Why you should never accept a counter offer after resigning

It might sound odd (especially to Singaporeans who value salary over everything else) but if your boss offers you more money to stay when you resign, your answer should always be “no, thank you. I’m moving on”.

Why? Well, there are a few very clear reasons why your decision to resign from any job should be fair and final.

1. Before making your decision to resign, you should have weighed up your options

Why did you want to resign in the first place? While there might be numerous signs that it’s time to find a new job, you should have thought these over well in advance of any decision to hand in your notice.

There are some issues or problems that can be resolved by talking to your manager or HR, and some that might be too hard to fix. Either way, your decision to leave should not have come lightly, and your final reasoning will be based on a fair analysis of your concerns.

2. Ask yourself: “Why is my boss offering me more money only now that I am leaving?”

If you weren’t valued enough to get more money when you previously asked for it, then why is your manager so keen to pay you more to stick around now?

The answer is simple: you haven’t suddenly become more valuable because of your skills, personality or potential, but your departure could create problems, distractions and issues for your manager that he or she can’t be bothered to deal with.

If you were worth more money to the company, your resignation shouldn’t be the first time you hear about an opportunity to earn more. If you accept on these terms, we can almost guarantee you’ll still end up in the same position (and resigning again) six months down the track.

3. If you are second-guessing your resignation, then why did you accept your new job?

You took time to identify the reasons you wanted to leave, as well as the reasons to accept the new job your are going to. You tried to fix any problems at your current job long before arriving at your decision, and now you’re wavering? Why?

Money should never, ever be the only reason you stay in a job or take another one. It’s a recipe for disaster and an unhappy professional life. Don’t let your ego win - just because you’re being offered more money doesn’t mean your deal-breakers are going to be fixed or changed. Stay secure in your decision - you made it for a reason (or two!)

If you’re still not sure about what to do with a counter offer, ask yourself this question before giving your boss an answer:

“If I take more money to stay, will all my other problems and issues with my job or the workplace also be miraculously fixed?”

We think you know the answer.