Congratulations! You’ve found your new job – got through the interview without anyone at work finding out, got the offer and handed your notice in. Now your boss wants to talk about it and you wonder if a counter offer is on the cards. You may be certain there’s nothing they could offer you to stay on, or you could be uncertain about what you want to do. So how do you decide what to do if you get a counter offer?

Why are you leaving? This is important. If you’re leaving simply because you don’t get paid enough, is a pay rise enough to get you to stay? After all, you like the team, the work is okay, it just comes down to the money in the bank every month. In that case, think carefully about the counter offer – how does it compare to the package on offer at the new job. You know the company, how likely is it you will get a pay rise again next year without too much fuss? If you’re leaving because you hate the work, the team, your boss or all of the above, will more money change that? If you’re leaving because you truly hate the environment and the work, more money isn’t going to change that either. But what if they offer more flexible working, work from home or more days leave? Will that mean you can cope with the other irritants that made you think about looking for another job? Think carefully about this, as you will be doing the same job, with the same boss and team.

If you are considering accepting the counter offer though, there’s a few other things to beware of. Ask yourself why the company want you to stay. Is a project near completion and they wouldn’t have the time or resources to recruit and train someone now? Or do they genuinely love you and want you to be happy? If it’s the latter, why has it taken until you handing in your notice for them to change their mind about your pay rise or flexible working request?

Also, how will you move past this? Unless you are exceptionally lucky, your new role isn’t the first one you’ve applied for. There’s likely to have been a good number of applications, maybe a few interviews to find the right offer. All that time was spent for good reason, and moving forward, your integrity and loyalty to the company might be in question. Need a morning off for an emergency dentist appointment in 3 months time? Be prepared for your colleagues and your boss to question this behind your back. Will this affect any future promotions or pay rises?

So how do you decide? If you are firm in your decision to move on, reaffirm this to your boss, thank them for the offer but explain you are leaving for the new opportunity. If you decide to stay on, be prepared to have to work that much harder than your colleagues to win back your boss’s trust – your resignation won’t have been forgotten quickly. Think about how this could possibly affect your day to day working life with colleagues and any future prospects with your company. Also consider what will happen in a few months time. If your companies promises don’t materialize, are you going to be back to square one looking for another job and re-interviewing? At least you can knock off the company you turned down to stay in your current role – there’s an extremely good chance they won’t entertain another application from you.

What’s this got to do with The Wage Shop?

Don’t forget once you’ve landed that role, The Wage Shop are on hand to make sure you’re paid correctly, on time and manage all your tax and national insurance requirements. So you can focus on working hard whatever you decide to do.

We also offer a Payment Advance service so you can access your money when you need it. Head over to the website for more details, or Contact Us to register.