Hopefully this stage has been avoided but employers need to be aware that the higher the calibre of employee the more likely they are to be counter offered by their present employer.  You want the best and their employer wants to retain the best.  Every employer knows, recruiting and training new staff can be costly and time consuming; therefore, an employee’s current employer will be trying to make them reconsider their resignation, either by offering a financial incentive or a change to their role.

Abenefit2u always discuss the possibility of a counter offer with a candidate very early on.  From the first interview, we take detailed feedback to help us understand their reasons for leaving and motivations for new employment.  We discuss their thoughts on accepting an offer, should they reach that stage, from the very first interview with an employer.  When a candidate reaches offer stage, we should be able to say with confidence that they have shown enthusiasm throughout the campaign and be able to give you a very realistic idea of their remuneration expectations as well.

When we present an offer to a prospective employee, we will always discuss the potential counter offer with them, to gauge their thoughts and help them consider every eventuality and how to ‘dodge each hurdle’ since the resignation process is not always smooth sailing.  We keep in regular touch with candidates throughout their notice period to check that they are okay and a pay rise has not appeared ‘out of the blue’.

A counter offer can involve Salary increase, Additional benefits, Promotion, New job title, Additional responsibility or changes to an employee’s role.

To read more about the information and advice we provide to each candidate should they find themselves in a ‘Counter Offer’ situation please click here.

As statistics and our industry knowledge prove, accepting a counter offer is rarely a good career move for an employee, but they may not always realise this at the time.  There are always situations where no matter what you say or do; a candidate chooses to accept a counter offer.  By being prepared at every stage of the interview process and understanding their motivations, we can ensure the likelihood of this happening is minimal and that you only make an offer to a candidate who is truly committed to the role.