A counter offer is an offer from your current employer to rival the new offer you have received. Most often, people who accept a counter offer leave their current employer within 6-12 months anyway.

There are numerous factors to consider when receiving a counter offer. At Lloyd Harrington we believe that it would be beneficial to consider these factors when contemplating a counter offer:

• Is this offer what you really want? Has anything within the company actually changed, and will you have the same standing within the company? The real reason you are leaving the company may not have been addressed. 
• How would the acceptance of a counter offer affect your standing with your would-be employers at the new organisation? If you accept the counter offer it is likely that the new company will not look at employing you in the future if you decide to eventually leave. 
• Although a counter offer is often flattering, there may be other reasons that the company wants to keep you other than personal reasons. Remember that replacing an employee can be expensive, they may not have time to recruit or want you to finish the project you are currently working on and losing staff might reflect badly on your boss. 
• You should question why they are only offering you what you deserve now, rather than before your resignation. Don't be naïve - look at where the money for the pay rise is coming from - is it your next pay rise early? 
• More than likely your employer will actively start seeking for prospective candidates to replace you even if you accept the counter offer and you may have burnt your bridges elsewhere which will make it more difficult to secure other employment. 
• Your employer now knows that you are unhappy after the initial resignation. It is highly possible that if you accept the counter offer your loyalty will always be in question - when promotions come around your employer will remember who was loyal and who wasn't. When the going gets tough for the company, it is also possible that you may be at the top of the list for lay-offs.
• Co-workers are also aware of company dealings, and when it is found out that you were going to leave the company, the relationship you have shared with your peers will no longer be the same.

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