Jason Monastra

My life and thoughts out on the web

There is nothing easier to combat than the counter offer.  A simple and short term strategy employed by the current employer to retain key personnel in which they were not paying attention to in the first place.  Counter offers are tough to see through when the main motivational strategy for the employee is more pay.  They go through the hassle of securing a new role, offer the tough part of their resignation, and then are recoiled back into the fold with a simply paper signing and an few thousand dollars.

As a company recruiting talent, this will be the most common and easiest area of the recruitment process to combat.  First and foremost, address reasons and motivation for change in the beginning.  Ensure that interviewers are addressing the subject frequently throughout the process to ensure accuracy and do not work with people that simply want more money.  More money is a simple matter and there is normally reasons why that is their only motivation.  Look into the history and you will uncover other reasons why bringing that person on board might not be the best move.

Motivators are key and they can really strengthen your recruiting position if you address key areas of the potential employee.  If the employee is having issues at work with advancement and staying abreast of the technology, your company may provide the perfect next move and technology fit for where they are taking their career.  This all ties back to the counter offer.  Most of the time, some sort of counter offer will make its way around the table as the company about to lose their key asset realizes how hard it will be without them.  The band-aid approach of more money to pasify the employee is a cheap method of addressing a variety of issues, but is a catch all that they think speaks to the heart of the issues.  They are wrong.

Counter offers are wrong for the employee in so many ways.  Lets start with the majors:

Once you have accepted another role, to recant and then go back to your present employer burns the bridge with the offering company going forth.
When you accept the counter, the current employer knows your soft spot and will exploit you at any given time for their gain
If things slow down at your current employer, you will be one of the first on the chopping block as your faith with the company has been shattered and you have showed you only stick around for more money
The recruiter you worked with has friends.  He/She will definately speak to their counterparts letting them know of the situation.  It is a black list within the people in the industry.
More money never solves the other issues.  If money was the issue to begin with, then the company should not have been working with the person.  If not, the band aid approach will work for a moment, and the issues will begin to revisit the candidate soon after the spark of a raise has worn off.
Employers make sure that you are attracting the people with the right skills and the right motives.  If not, you are only setting yourself up for disappointment.  Candidates, be focused and diligent in your efforts.  Consider all the scenarios and circumstances, so when you make a choice it is the one that you stick with.

Happy hunting.