No one goes hunting for a new role if they are 100% satisfied with their current situation. In order for someone to go looking, or to be swayed to look at an opportunity there is at least one detail that they would like changed regarding their working circumstances. Be it lack of professional development, the frustrated journey to work in peak hour traffic, unsatisfied with unwarranted pressure or endless experiences with toxic team members, there is something that has made them look for a better opportunity.

They then spend several hours interviewing with a prospective employer after customising an application, along with all the research involved to determine if the company is worth their time.

They have decided they want to leave their current employer, and now you are ready to hand in their notice. During their meeting with their boss, they notify them of the decision to join another company. The response is “let’s talk about this”, “where are you going?”, “why are you leaving”, “I had a lot planned for you”, “we are changing”, “can I offer you an extra $10k to stay”, “let me come back to you”….the list goes on. But does this change what you really want? And does it solve the reason you walked into your bosses office with a resignation letter in your hand?

There are many reasons for you not to take a counter offer, here are a few:

1. Money is a short term fix, and you must think long term. Can you put up with the working conditions for another ten years for money?
2. Your bosses best outcome is to keep you so they are not in immediate pain rather than lose you and be behind the eight ball. He/she will have their own best interests in mind, and could just be biding their time to find a suitable replacement before managing you out on their terms.
3. If you accept a counteroffer, most cases show that within 3-6 months you will be looking to leave again, because the promises made or extra money offered wont fix the reason you decided to leave in the first place, and more times than not, what is promised during the counter is not delivered in its entirety.
4. Superior opportunities rarely come knocking; you have to take your opportunity when you get it or miss out.
5. Your working environment will never be as comfortable again. Your organisation will always have at the back of their minds that you want to leave, and though you may try your best to smooth everything over, your loyalty will always be in question.
6. You have to ask yourself why you did not get offered that promotion or pay rise before resigning. Is this the company you want to work for who waits until the 11th hour to give you what you requested for during the last two appraisals? Ask yourself what kind of company waits until you threaten to leave before agreeing to pay you what you are worth or change the working conditions? Did they not value you? Or were they happy to take advantage of you?
7. When promotion time comes around your boss will remember who was loyal, and who was not, and you will most likely not be a front contender for the role.
8. When times get tough, and your boss makes redundancies, you will be the first to go, after all, you have already made it clear you want to leave.
9. Your company is likely to be looking for your replacement immediately, in case you decide to resign again which they will expect. Once they find someone you might be the one who trains them up before they make you redundant.

Should you take that counter offer? In most cases NO. Yet, every now and then there might be a really good reason to stay, but be very careful here. Continually remind yourself of the reasons you have decided to leave as this will help you to not get persuaded to stay and therefore be stuck. Remember, this is your career, and you have every right to make the most of it and be happy! Employment is a contract, not an obligation. When times get tough, employers will make business decisions based on what is best for the company, not the individual, so in turn, resignations and counteroffers should be what you want, not the company who may one day see you as disposable.

Approach your resignation with a sense of confidence and control, verbalise your appreciation for what you have achieved together and notify them of your decision to move on and to make the transition a positive one. You need not feel guilty, and it’s best not to engage in a discussion about it, simply get in and get out to avoid making a decision you regret. The reasons you have decided to leave won’t change!

Written by Charles Ferraro; Senior Recruiter (Building)