Many employees that have decided to resign and leave their employer are often presented with a counteroffer. While receiving a counteroffer can be tempting, it is crucial for the candidate to proceed cautiously and take time to reflect on its many implications.

Counteroffers often give employees the illusion that their employer has finally acknowledged their true worth within the company.
No one, however, should have to take the drastic step of resigning before the value they provide is recognized.

If a company only sees an employee’s true value because another organization was able to clearly see it on their own, they will likely never see this value independently in the future. As a result, employees can no longer trust that their work at the company will be appreciated in the way that it should.

Employees are not alone in experiencing trust issues after being presented with a counteroffer. Employers also experience trust issues and will likely question the candidate’s loyalty because they were looking for employment elsewhere.

This presents many issues down the road for an employee as employers now have uncertainty regarding their future tenure. Given this, employers are much more likely to give future opportunities and promotions to other employees that are viewed as not posing a flight risk.

One should also take a moment and reflect on the underlying feelings of dissatisfaction with their current position that led to considering a new opportunity. While money may always be a contributing factor, it is rarely the main culprit. Although the promise of additional money might be tempting it also likely will come with a downside.

Employees should ask themselves where this additional money is coming from, and what impact will be felt elsewhere within the company as a result. Additionally, the next time the company faces financial turmoil those they had to pay more unexpectedly and outside the parameters of a position will likely be among the first laid off.

An unexpected raise may also be viewed by the employer as having simply borrowed the new pay increase from future raises the candidate would have received down the road. Many times this may be the only raise or promotion the employee receives for a quite a while.

The fact is, there are always underlying issues that prompt employees to look elsewhere, none of which will disappear following the counteroffer. This is the reason why a large majority of employees that accept counteroffers reenter the job market shortly after.

Zyston’s Human Capital Services has experience with this dissatisfaction after placing thousands of cybersecurity professionals.

Zyston’s Human Capital Services division has estimated that over 75% of candidates that accept counteroffers were looking for jobs again after just 90 days.

Changing jobs is often a necessity for professionals in the cybersecurity field and can benefit them greatly. Moving companies often provides an avenue to higher long-term earnings by helping to develop new skills and experiences through exposure to new tools, challenges, roles, situations, and experiences.

Sticking with the initial choice to pursue a new job opportunity may be challenging when a counteroffer is on the table, but it does have many benefits. No matter what an employee decides, they should remember the reasons that prompted them to consider leaving in the first place.