What To Do With A Counter Offer

Submitted by mauzenne on Fri, 12/16/2011 - 18:23.
in

Our guidance on what to do when you receive a counter-offer.

As the economy heats up, those of you in professions where talent is short will receive multiple offers for new roles. In addition, when you try to resign, your current company will counter-offer. That is, they will offer you more money, benefits, training or a promotion to stay.

In some areas of the economy, this is already happening. In our experience, the first time most people are counter-offered, they don't know what to do. This guidance addresses that situation.


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artsmith222's picture
Submitted by artsmith222 on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 13:24.

I kind of, but knew of the risk

I don't know if this counts as a counter-offer. I volunteered to be let go and take my severance package. My boss's boss said no way. All I asked is that my contributions be considered valuable. I have noticed since then, the other managers seem to be nicer to me.

I had posted last year about a lot of challenges I was having post-merger: poor evaluation with no reason other than not having a supervisor, having so many people doubting if my project would work (I work in pharmaceuticals), my own department not agreeing with my path forward, and another department trying a different path forward. 2011 was very stressful for me.

Over the summer, we had an opportunity to volunteer to be laid off and take our severance - for me, 1 year with benefits, and full vesting into my pension (and I'm young). I submitted my name to HR. About that time, the data from the novel tests I found starting coming in, showing amazing results. A month later, I was talking to my boss's boss and he raised the issue. I told him I didn't like my performance rating and didn't like that everyone thought I was doing the wrong thing. He said he agreed with my rating because he wanted the project to move, and he said people do think I'm taking the project in the right direction. I said I just wanted my contributions to be considered valuable. He asked me what my boss thought of me volunteering to be laid off and I told him I had not told him. He said that working for my boss was probably pretty hard (Mark has commented before that my boss is a bad boss). So my boss's boss said let's keep it between the two of us and HR.  A few weeks later it was announced that all the HR people volunteered, so they were gone pretty soon too. 

I was prepared to leave (had nothing lined up), but I also was prepared to make my point. I knew there was a risk, and I thought about it, but I also knew my project was having amazing results now (used a model to show my product is likely better than one that currently sells over a billion dollars). Those results are because of all the prep work I've done, that people have shot me down for. I have noticed that most of the other managers in our group are being nicer to me, and my boss is a little more 

arynjosh's picture
Submitted by arynjosh on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 00:52.

That is the beauty of doing

That is the beauty of doing your job well. You will really reap what you will sow. - <A HREF="http://jamesstuckey.net">James Stuckey</A>
 

arynjosh's picture
Submitted by arynjosh on Tue, 09/18/2012 - 00:54.

That is the beauty of doing

That is the beauty of doing your job well. You will really reap what you will sow. - James Stuckey