3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Accept Counteroffers When You Give Your Boss Notice

So you’ve landed a new job and typed your resignation notice. You tell your boss you’re leaving, and he says something like, “Wait. We want to keep you.” He or she comes back the next day with a counteroffer that makes you think twice. But should you consider it? Here are three reasons why you shouldn’t:

1. You probably already tried to fix the issues that made you want to leave, and fixing just did not happen.
Common reasons for people to leave jobs include lack of a salary raise, a lengthy commute and boredom. In the case of a salary raise, suppose you proposed it and were told it just wasn’t possible for whatever reason. Now your boss is saying the company will do it. Why should you turn that down? Simply put, because your departing would create more headaches for the company (posting job ads, hiring someone new, etc.) as opposed to handing you a raise. It’s not that you’ve suddenly become vitally important to the company.

2. The counteroffer could be a way for the company to buy time while they find your replacement.
Once your current employer knows you want to leave, it’s lost some trust in you. A counteroffer entices you to stay while your boss finds someone to replace you, a strategy that reflects better on him or her than you simply quitting. Meanwhile, you’ve lost any currency you had with company loyalty and are less likely to be seen as a team player.

3. You need to maintain your reputation as a professional.
When you agree to work with a new company, breaking that agreement is a huge breach of trust that can be seen as unprofessional. You could be dooming your chances of ever working with that company if you rescind your job acceptance. Companies should have policies in place already so that they don’t need to make counteroffers, which is a form of coercion.