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The pros and cons of accepting a counteroffer
Dear Joan:
After college I worked for a small family business for two years and then
elected to move on. Upon my resignation, the owner made the comment, �We could
buy you out of this decision.� My decision to leave was not based on money, so I
still elected to move.
After two years at my second employer, the situation at my first employer
changed, to the point where they needed someone. The first employer contacted me
and made me an offer I could not refuse. I have been on my second stint with my
first employer now for seven years.
I am now looking at options to move on again; a promotion beyond the small,
family business. What, if any, is a good way to handle the possibility of the
family offering to �buy me out of this decision�?
Is it unusual for a perspective employee to go back to a potential employer,
after an offer has been made and/or accepted and say, �My current employer
doesn�t want me to go and has countered your offer?�
Answer:
Consider this analogy: Imagine that you have been in a committed relationship
for several years. Your partner announces that she has been pursued by someone
else and she is considering leaving you to join him. He can offer her a richer
lifestyle, so in an effort to keep her, you offer her a pricey diamond necklace,
to entice her to stay. Even if she stays, you will always have the nagging doubt
in your mind about her loyalty. If she was tempted once, she�ll be tempted
again. If she leaves for the richer offer, the new boyfriend will also doubt her
real commitment. Either way, both suitors will question her loyalty�she may
leave for the next highest bidder.
Okay, I know it�s a bit of a stretch to compare a personal commitment to a
business commitment, but employers can take some employee departures quite
personally. In some extreme cases, I�ve even seen business owners and managers
react bitterly, as if the person betrayed their trust and is a traitor for
leaving them to work somewhere else. Although that seems a bit bizarre in this
free agent marketplace, people are still people, especially when close working
relationships are formed.
Even if a counter offer is made and accepted, it often doesn�t sit well. For
example, in one organization, the company was desperate to keep a key employee,
because he knew so much about their technical system. They made a counter offer
and he stayed. The company realized their vulnerability if he left, so they
immediately contracted with a search firm to find someone they could hire as his
replacement. Of course, the company shouldn�t have gotten into that pickle in
the first place and should have been developing other potential replacements all
along. Unfortunately, the employee was never viewed as a long-term player after
that.
Employers make counter offers if they think money is the reason for leaving. It
wasn�t the case before and it�s not the case now. Because you returned after
circumstances changed, your original employer probably felt proud and reassured.
When employees return, they often think, �Well, she learned her lesson and
realizes how good she had it.� Employers love to tell stories about the people
who left and came back. (It is a little like romance isn�t it?)
If you are ready to move on and you don�t want to entertain a counter offer, be
clear about it when you announce your intentions. For example, you might say,
�I�ve learned so much here and I�ve never been sorry I came back to work here.
But I think the time is right for me to move on and apply my skills in a new
environment. I think it will keep me fresh and learning new ways to do things. I
have always appreciated the fact that this company welcomed me back, but I think
it�s time to move on and try something new.�
Your manager is likely to be pleased with the seven years you re-invested and
will probably wish you well. In fact, there may be colleagues who will be eager
to compete for your job.
It�s okay to tell your potential employer that a counter offer has been made,
but don�t play games with them, or you could lose their offer. Decide in advance
if you want the new job, because they may not be willing to get into a bidding
war. If you try to manipulate the situation beyond their tolerance level, you
could even lose them both.
With the economy heating up and the labor pool looking slim until at least 2010,
we will once again see a demand for employees in many fields. I doubt we�ll see
the days of BMW�s as signing bonuses, like we did in the �90�s, but counter
offers will likely proliferate. Before you offer one or take one, just remember
to think beyond the bucks, and consider the lingering feelings after the deal is
done.
JoanLloyd has a solid track record of excellent results. Her firm,
JoanLloyd
& Associates, specializes in leadership
development, organizational change and teambuilding. This includes executive
coaching, 360-degree feedback processes, customized leadership training,
conflict resolution between teams or individuals,
internal consulting skills training for HR professionals and retreat
facilitation. Clients report results such as: behavior
change in leaders, improved team performance and a more committed
workforce.
JoanLloyd has earned her C.S.P. (certified speaking professional) designation
from the National Speakers Association and speaks to corporate audiences, as
well as trade & professional associations across the country. Reach her at (800)
348-1944, mailto:info@joanlloyd.com, or
www.JoanLloyd.com
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