Resigning: Counter Offer Advice?

[RG-RN2014]

Hello,

I am going to be transferring to a new hospital to switch specialties. However, when HR

at my current job found out, they stated they did not want to lose me and asked what they could do to persuade me to stay. I applied to two previous positions in the past year and never got so much as a phone call, email, nothing. Due to this, they said they would push my application through to the unit I wanted to work on. Within two hours, I had an interview

scheduled for the following week. I really do like the hospital I work for but the reason I

was looking elsewhere is because I felt my inquiries to new positions were swept under

the rug. I am flattered by them wanting me to stay but should I consider this situation a good thing or is it a red flag? Any advice would be great. Thank you!

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I agree with negotiating at your present employer although I tend to limit my requests to one specific area as they all can be extrapolated into a dollar amount any way. In my experience asking for a little bit of everything including extra plush toilet paper overwhelms and pisses them off. I'd be doubtful there is much room for negotiations at the new place unless you offer something unique they can't live without or they are desperate, and if the latter is true big red flag. Good luck and keep us posted!

To be clear, I'm talking about negotiating with the present employer who wants to keep OP, not the new potential employer.

No one should ever make the mistake of worrying about pissing off the employer during negotiation. This is business. If someone gets pissed off, that's their problem.

The reason why you ask for a little bit of every standard benefit (never saw toilet paper in a labor contract, but hey... you never know) is to give the employer a chance to show where their wiggle room is. Sometimes there is room in the budget for something that costs more and no room for things that cost less.

So yeah, everything can be translated to money, but not everyone has access to cash, and that can be worked out.

Asking for everything gives the employer to step up where they can.

Now sometimes it doesn't matter. You want 10k more per year and nothing else will do. In that case, you ask for 20k more per year and settle for anything over and including 10k. You explain that you're not interested in anything else.

But I didn't grock that from the OP. I got the sense that the OP wants to get a better deal, but doesn't really know how to go about it.

Go about it as a business person negotiating a business deal. Do not think about this the way you would think about a lover who wants one more chance.

[Jules A, MSN]

To be clear, I'm talking about negotiating with the present employer who wants to keep OP, not the new potential employer.

No one should ever make the mistake of worrying about pissing off the employer during negotiation. This is business. If someone gets pissed off, that's their problem.

The reason why you ask for a little bit of every standard benefit (never saw toilet paper in a labor contract, but hey... you never know) is to give the employer a chance to show where their wiggle room is. Sometimes there is room in the budget for something that costs more and no room for things that cost less.

So yeah, everything can be translated to money, but not everyone has access to cash, and that can be worked out.

Asking for everything gives the employer to step up where they can.

Now sometimes it doesn't matter. You want 10k more per year and nothing else will do. In that case, you ask for 20k more per year and settle for anything over and including 10k. You explain that you're not interested in anything else.

But I didn't grock that from the OP. I got the sense that the OP wants to get a better deal, but doesn't really know how to go about it.

Go about it as a business person negotiating a business deal. Do not think about this the way you would think about a lover who wants one more chance.

We can chalk this up to different styles of negotiating I guess. I continue to disagree with asking for a little bit of everything like a Chinese menu because I think it is amateurish at best but also if you piss the people off you are negotiating with it can shut the deal down and then it is your problem. I have seen this in real estate as well as in NP and MD negotiations. In fact I don't really negotiate. If I say $20,000 I mean $20,000 not $10,000. I simply state my first and final offer with the plan to walk if it isn't met.

[jobellestarr]

Well, I really like my job but received a 25% sign on bonus offer from another facility and I accepted. My boss and the ADON said congrats but they were sad to see me go. I explained my situation, my husband is disabled, etc. but I loved my job and didn't really want to go. They matched my offer with no strings attached. Sometimes, good things happen in the nursing world.

[RG-RN2014]

Hello Everyone,

I appreciated all of your tips. Here are updates: I decided to stay. I got hired and have been working on the Progressive Care/ICU Stepdown unit and I love it. I do not regret staying at my hospital. My new boss is great and the co-workers are fantastic. I am learning

a lot with this new experience!

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

I love it when people come back and give updates. I am pretty firmly on the "If I was so great why didn't you pay attention before I said I would quit?" bandwagon and counter offers tend to tick me off. I am seriously glad this worked out for you and that you are happy on your new unit. Stepdown is an intense and fantastic way to get superb nursing skills and knowledge in a wide variety of interacting conditions. Good for you!

[amoLucia]

Ditto for not.done.yet's comment. Glad to see that OP appears to have come out ahead at this time. I am surprised however.

OP did comment re the union. "UNION" sends up red flags to me. If OP is a member of the union, I wonder how the facility's admin would be able to provide any benes, incl wages, to be better than the negotiated contracted benefit package. Usually not a whole lot of 'wiggle room'.

Also, the speed with which HR reacted to OP's early resignation possibility has got me thinking also. By having IGNORED OP's earlier transfer requests, was HR in violation of the union's contract? And if HR did it to one, like OP, could it also be found out that HR also did it to many others? Like in a MAJOR contract violation? If it could be found that HR did violate the union contract, might the facility be responsible for significant penalties? Then to mollify OP, HR responded quickly. (Curious, when are the next contract negotiations due?)

Something just sounded too pat for my liking. I've said it before, maybe I'm just too cynical and suspicious, but I just don't trust too much anymore.

For OP, I hope all works out.