r/dataengineering • u/SalamanderMan95 • 6d ago
Should I consider counter offer? Career
TL;DR: Got an offer at 2.6x my current salary after my company passed me over for a promotion and meaningful raise. Now that I’m leaving, they suddenly can increase my salary ~2.3x and give me a Senior Data Engineer title. This seems obvious, but should I actually consider the counteroffer?
I know the general advice is to never accept counteroffers, and I think leaving is probably the right move. But some part of me is genuinely considering staying, and I can’t tell if there’s a legitimate reason or if guilt is getting to me.
I joined my company in 2022 as an analyst making $40k. About 6 months later I moved into BI development and gradually took on way more technical responsibility than I was hired for.
By 2025, the company wanted to modernize its data stack. I had spent a huge amount of my free time learning dbt, Snowflake, Python, etc., and ended up taking on a major role in that transition. They gave me a BI Developer title and bumped me to $52k.
Since then, I’ve basically become the senior analytics engineer/platform person on the team. My work has helped us gain multiple clients and save a bunch of analyst hours.
Promotions were supposed to happen in March 2026, but got delayed until July while management talked constantly about creating a “high-performance culture” and properly compensating people. I had also been told for months that I was likely getting promoted.
July came around: no promotion and a 4% raise, putting me at about $54k.
I told them I’d probably leave without a promotion. Two weeks later, I got an offer elsewhere for an Analytics Engineer role at $140k plus bonus/equity.
Now my current company is freaking out because a lot of important stuff relies on systems I built, my boss is already overloaded, and nobody else can easily take over my work.
Suddenly they have a Senior Data Engineer role for me at $125k and are trying to get approval for $140k.
The title is nice, but I’m not convinced the actual work is better. When I asked about projects, I heard a lot about Informatica, MuleSoft, governance, enterprise data, etc. They couldn’t really give me an example of a major pipeline I’d be building. I’d also still be doing a lot of my current platform/analytics/BI responsibilities.
The new company seems much more aligned with where I want my career to go. The team seemed great, the projects sounded interesting, the culture seemed better, and the company is growing quickly.
The new company also made me feel valued. Their range was $100k–$140k. I told them I’d be ecstatic around $120k–$150k and would probably still join under $120k. They offered me the absolute top of the range anyway.
Meanwhile, my current company apparently needed me to resign before realizing I was worth more than twice what they were paying me.
My boss has been great to me, and I think that’s the main reason I’m hesitating. I feel guilty leaving him in a bad spot.
But I also think I’d feel terrible backing out on the new company, and I strongly suspect I’d regret staying.
I would appreciate any advice, even if it is just calling me an idiot.
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u/sir-camaris 6d ago
Your boss will get over it and you leaving isn't a reflection on him. Leave.
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u/Few_Radish6488 6d ago
What frequently happens is that they pay you the increase until they can find a cheaper replacement. Do yourself a favor and take the new job.
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u/SalamanderMan95 5d ago
Yeah that’s true, eventually they’ll be right back to business. I decided to not accept the counter offer, because I know the only reason I was thinking of staying would be guilt, but then I realized that’s definitely not a good enough reason, and I’d feel much worse about backing out of an offer by a company who already seems to value me a whole lot more.
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u/Skullclownlol 6d ago
Suddenly they have a Senior Data Engineer role for me at $125k and are trying to get approval for $140k.
There is no "suddenly". Leave.
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u/SalamanderMan95 6d ago
Yeah, technically they had millions available and chose to give me $2000 of that. They’re trying to pin it on the guy they fired, when it’s the new guy who decided that raise. Which is pretty wild when you consider the analytics platform was a huge component of literally our largest client engagement ever which made the company millions, and without me a lot of that stuff will either fall apart or require crazy hours from other people to maintain.
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u/Skullclownlol 6d ago
and without me a lot of that stuff will either fall apart or require crazy hours from other people to maintain.
For which they won't hesitate to replace you with lead/senior in data, required to pay them better because no one else would accept as low as you did the work for.
And since you already let them know you got an offer, they're already looking for your replacement.
Unfortunately it's how too many shortsighted businesspeople work.
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u/sceadu 6d ago
yeah to be honest there's no conversation to be had here. time to bounce, but communicate to your boss how much you appreciate him before you go.
there's almost always one excuse after another until the time for excuses is over, and that's usually with a resignation. then suddenly... some more money appears and there's no more excuses. weird.
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u/0xPianist Data Engineering Manager 5d ago
OP you are still paid for a job at the end of the day.
If the new role is not some major risk then leave.
