You’ve just been offered a great new position, one that includes a 10 percent – or more – increase in your salary.
So you go to your current supervisor and tell him or her your good news. Your boss is shocked and doesn’t look all too happy. In fact, he or she says, “I can’t afford to lose you; let me see if I can do something to make you stay.”
And then a few days later your supervisor comes back to you with a counteroffer of a 12 percent salary increase – or more.
So you decide to stay.
This could be a very bad move. Here’s why:
When a supervisor says “I can’t afford to lose you,” it really means, “I can’t afford to lose you right now. Once I’m prepared, I’ll happily let you go and good riddance!”
Let’s investigate why this might be and why it’s almost always not a good idea to accept your current employer’s counter offer.
- First of all, remember that no one is irreplaceable. Your boss know this. The problem is that you’ve asked him or her to replace you at your convenience, not his.
- He or she may have a big project coming up, or the holidays are coming up and he or she needs you for the big push.
- The boss now knows you don’t want to be there. Your commitment to the company is now known to be weak. Guess who will be let go first during a lay off?
- As mentioned above, you’ll now be seen as someone who’s only there for the increased salary. Your dedication to the company will always be in question. Forget about being considered for important projects and/or promotions.
- Because you’ve let it be known that you wanted to leave, the company may be only too happy to comply and start looking for a replacement secretly. Then, when they have a great candidate, goodbye to you. And you won’t have that great offer from the other employer to fall back on.
If you’re at all waffling about whether or not you want to find another employer, think long and hard before accepting an offer. Once you accept an offer, accept it and make the move, no matter how much your supervisor may say he or she wants you to stay.
If you’re unhappy with some aspects of your position, but don’t really want to leave, it’s time to sit with you supervisor for a heart-to-heart about your career goals.
If you’re looking for new opportunities in the Inland Empire area, send your resume to the recruiters at Arrow Staffing. We look forward to hearing from you.
If you are looking for recruiters in Redlands CA, contact us today.