I was about to say why you shouldn’t accept a counter offer. But I don’t know what you should do with counter offers. Here are some things to consider about whether you should accept one, starting with my own story.
Short answer: Before you accept a counter offer, ask whether it fixes the reason you’re leaving or just adds money and a title. Watch for limited career progression, questioned loyalty, and long-term goals that still don’t match. Better yet, ask for what you need before it gets to that point.
What Happened the First Time I Got a Counter Offer?
The first time I made a major switch, I was a very talented individual, but I had kind of a black cloud over my head because I was a lot to handle. I chose to do training, traveling, and online courses, so I wasn’t on the normal path. I was overlooked, not treated well, and not paid well. I made a lot of mistakes too. I’m not perfect and I’m not a victim. But I left because I didn’t feel I had a career path that would take care of me. I wasn’t making enough to support my family. I wasn’t valued. The supervisors who wanted to promote me weren’t being listened to. It was an environment where I didn’t feel I could succeed.
Another offer came from a company with a fantastic culture and considerably more pay. And something my father-in-law said to me is very true: we’re not loyal to large companies. We’re loyal to God, our families, and ourselves. It’s not, I have to stay to do this multi-billion-dollar company a favor.
Should we be selfish and disloyal? No. We should do our part, be honest, and provide a fair day’s work. In the movie McLintock!, a man tells John Wayne he should have been thankful he gave him the job, and John Wayne says, I didn’t give you anything. I hire men. I’d say men and women. The company hires you. They’re not giving you anything. You do your work for a fair day’s wage, and I wasn’t getting that.
So I left, and they immediately came back with a counter offer, something like four times as much stock and a raise. I realized the counter offer wasn’t because they’d realized they hadn’t taken care of me. It was people afraid of losing an asset that was important to the company. I don’t think anyone was ill-intentioned. But why would you stay just to alleviate a company’s fears, when it does nothing to reverse the effects of being treated badly? It was based out of fear.
What Happened the Second Time?
The second company was great too. I was treated well, valued, and paid well. It was psychologically safe. But I didn’t fit the role, and my talents weren’t being used. That one’s tough, because if you like the people and love the culture, it’s hard to leave. The problem wasn’t the culture. There was a counter offer, and it was great, but the root cause was never fixed. I kept doing things that weren’t aligned with who I really was. I still miss that company.
Each time I made a change, it got better, and each time I got paid more and advanced. Unfortunately, that’s how it works in this industry. Companies typically don’t act the way they need to keep employees before they leave, and in construction you’ll often have to make a career change once or twice to move forward. I hope that changes. I’m not telling anyone to leave their company. I’m saying we can fix this before it becomes the thing.
Why Do People Leave?
Patrick Lencioni’s The Truth About Employee Engagement names three signs of a miserable job: anonymity, irrelevance, and immeasurement. People leave because they don’t feel relevant, which was my second environment. They leave because they can’t measure their own success. Or they leave because of anonymity, not being known or cared about, which was my first. I hope every manager and supervisor reads that book, because most of the time people don’t leave companies. They leave their supervisors.
And when you’ve decided to leave, that’s a big thing. Leaving a company is as dramatic as a divorce. Not in a negative way, but if you’re at that point, there are major reasons why.
What Should You Consider Before Accepting?
| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Is the underlying issue solved? | Both my counter offers were more money and a promotion, but we still don’t care about you, or we’ll still send you to fix projects. |
| Will your career progression be limited? | One company made counter offers, but it was understood in the subculture that those people would never reach project director, general superintendent, VP, or the C-suite. |
| Will your loyalty be questioned? | Will they say, we weren’t treating this person right, or will they see a traitor they had to cater to? |
| Does it meet your long-term goals? | If not, you’re staying for a little extra money and wasting your time. |
In the second situation, I needed to align with my strengths, my Working Genius (Patrick Lencioni’s model): creating systems, training, and elevating. It wasn’t fixing projects. Everyone kept dispatching me to fix projects. I’d rather prevent problems than band-aid them and encourage people to mess up projects because I’ll come fix them. So if someone gives you a counter offer, it better not be just more money or a promotion. Make sure they’re fixing the underlying cause.
After I left, one of those companies told me more than once that letting me leave and not treating me right was one of the biggest mistakes they had ever made, and after a while they took full responsibility for it. Know where your standing will be after the fact.
Will Money and a Promotion Make You Happy?
Money and promotions won’t guarantee job satisfaction. You need to know you’re relevant, feel like you’re winning, and have people who know you and connect with you, so you can find your place of purpose. It isn’t about money and title. I can’t say that enough. Ask yourself:
- How long before you get another opportunity for a promotion or a raise?
- Will you have to quit again to get those things?
- If times get tough, will they let you go at the first sign of trouble?
- Is the counter offer a stall tactic?
At the end of the day, you’re here to take care of, if you believe in God, God, your family, and yourself. You’re here to make money, advance your life, and be an honorable, ethical, moral, good person who does a good, hard day’s work. Read How to Set Career Goals.
How Do You Prevent the Counter Offer?
As an employer myself, the way around quitting and counter offers is for you and the company to create an environment where you ask for what you need and the employer asks what they need back. If you’ve gotten to a counter offer, there’s a major breakdown in communication, and you and your company don’t trust each other. Please don’t stay if you can’t fix that at the root.
I’m not an expert on this. I’m not telling you to leave or stay. Before you get a divorce and remarry, why not go to counseling first? Can you and your employer get on the same page, where you feel relevant, connected, and like you’re winning every day, and your talents are appreciated and used to the max?
So here is the challenge. Don’t just up and quit. Write down what you need to feel relevant, connected, and like you’re winning, and go ask for it today.
Bottom line: A counter offer that doesn’t fix the root cause just delays the next resignation.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
On we go.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should you accept a counter offer in construction?
In Jason’s first experience, the counter offer wasn’t because the company realized it hadn’t taken care of him.” with: “In my first experience, the counter offer wasn’t because the company realized it hadn’t taken care of me.
Why do companies make counter offers?
In my first experience, the counter offer wasn’t because the company realized it hadn’t taken care of me. It came from fear of losing an asset that was important to the company.
How do you avoid getting to a counter offer?
Create an environment where employees ask for what they need and the employer asks what they need back. If it’s reached the point of a counter offer, there’s a major breakdown in trust and communication, and that has to be fixed at the root.
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-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
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Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.