Dilemma,Dilemma...

[helmutlaang]

Not for me but for mrs Laang.

She has worked for the same company(huge multi-national)for the past 16 yrs and has worked her way up from office jnr to senior project manager.

She has recently been headhunted by a rival company and after meeting her they have offered her the same role but with a 35% pay rise.

There are pro's and cons to this.At the moment she gets a fully funded car,decent pension and knows all the characters that work there.This new job would mean a car allowance(no where near as good as what she gets now),smaller pension and starting over.

She is really in 2 minds as the huge wage increase is a big tempter but she is reasonably happy where she is.The new company is also only uk based with around 100 employees.

Is it better the devil you know or to take a risk in these uncertian ecenomic climate?

I have told her I will back her up whatever she decides and if it all goes belly up my wages will keep the wolves from the door.

[Thom987]

In her situation I would stay put.

[hornetrider]

Thom987 said:

In her situation I would stay put.

Same here.

[Teebs]

Stay put.

Work out in real terms what the actual pay rise equates to.

[Rude-boy]

Teebs said:

Stay put.

Work out in real terms what the actual pay rise equates to.

Agreed. Work out what the real increse in her take home will be and if that is worth it.

[BMWBen]

Real take home? No, look at the total value of the package.

[okgo]

She can't be that happy, she went to meet them afterall

35% is a big lump, maybe she can negotiate it up to make up for the downfall in car allowance etc?

Depends what kind of person she is really, personally I like a fresh challenge every now and again, but sounds like she might be a sticker if she's been somewhere that long so might not be in her midset

[helmutlaang]

Thanks for the replys so far.

Pretty much along the lines of what I've been thinking-say put.

She does enjoy a challenge but not uncertanty.She's built a career from scratch and is a bit nervous that a wrong move will damage that.I happen to know that her current employer has huge plans next year and has the backing of it's parent company meaning these plans will be going ahead.

But who's to say a move now is the wrong move? Oh the benefit of hignsight...

[okgo]

Everyone has built a career from scratch, that isn't unusual, and I think its not always best to stay put because you're part of the furniture. As proved, she's probably been losing out on that wage for years as people that stay places for huge lengths of time often earn less than people who move more regularly!

[SteveS Cup]

If she's been there that long I take it she gets on with management... could she not have a discussion with them to say that she's been approached and been offered 35% more. See what they say??? She could be pleasantly suprised!

An agency is going to charge 15 - 20% to replace her if she leaves... so if they upped her salary by this I'm sure they extra few percents at the new place all of a sudden become irrelavent.

[dingg]

SteveS Cup said:

If she's been there that long I take it she gets on with management... could she not have a discussion with them to say that she's been approached and been offered 35% more. See what they say??? She could be pleasantly suprised!

An agency is going to charge 15 - 20% to replace her if she leaves... so if they upped her salary by this I'm sure they extra few percents at the new place all of a sudden become irrelavent.

this certainly works with the co. I work for

[GeraldSmith]

dingg said:

SteveS Cup said:

If she's been there that long I take it she gets on with management... could she not have a discussion with them to say that she's been approached and been offered 35% more. See what they say??? She could be pleasantly suprised!

An agency is going to charge 15 - 20% to replace her if she leaves... so if they upped her salary by this I'm sure they extra few percents at the new place all of a sudden become irrelavent.

this certainly works with the co. I work for

People fail to realise that a lot of companies have pay structures, in fact if you don't these days as an employer you are being very foolish. Paying different people different amounts for the same or similar job is asking for a discrimination case so in many companies doing this just tells your employer that you are wanting to leave or that you are trying a bit of blackmail to get more money. Neither is a good impression to give.

[SteveS Cup]

GeraldSmith said:

People fail to realise that a lot of companies have pay structures, in fact if you don't these days as an employer you are being very foolish. Paying different people different amounts for the same or similar job is asking for a discrimination case so in many companies doing this just tells your employer that you are wanting to leave or that you are trying a bit of blackmail to get more money. Neither is a good impression to give.

Very true... if this is the case then I'm sure she's aware of it... if she's been getting regular pay increases with her peers then no, I wouldn't go with my first approach.

However, the amount of counter-offers that are happening at the moment is unbelievable... so maybe worth a try.

There's an argument both ways... if you have a good relationship with your boss then I'm sure he'll understand that a 35% increase cannot be shrugged off without some thought and talking about it with your current employer before saying "here's my notice" can be the nice thing to do.

I'm not saying counter offer's are the way forward or that they always work... I can certainly think of a fair few reasons why they don't work.

[johnfm]

sounds like it isn't really a 35% pay rise to me.

[TurricanII]

If she moves then I believe she becomes a new employee and can be sacked for any or no reason within 12 months (can not be sacked for discrimination/pregnancy reasons tho)

Very risky

I would be looking to start talking to bosses internally ASAP to make sure she is first in line to get a new role when the changes happen, something along the lines of "I love working for this company but would appreciate the new challenge of being able to get involved when x y z happens"

[rog007]

TurricanII said:

If she moves then I believe she becomes a new employee and can be sacked for any or no reason within 12 months (can not be sacked for discrimination/pregnancy reasons tho)

Very risky

I would be looking to start talking to bosses internally ASAP to make sure she is first in line to get a new role when the changes happen, something along the lines of "I love working for this company but would appreciate the new challenge of being able to get involved when x y z happens"

This ^.

There are broadly two types of employee, stickers, as mentioned earlier, or climbers. The stickers welcome the routine and security at cost of outright reward, but can also be hugely ambitious. Those who are even more ambitious, the climbers, aspire to be at the sharp end and as such, it's not unusual to be moving every three years in pursuit of that goal. They relish the risk, lack of routine, and the 20% minimum rise each time they move (as reward for that increased risk).

I could be wrong, but it looks like she's the former. I'd stick were I was and continue being ambitious within.

Good luck!

[helmutlaang]

Thanks again for the advise.

Quick update.She has spoken to her boss last night and was very open with him regarding the other job offer ect.They had a long conversation about things and there are oppotunities in the pipeline which he is going to get more details on today.They are defenitly not keen on her going.She is leaning towards staying where she is I think.