June 29th, 2010
Congratulations to Michael Lane from GlaxoSmithKline and Steve Murray from Worksafe Victoria, our final winners in the June iPad Promotion!
In his nomination, Michael’s manager described him as a central pillar to the development group, that his dedication to duty is fantastic, and he is prepared to do whatever it takes to meet deadlines.
Steve’s manager nominated him, saying that Steve is “always ready to help, puts in extra effort when needed, and volunteers to tasks at the drop of a hat”.
Well done Michael and Steve, we hope you both enjoy your new iPad!
We have had a great response to this promotion, with over 400 nominations and lots of positive feedback for our contractors.
We would like to thank all managers for taking the time to write and submit nominations for their contractors, we know they appreciate your efforts and kind words!
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June 25th, 2010
You’ve interviewed for a position with a new company. The company likes you!-and makes you an offer. You analyze everything: career development, growth potential, salary, benefits, and intangibles. After some thought, you decide to accept the offer.
You attempt to resign from your current company. Oops! It doesn’t go as smoothly as you planned. Your boss is upset about losing you and presents you with a counteroffer. A counteroffer is an attempt by your current company to persuade you to stay.
Why Companies Make Counteroffers
Some companies never make counteroffers. In others, it’s a fairly common practice. Consider what happens when an employee (like you) resigns:
First, morale is likely to suffer, particularly among your closest coworkers. Management will notice, and your resignation may be perceived as an unfavorable reflection on your boss. Your absence could jeopardize the progress of a big project, lead to increased workloads for colleagues who remain behind, and even mess up vacation schedules! Furthermore, it could be expensive (in terms of time, energy and money) to replace you.
A cheaper “solution” for the company is to make you a counteroffer. This may consist of a raise, a promotion, change in title or job description, or a combination of these factors. It may even be just a promise of change to come.
Be aware that this “solution” may actually be a stalling technique. By buying you back, the company has bought itself some time, perhaps to finish that big project, reorganize other team members, or search for a suitable replacement for you.
What Does a Counteroffer Sound Like?
Because your company wants to attract you to stay, a counteroffer will usually come cloaked in flattery. It may sound something like this:
- “But you know we’re right in the middle of a big project! And you’re much too valuable to the team to desert us now!”
- “We didn’t want to tell you until next quarter, but we were just about to give you a raise/promotion to show you how much we appreciate your work. Why don’t we make it effective immediately instead of having you wait any longer?”
- “Why, we had no idea you were unhappy with anything here. Let’s discuss this further before you make some rash decision. Whatever it is, we can work it out.”
- “You know we have great plans for you here! But the company you’re going to work for? What can they do for you?”
Counteroffers can be tempting and ego-inflating. You also may detect an underlying threat that by not accepting the counteroffer, you’ll be throwing away your entire career, future, life.
Why Counteroffers Don’t Work
It’s true: counteroffers very, very rarely work. There are several reasons for this:
- Trust. No matter what the company says, you will forever be a “marked” employee. You have demonstrated your lack of loyalty by considering another opportunity. People will feel jilted, even if you accept a counteroffer and stay. Trust and acceptance among your immediate colleagues may be irrevocably lost. Managers, too, have long memories, and won’t forget your lapse in loyalty –no matter how brief it may have been.
- Most likely, your basic reason(s) for thinking of leaving will eventually resurface. There are a myriad of reasons why you may have considered a change: perhaps something in particular bothered you about your position, or maybe you were presented with an irresistible opportunity. In any case, changes made as a result of a counteroffer may appease you in the short term, but rarely last for the long run. Statistics show that if you accept a counteroffer, it’s still extremely likely that you’ll voluntarily leave or be terminated within 6 months to a year.
- While it may be true that your current company values your work, your interests and career will always be secondary to your boss’s career and way down on the totem pole compared to the company’s profit or survival. Reconsider the flattery that makes up a counteroffer: is it really about you??
- If your counteroffer involves an increase in money, consider the source of the raise. Is this just your next raise, granted early? In that case, will the counteroffer simply prolong your review cycle? Remember that all companies have budgets which include strict wage and salary guidelines.
What You Can Do
Rather than setting yourself up for the feelings of confusion and guilt that may arise when a counteroffer is presented, be prepared.
When resigning…
- Avoid any possible misunderstanding by submitting your resignation in writing.
- Focus on the positive opportunity you’ve been offered with your new company. At your resignation meeting, don’t feel pressured into giving reasons for resigning. Simply state that you’ve been presented with an opportunity that you cannot pass up.
- Handle your resignation right the first time you do it. Be professional and courteous, not disgruntled or weak. Offer to help during the transition time, then follow up with your best effort.
Then, after you’ve done all that you can, move forward! Look ahead to your new opportunity, complete with fresh challenges and all the excitement that goes with the start of any journey.
Good luck!
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June 16th, 2010
Congratulations to Kerrie Monzo and Jayanti Mathur, both winners in our June iPad Promotion.
Jayanti is currently contracting for one of our Federal Government clients in Canberra, and won our first iPad.
Kerrie Monzo is contracting at RTA in New South Wales, and won last week’s iPad.
Photos of the happy winners and their iPads coming soon!
We have had an amazing response to this promotion, with over 300 nominations received so far! Many of these nominations were accompanied by detailed explanations as to why they felt the nomination was deserved, so congratulations to all those who were nominated. It’s always nice to get a pat on the back!
For more details on our iPad Promotion, click here.
We look forward to announcing next week’s winner. Good luck everyone!
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June 9th, 2010
It can be difficult to make a decision as to whether to contract or take a permanent role.
This week we have listed the top reasons for taking a permanent role:
- Career Development – Better long-term career development opportunities as organisations are more likely to promote from within.
- Job Security – The IT market goes up and down- a permanent role is more likely to ensure that you are employed when times are tough in the market as well as when they are good! And if a project gets cancelled you still have a job!
- Employee Benefits – Such as Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Long-Service Leave, Parental Leave, and Bereavement Leave…
- Lifestyle – A permanent job allows you to plan for the long term- you know where the money is coming from and makes things like applying for loans easier. There is also less administration- such as timesheets, varied income, accountancy fees…
- Team Work – It allows you to fully be a part of the team, get involved in the culture and shaping the direction of your organisation- as a contractor you can often be viewed as an ‘outsider’ or have limits to the amount of company knowledge you can access.
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Training, Certifications, Staff Incentives and Development – Employers are more likely to invest in these things for permanent employees and more importantly this allows you to keep investing in yourself! As soon as you stop investing in these things your ability to develop your skills, and therefore your career will diminish…
- Better Projects, More Accountability – Permanent employees will often get the pick of the projects/jobs that are available and have more seniority and accountability for things such as budgets and staff management than contracting staff. Employers want to retain/protect their Intellectual Property- you are more likely to be trusted with this as a permanent employee.
- Tools of the trade – Permanent employees are more likely to be supplied with, or have the costs covered for ‘tools of the trade’ such as phones, laptops, etc…
- Less Job Searching, Less Interviewing and Higher Job Satisfaction – Its stressful knowing your job might be coming to an end- the process of finding a job can be time-consuming and nerve-wracking! Also you get the satisfaction of staying on to see how your work has impacted and benefited the organisation!
- Commitment – Being a permanent employee looks good on your resume- shows commitment, stability, progression…
Let us know if you can think of any other reasons why a candidate might decide to contract, or take a permanent role…
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