a short honeymoon period, but soon the 7-week itch will set in and you’ll realize the misery that sparked your job search in the first place hasn’t changed.
3. You may be shunned by your boss and fellow employees. It’s only a matter of time before your boss becomes resentful, suspicious, and distrustful of you. And you can bet your colleagues will know how you got your raise and other benefits and hold it against you.
4. Job security will diminish. If layoffs hit your company down the road, you’ll be at the top of the list to be axed. Why? Your company wanted you to stay for its benefit, and should things head south, your superiors will remember how dispensable you once considered them.
5. Why stay when you’ll eventually leave the company anyway? According to a survey from recruiting firm CyberCoders, 80% of employees leave a company within nine months after accepting a counteroffer.
6. Another company believes in you and your worth. And your present employer doesn’t. Need we say more?
Chances are, the suddenly greener pastures at your old company are not as green as those at your new employer’s, so you might as well ride into the sunset of your new job.
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