Guernsey-based global recruitment agency Firstcall is here to help with good advice for employees wondering whether to counter a counteroffer if their employer tries to retain them after they resign.

A counteroffer is offered to you, by your current employer, as an attempt to keep you as an employee after you have handed in your resignation. This counteroffer is usually a pay rise, or a pay bonus, but rarely includes other tempting bonuses or perks.

70-80 percent of people who accept counteroffers eventually resign, or are sacked, within twelve months of accepting the counteroffer; the majority leave of their own volition within six months. Why? Because nothing has changed. Usually a counteroffer will only be changing the remuneration you receive for that job, while accepting a new job offer changes everything about your job.

Usually you resign because something about your current job displeases you. This might be the pay level, how you are being treated/valued, lack of promotional prospects, or any of dozens more reasons. Perhaps there is nothing fundamentally wrong with your job and you are just seeking a fresh challenge as your current duties have become predictable and stale for you.

When seeking a new job you will closely look at everything, from the location of the company to their culture and management style, job security, promotional prospects, what your new daily duties would be, perhaps availability of parking, and of course the financial remuneration and other perks too. You will also assess in detail all the reasons why you wish to leave your current job and employer.

If you are resigning because you have provisionally accepted a more attractive position elsewhere at another company, then obviously you must have been happy with what they were offering. That company will also have contributed time to meeting with you and preparing an offer that you would accept.

At Firstcall we know all too well that if you go back on your acceptance of a new job it can leave a bitter taste in a prospective employer's mouth. This will reflect badly on you, affecting your reputation, which is especially undesirable in a small job market like Guernsey where word always travels fast and memories linger.

It is natural to fear change, but do not let your desire for more pay lock you into a dead-end job that is not suited to your current needs. Also if you stay in your old job then maybe your employer now wonders if you resigned purely to prompt a pay rise from them, or is doubting your long-term loyalty. Staying at a job you are not happy with rarely works out in the medium to long term - your heart will just not be in it.

Firstcall always advises clients to stick to their guns and accept the new job. Do not let money cloud your own informed judgment on why your current job is not as suited to you as the new position. Leave emotion and money out of it and just look at the situation objectively.

However we urge that you should always break amicably from your current employer. Turn down the counteroffer with grace, thank them for your time with them and the opportunities for growth and new skills they have given you. Never burn your bridges, because in a small job market like Guernsey, and in a world where mergers and takeovers happen, it is not beyond the pale of possibility that you will find yourself working with your former colleagues again in future, and perhaps even working for a former employer again.

Do not fear change in your work situation. Always embrace your new opportunity, be energised with hope and do not look back. Your new challenge awaits!

If you would like assistance from the experts then full contact details for Firstcall and all of their recruitment specialists can be found on their feature page here at thebestof Guernsey.