1.) The company may not have appreciated you.
If you hand in your resignation and your company's knee-jerk reaction is to offer you more money or a new position to stay in, it may suggest that they previously knew your value but didn't want to give you the pay rise or promotion you deserved. If it takes you to have one foot out the door before the company offers the things you have been looking for, you should maybe start questioning the company's integrity and if they have your best interests at heart.
2.) The underlying motivation for seeking a new position does not disappear.
There are often many reasons for seeking a new job. It could be as simple as not enjoying the day-to-day duties of the position or the colleagues/managers you have within the business. Taking a counter that provides more salary may seem appealing at the start. However, it won't take long until the thrill of seeing more money in your paycheque wears off and the underlying motivations for wanting a new position to resurface.
3.) You could have been underpaid by your company
Many counteroffers include a hefty pay rise, which obviously can be very tempting. However, instead of being blinded by the dollar signs, you should be questioning why the company is ready to throw money at you to solve an issue. Where are they consistently underpaying you? Do your own market research by finding a salary guide for your position.
4.) Your loyalty to the company may be in question
If you expressed an interest in leaving a company and received a counteroffer. It doesn't matter how strong your relationships are with your manager, the leadership team, or colleagues. There will always be a question mark surrounding your long-term commitment to the company and your loyalty. Expressing an interest in leaving breaks that initial trust you once had and could mean you get overlooked for future promotions within the company.
5.) You will burn that bridge with your new employer
Accepting a counteroffer will always burn a bridge with the company you intended to join. Time is valuable, and companies generally deem candidates who receive a counteroffer after going through the application process as time-wasters. If you respect a company and aspire of joining them in the future, don't leave a bad taste in their mouth by pulling out at the final hurdle.
6.) Put yourself first and be selfish with your career development.
It will cost the company a lot of time and money to replace you. Therefore, you should expect that your current employer may make it difficult for you to resign, but keep in mind, they are doing what is easiest for them and not necessarily what is in your best interest.
7.) Broken promises
Companies will promise you anything as they try to persuade you to remain with them. Unfortunately, although they might mean these promises at the time, the minute you are no longer leaving, the pressure on them to deliver is gone, and the promises often fail to materialize.
8.) Unfulfilled long terms career goals.
Counteroffers are always short-term solutions and often made in desperation. If you value the long-term trajectory of your career, why would you accept a counteroffer that has just been thrown together in the few days since you expressed an interest in leaving?
9.) Your subsequent pay rise may be a long time coming
If a company has just given you a raise to stay with them. You can most likely assume you won't be seeing another pay rise for at least 9-12 months.
10.) 50% of people who accept counteroffers leave within the first 12 months
A staggering 50% of people who accept counteroffers leave the company within the next 12 months anyway. This could have been for many of the reasons we have discussed. Always consider the long-term picture and not just the short-term gain associated with a counteroffer.
