Handing in your notice can sometimes lead to an unexpected response: a counter offer.
More money, a new title, better benefits or promises of greater responsibility can make staying seem very attractive. After all, moving jobs always involves an element of risk, while staying means remaining somewhere familiar, only now on better terms.
But before accepting, it is worth thinking carefully about what made you consider leaving in the first place.
Why Are You Leaving?
For most people, the decision to look for a new role does not happen overnight.
It may be down to salary, but often there is more to it: limited progression, frustration with leadership, lack of recognition, workload, company culture or simply the feeling that it is time for something new.
A counter offer may improve your salary immediately, but it will not necessarily change the wider situation.
If you were unhappy with your progression, for example, will that genuinely change? If you felt overlooked before resigning, why did it take your resignation for the issue to be addressed?
These are worth considering before making a decision.
More Money Can Be Difficult to Turn Down
Salary is one of the main reasons counter offers are so tempting.
If your employer suddenly offers a significant increase, it is natural to question whether moving is still the right choice.
However, it is important to compare the two opportunities as a whole.
A new position may offer better long-term progression, wider responsibility, stronger leadership, exposure to a different market or the chance to develop skills that are difficult to gain in your current role.
The extra money on the table today may not necessarily be the better option for your career two or three years from now.
Things May Feel Different After You Resign
Another point that is sometimes overlooked is how the relationship with your employer may change.
Once you have resigned, they know that you have considered leaving and, in many cases, have already accepted another opportunity.
That does not automatically mean the relationship will become difficult. Many employers handle counter offers professionally and genuinely want to retain good people.
But it can affect the dynamic.
Questions around commitment may come up later, particularly when businesses are making decisions around succession, promotion or investment in key individuals.
You should also consider how you will feel if the changes discussed during your resignation do not happen as quickly as expected.
Be Clear About What Is Actually Being Offered
A counter offer is sometimes more than a salary increase.
You may hear that a promotion is coming, that responsibilities will change or that greater flexibility can be arranged.
If these things are important to your decision, make sure you understand exactly what has been agreed.
There is a big difference between being told that something is likely to happen and having a clear plan in place.
If your decision to stay depends on a new role, revised package or change in responsibilities, those details should be clear before you withdraw from another opportunity.
Staying Can Still Be the Right Choice
Accepting a counter offer is not always a mistake.
Sometimes an employer had not realised that someone was unhappy or felt undervalued. A resignation can bring issues to the surface and lead to a genuine change.
If the reasons you wanted to leave have been addressed and you can still see a strong future with the business, staying may be the right decision.
The important thing is to make sure you are staying because the role now works for you — not simply because leaving suddenly feels uncomfortable.
Look Back at Your Original Decision
Before accepting a counter offer, go back to the point when you decided to look elsewhere.
What were you hoping to find in your next role?
What was missing from your current position?
And has the counter offer actually changed those things?
It is easy for a higher salary or a last-minute promise to influence a decision that may have taken months to reach.
At Alfa Executive Solutions, we regularly speak with professionals who find themselves weighing up a counter offer against a new opportunity.
There is no single answer that applies to everyone. But looking beyond the immediate financial incentive and considering the reasons behind your original decision will usually give you a much clearer picture of what is right for your career.