Be wary of the consequences. When you tell your boss that you are leaving for another sales or management job, they will most probably make a counter offer. These counter offers are made to pull you back but there are some questions that come to mind. Should you accept the counter offer? The answer is always a big fat NO! Why? Let’s look at a few reasons why it is never a good idea to accept counter offers:
1: You Will Feel Alienated
Chances are that your employer only made a counter offer, offering you a raise in a spur of the moment. There may be some big conference coming or a sales project underway that they may need you for but once the initial moments have passed, you will find your relationship with your employer and other fellow employees to be ‘not the same as before’. Word spreads fast and you will be known as the one who wanted to leave but stayed for the money. You are no longer a part of the inner circle and will be the first to get the boot when the company needs to make cutbacks.
2: Succession Planning Is Underway
It is a rule of thumb among employers that those who accept counter offers either quit or are booted out within a year. You may have accepted the counter offer but unbeknownst to you, the company only wanted more time to search for a better replacement. It is only a matter of time before you are on the hunt for a job.
3: You Chose to Leave in the First Place
There must be a reason or reasons why you decided to leave in the first place. Even though more money is always the motivation to find another job, there may be other factors too. There may be dislikes for the employees or the boss, workplace too far from home, insane deadlines to meet sales requirements, whatever the reason(s) may be, these things will remain the same even after you accept the counter offer. The boredom, irritation and the long travel fatigue will soon return once the shine of the raise wears off.
4: You Lose Credibility in the Eyes of the Other Potential Employer
The new employer was about to offer you more money and probably more benefits but you chose to accept the counter offer. You just put them through the whole hiring process only to turn them down. This is going to make it difficult for you to have them re-consider you in the future, something that you will most probably have to. If it was a company you would have liked to work at, you just closed a door towards a bright future.
There may be a time when accepting a counter offer would be a wise decision. There are exceptions but you need to be cautious and really think about the consequences before doing so.