First, let me say I already know: never accept a counter offer. I want to check that with my situation to see if this is a case where it may make sense.
I’ve been at my company since it was founded, right at 20 years. I’ve steadily moved up and grown a large team, and honestly loved my career and my company. I’ve moved up to the edge of the executive team. 18 months ago, that changed. Culture went negative, re-orgs caused strife, new people came in and started running over tenured people (with better titles and more pay).
I accepted a new role that is truly lateral and only upward in title and I negotiated it to be level on comp. It offered locational flexibility on a timeline of my choosing, but requires bi-weekly air travel for an extended period. I resigned and said I wasn’t seeking a counter.
They countered anyway. Apologized for how this all went down. My original company gave me the title, even stronger locational flexibility of my choosing and 17% more annual total comp than the new role. I’m skeptical culture could change, but it feels like a genuine effort to retain.
Other than just saying no because of statistics, any feedback?