The key question that we must ask ourselves is: Can I grow professionally? Salary is important, but it should not be our only motivation. What we should really consider is welfare, professional growth and addressing the reason why we were seeking a change.
Reasons for leaving
Reasons that may lead us to leave a company to begin working with another are diverse and largely depend on the individual, but some of the more common reasons are professional projection, salary, flexible schedules, a change of job or company and philosophy. Humans naturally change and it is easy for us to discover, after a few years working in the same place, that the corporate culture of the company or the conditions that it offers us do not interest us or our current reality.
Making a comparison between both companies is a simple procedure to reach conclusions and to remember the reason why we have decided to make contact with a new company with the aim of growing professionally and also in our personal lives. Aspects such as location, remote work or a commitment to technology can be equally crucial in making a decision as a raise in salary or improved working conditions.
Your boss’ reaction
Probably when you break the news that you are leaving to your boss, they will be surprised and although it is possible that they accept your resignation and wish you all the best, normally they will try to get you to change your mind, resorting to several strategies. Below, we tell you several concerns that will come to your boss regarding you leaving and the reasons why they may offer you a counter-offer.
- Their leadership may be put into question, as you have decided to leave and if they let you resign, their boss or the company would probably doubt their management.
- The team will notice your absence, both personally and professionally. Morale will fall and they will probably have to do your work until a replacement is found.
- The volume of work is high and there aren’t enough staff, if you leave, the timings of the entire team will become confused.
- They cannot let you leave until they find a suitable replacement, training another person to your high working standard will be a problem and a waste of time and money.
- If you leave for the competition it is possible that they will be afraid you will talk to them about internal strategies or that you will provide competitive advantages.
The counter-offer
For all the aforementioned reasons, it is possible that your boss will try to convince you to stay, proposing a counter-offer. In many companies it is normal to propose a counter-offer with an improved salary and greater flexibility because for them it is easier to keep talent than to incorporate and train a new employee.
But accepting a counter-offer involves dangers that we would like to talk to you about so you have all the information you need available, before making a rash decision.
Doubts about your loyalty: From the moment that the company finds out that you have been listening to new offers and having interviews, they will never look at you in the same way. Both your bosses and your colleagues will always believe that you could do it again at any time.
Problems in professional growth: When the time comes to promote anyone in your department your boss will never forget that you were disloyal to the company and will probably offer this opportunity to your colleague, even if you deserve it more.
Danger of being fired: It is more than likely that if at any time they need to fire someone from the department, you will be first on the list. In addition, many companies propose a counter-offer with the aim of gaining more time to find a suitable replacement to then fire you later.
Feeling of being bought: When we accept money in exchange for staying in a place where we are not happy, we can feel the bitter sensation that we have been bought. In addition, this sudden increase in salary makes us see that our work was worth more and that they had been paying us a lower salary than what we deserve for our abilities.
There is no real change: They may have offered you a higher salary, but you will probably not notice any other changes, including the reasons why you decided to leave in the first place: you will continue to feel like you are doing the same work and that your relationship with your boss continues to be the same but with the added touch that now you are “the one who squeezed more money out of the boss”.
Statistics: Some 90% of candidates who stay at their company following a counter-offer leave, approximately in the following six months.
What about you? Would you be open to accepting a counter-offer? At Claire Joster we have a team of specialised consultants who work to help you find the job that really fits your professional and personal needs.