Boss gave me a counteroffer after I resigned. Take it?

Question

I handed in my resignation for a role paying 20% more. Now my manager is dangling a matching raise plus a promotion to make me stay. Part of me is flattered but part of me feels like I'm only getting this because I threatened to leave. Have you regretted staying?

Techie Jun Hao · Accepted Answer

I took a counteroffer once and regretted it within 8 months. The raise was real but the reason I wanted to leave, a manager who overloaded me and never advocated for me at cycle, never changed. Money papers over nothing. Worse, HR now had me flagged as a flight risk, so the next promotion went to someone else. If you were leaving purely for pay, a counter might make sense. But if you were leaving for the environment, the people, or lack of growth, a raise won't fix any of that. Ask yourself why you started interviewing in the first place. That answer is your real answer, not the number they're now waving.

Pharmacist Hui Min · Answer

Statistically most people who accept counteroffers leave within a year anyway, either they go for the original reason or the company quietly manages them out. I stayed once and it worked out, but only because my gripe was genuinely just pay and my boss was actually good. Be honest about which camp you're in.

NSman Wei Jie · Answer

One practical thing nobody mentions, the new company already made an offer, prepped onboarding, maybe told their team. If you reject last minute you burn that bridge for good in a small market like SG. Industries here are tiny, you will bump into these people again. Don't use the offer just as leverage.

IT Support Ah Kow · Answer

Flattered is the word to watch. They're not rewarding you, they're avoiding the cost and hassle of rehiring. That promotion better be in writing with a date, not a vague promise for next cycle, or it evaporates the moment you unpack your bag. I've watched two colleagues stay on a verbal promise that quietly never materialised. The company found the money the second you threatened to leave, ask why it took a resignation letter to be valued. I'd go with the new role.

Boss gave me a counteroffer after I resigned. Take it?

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