Counteroffer

Out you go!

There seems to be some confusion regarding counteroffers today.  Are counteroffers a good tactic or career suicide?

First, let me explain what a counteroffer is.  A counteroffer is the leveraging of a job offer to extort more money from your current employer.  Counteroffers typically happen because some people hate change which  makes this option more appealing.

Usually, a job candidate that has gone through the process of finding a new job is serious about change.  Most candidates have integrity when accepting a job offer; they simply tell their current employer and give two weeks notice.   I use the word “integrity” because the counteroffer tactic is taking advantage of one employer to leverage their current employer for more money.

If this person is a key employee it’s sometimes like putting a gun to their head.  That is one of the reasons why employers will offer you more money or even a better job title.  The truth however is quite different than you think.

Replacing someone

that quits can be a major situation. Replacing someone starts a chain reaction that your employer needs to work out. How are we going to find someone new?  Who are we going to train?  What is this going to cost? How are we going to cover in the mean time?  All these things put them in a place that quite frankly is difficult.  The answer to this is to pay you off to get you to stay.

This option now puts the ball back in the court of the employers.  Let me now tell you what is happening behind the scenes after this job killing move.  Your employer is now in the process of their own time looking to replace the traitor.  OH YEAH!  You need to know the feelings that employers have after paying someone off to stay.  You are not a team player and studies have been done to prove what will happen to you. When a slow down comes you will be first to go.  They will find someone to replace you and most likely for less money.

It’s certainly not because you can’t be replaced.  I know some people that worked for me thought that but 20 years later I’m still here!  Paying you off is just easier to put out the fire and to get you to stay. Replacing you will happen in due time in a more manageable and cost effective manner.  If I was a job candidate that just went through this tactic of extorting money from my employer I wouldn’t be sticking my chest out with a feeling of grandeur!

Recently we had a counteroffer

situation with a candidate that one of our clients wanted to hire.  Our candidate felt it was only right to go to their current employer to explain the situation before accepting the new job offer.  She/he said it was out of courtesy that they do this even though the offer was more than what was expected.  SURE!  Just like if the shoe was on the other foot.  Don’t all companies go to their employees out of courtesy and ask them if it’s OK to be let go?  “Sure Mr. Employer I don’t mind you firing me today, not at all!”  Isn’t this the protocol for every firing?

At JTL Services, Inc. we vet every candidate before sending them out on interview.  We want to make sure that everyone we send out is truly looking for a better opportunity.  The last thing we want to do is to waste anyone’s time with someone that is just playing a game.  And I know some people will tell me that’s not the case, “you can’t say that…blah blah blah!”  It’s a GAME!

Is this tactic

a smart move for the candidate or a really stupid move?  Whether you feel some moral obligation to warn your employer that you have another opportunity and was it OK to take it? My answer is that you need to decide the why.  Before you entertain the thought of sending your resume out you need to know why.  Are you growing in your career? What about your compensation?  Do you feel like 99% of everyone else in that you are underpaid?  Keep in mind it’s not you who is underpaid, it’s just the job task value.  Is the environment a good one for continual growth?  Is there anymore upside for you to stay or to look?  Once you conclude that where you are staying is not good for you then the decision is over.  You made it and all before wasting anyone’s time.  The rest is all about evaluating what is out there and finding what you are looking for.

All I can say is I have seen and have been witness to a lot of really stupid decisions.  Twenty years of staffing will give you some insight of some crazy decisions.  Taking a counteroffer is really career suicide.