The Counteroffer: What You Need to Know

You’ve interviewed. You’ve received the offer. You’ve thought it through and decided you’re ready for something new.

Then you resign. And your employer asks you to stay.

Maybe they offer you more money. A promotion. A better title. More flexibility. New responsibilities. Or perhaps they promise to address some of the things that made you consider leaving in the first place.

Suddenly, a decision you thought you had already made feels complicated again.

Welcome to the counteroffer.

What is a counteroffer?

A counteroffer is an attempt by your current employer to convince you to stay after you’ve resigned or told them you intend to leave.

It can take many forms, including:

• + A salary increase
• + A promotion or new title
• + Additional vacation or flexibility
• + Changes to your responsibilities
• + A different reporting structure
• + Promises of future advancement or opportunities

Sometimes it is a formal offer. Other times, it may simply be a conversation about what would need to change for you to reconsider leaving.

And when it comes from an employer you know, colleagues you care about and a workplace that feels familiar, it can be incredibly tempting.

As marketing and communications recruiters, we see this conversation play out from both sides. And one of the biggest mistakes candidates can make is evaluating the counteroffer in isolation instead of comparing it with the reasons they wanted to leave. 

Why do employers make counteroffers?

There is an obvious reason: they don’t want to lose a valued employee.

But there are also practical, less personal considerations, too.

Replacing someone takes time and money. Your departure may leave an immediate skills gap, increase the workload for the rest of the team, disrupt an important project or force your manager to begin a recruitment process they weren’t expecting.

Keeping you may be significantly easier, and significantly cheaper, than replacing you.

That doesn’t mean your employer’s appreciation isn’t genuine. It does mean you should separate why the company wants you to stay from why staying is the right decision for you.

Those are two different questions.

Before you say yes to a counteroffer 

Before you even consider a counteroffer, it’s worth going back to the beginning.

Why did you start looking for another job in the first place?

People rarely make significant career moves for one reason alone.

Maybe you wanted more room to grow. Perhaps you weren’t happy with the leadership, culture or direction of the organization. Maybe you wanted different responsibilities or work that felt more aligned with where you want your career to go.

A raise can make staying more attractive. It doesn’t necessarily change those things.

There are a few other questions worth considering.

Why did it take your resignation for things to change?

If you’re being offered a promotion, raise or opportunity you’ve wanted for some time, it’s reasonable to ask yourself why those changes only became possible once you announced you were leaving. 

That doesn’t automatically make the offer disingenuous, but it is being made in response to your decision to leave, not necessarily because something fundamental about your role or workplace has changed. 

A counteroffer may change the offer, not the job

More money, a better title or promises of future opportunities can be appealing in the moment. But once the initial excitement wears off, you’re still returning to the same organization, leadership, culture and working environment you had decided to leave.

And the reasons that led you to explore other opportunities in the first place may still be there.

That’s the bigger risk of accepting a counteroffer: it can make your current job more attractive without necessarily making it better.

Your resignation may change the relationship

There’s another factor to consider: once you’ve resigned, your employer knows you were prepared to leave.

Even if you accept a counteroffer and stay, it may be difficult to completely reset that relationship. Your manager, and leadership, now know you were actively considering opportunities elsewhere, and that may influence future conversations about succession planning, promotions, long-term projects or investment in your development.

And while every employer is different, it’s worth recognizing that the relationship may not feel exactly the same after you’ve disclosed that you were prepared to leave. 

When might a counteroffer actually make sense 

Accepting a counteroffer isn’t automatically a bad decision.

If the main reason you’re leaving really is compensation, and your employer is prepared to address that in a meaningful and sustainable way, staying may be worth considering.

The same could be true if you’ve been offered a different role, reporting structure or scope that genuinely changes the job, not simply a short-term incentive to keep you from leaving.

Before saying yes, ask yourself:

• + Does this address the reason I started looking?
• + Is the change specific and confirmed, not just a promise?
• + Would I have wanted these changes if I hadn’t resigned?
• + Am I staying because the job is genuinely better, or because leaving suddenly feels uncomfortable?

The goal isn’t to reject every counteroffer. It’s to make sure you’re saying yes to a better situation, not simply saying no to change. 

Before you respond to the counteroffer, go back to your original list.

Why did you start looking?

• + Compensation?
• + Growth?
• + Leadership?
• + Culture?
• + Work-life balance?
• + Scope?
• + Career direction?
• + Lack of recognition?
• + Something else?

Then ask: Which of those things has actually changed? 

How to handle your resignation

Once you’ve accepted a new role, your resignation should be clear, professional and final.

Go into the conversation prepared for the possibility that your employer may try to persuade you to stay. That can make an already emotional conversation feel even more complicated.

The important thing is to remember how you got here. There were reasons you chose to explore new opportunities, and you ultimately found one you considered carefully and chose to accept.

Your resignation is the final step in that decision, not the beginning of a new negotiation.

When you resign:

• + Be appreciative of the opportunities and experience you’ve had.
• + Clearly communicate that you have accepted another position and are moving on.
• + Avoid getting drawn into a lengthy discussion about what it would take to make you stay.
• + Follow up with your resignation in writing.
• + Offer to support a smooth transition during your notice period.

Leaving a job can be uncomfortable, particularly when your employer makes it clear they want you to stay. But discomfort doesn’t mean you’ve made the wrong decision.

Don’t let familiarity make the decision for you

Starting a new job comes with uncertainty.

You know your current boss. You know your colleagues. You know where everything is, how decisions get made and exactly what Monday morning is going to look like.

A new opportunity asks you to give up that familiarity and start again.

When a counteroffer appears, staying can suddenly feel like the safer option.

But safer and better aren’t necessarily the same thing.

If you thoughtfully explored a new opportunity, went through the interview process, evaluated the offer and decided it was the right next step, don’t lose sight of everything that led you to that decision.

Thinking about your next career move?

Smart, Savvy + Associates specializes in connecting marketing, communications and creative professionals with opportunities across BC and Alberta. Visit our job board to explore current openings or join our talent network to stay connected to future opportunities.