Research has shown that counter job offers are on the increase so do not be surprised if your Company makes a counter-offer to entice you to stay – in the short term it is cheaper & less disruptive for them to appease existing staff with increased salaries or titles rather than hire someone new.

As counter job offers are meant to confuse you and create buyer’s remorse they are typically made in conjunction with some form of flattery, such as:

• You’re too valuable and we need you
• We were just about to give you a promotion & pay rise and it was confidential until now
• Who are you joining? What did they offer? What do you need to stay?
• The MD / CEO wants to meet with you before you make your final decision.

Counter job offers are formulaic because they are a panic measure – they are often a result of your immediate manager not wanting to “look bad” or reacting badly to “being dumped” and wanting to regain control; as such they will always include some of the following:

• More money
• A promised promotion or promise of more responsibility in the near future
• A modified reporting structure
• Disparaging remarks about the new company or job
• Guilt inducing pleas for you to stay

When listening to the counter job offer remind yourself of why you wanted to leave originally and ask yourself the following questions:

• “Whose career is most important to this person, mine or theirs?”
• “What are their motivations for wanting me to stay?”

National surveys consistently report that in excess of 60% of employees who accept a counter-offer are back on the job market within 36 weeks, normally for one of the following reasons:

• They realise that they are no longer trusted and hence have no prospects
• The company have re-assigned their responsibilities and made them redundant
• The extra pay / title / reporting structure / perks awarded are not commercially viable, leading to redundancy
• The underlying reasons they were looking to move have not changed

Whilst some job counter offers appear genuine and look like an excellent opportunity, remember that a counteroffer isn’t about what’s best for you, it’s about what’s best for the company.