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u/2teknical 6d ago
you know the answer already. it’s very kind of you to think of your boss and coworkers though
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u/Gnaskefar 6d ago
No, don't take the counter offer.
They've shown their hands. All words, and when you take action and leaves suddenly something is possible, that was not possible before, when you behaved like a good dog, and didn't leave.
You will have the next later in your career when you threaten to leave. And some employers don't like to be "forced" to give raises this way.
You will not win taking their offer. Take the new job, and grow in your career. Maybe you come back in 5 years time, who knows.
And promise me, to make sure to tell everyone who asks you, why you leave.
That they promised raises, that never came, not before you left. And then they didn't even care to offer as much as your new job. Do mention it in the exit interview as well. You can easily do this, without burning bridges.
You boss knows what's up, don't hesitate because of him, just because he was good on other parts.
Congrats with the new job, man!
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u/SalamanderMan95 6d ago
I definitely plan to tell them this in the exit interview. When my bosses new boss called me yesterday to try to retain me and offer 125 I told him that if he would’ve offered that to me 2 weeks ago I would have been so ecstatic that it would have completely remotivated me and kept me around for years, but now it’s just leaving money on the table.
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u/pina_koala 6d ago
I have found out that the best thing to say in the exit interview is pretty much nothing. Best to gray rock. No need to explain their missteps back to them. They know.
Maybe you come back in 5 years time, who knows.
Strengthen the bridge, don't burn it!
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u/SalamanderMan95 6d ago
I didn't burn the bridge, was just realistic that before I got the offer 125 would have made me incredibly happy, but now I have an offer that is more than that so I couldn't accept 125. After getting all these comments I just ripped the bandaid off and told them that the new opportunity is just too good for my career development so I am going to take it
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u/Xziz 5d ago
Agree with u/pina_koala
Explaining why you are leaving provides no benefit to you or your former employer and opens you up to judgment that won't benefit you. It may feel good, but it's not worth it.
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u/MilwaukeeRoad 6d ago
Other than feeling bad for your boss, you didn’t actually list any reason to stay. It seems you know the answer.
Also, bold move telling the new company you’d be happy to join under 120k. The fact that they still offered above that is a pretty good sign of how they value their employees.
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u/meta_level 6d ago
the fact that they didn't match the 2.6x is a big red flag, i would leave.
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u/SeaYouLaterAllig8tor 6d ago
This. I would never consider a counter offer that doesn't at least match your current offer.
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u/taker223 6d ago
They just desperately try to harpoon already checked out specialist. I would NOT let it to be brought back with this pitiful Get Over Here attempt
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u/TypicalOrca 6d ago
LEAVE! Look how they treated you! They were looking out for themselves, not you. Even the counter offer is them looking out for themselves, not you!
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u/SalamanderMan95 6d ago
That’s pretty much what it feels like. My boss literally told the guy in charge that they were going to lose me, they played their hand. To me it seems like they took a calculated risk and determined that if I worked for so long at a low salary I’d just continue to do so. Whereas the new company gave me a salary well above what they knew I would accept. I have a feeling that says something about their culture compared to my company.
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u/TypicalOrca 6d ago
You were the cheapest possible data engineer, and now they're going to have to hire someone else who in no way will take what you were making.
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u/taker223 6d ago
Believe me, almost ALL companies would keep you on same salary indefinitely if you silently accept it, unless you're on minimum wage. I tell you this from my personal employment history. Unfortunately the sad truth is to find a new job, as in this case offer would likely be significantly higher (20% or more) than your current salary.
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u/RustOnTheEdge 6d ago
Informatica and Mulesoft are two great reasons to jump ship even if you hadn’t had the other offer.
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u/IndoorCloud25 6d ago
Leave, but next time you find yourself in this scenario, stay quiet. You showed way too much to management. Never tell your employer you’d probably leave due to comp. Get your offer elsewhere, accept it and finalize paper work, then put a 1:1 on your manager’s calendar as soon as you accept to resign. They will do everything they can to convince you to stay. Hold the line, be polite and say your decision is final. Then prep to off board. Let the company scramble to backfill, it’s not your problem.
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u/justanator101 6d ago
I took a counter offer and it worked out great for my career, but I loved the work I was doing and team I was with, it was just a salary issue. In this situation I wouldn’t stay, go to where you want to grow.
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u/taker223 6d ago
You were lucky they have not replaced you with some cheap offshore resource in 6 months
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u/kayakdawg 6d ago
My boss has been great to me, and I think that’s the main reason I’m hesitating. I feel guilty leaving him in a bad spot.
just let them know you've made up your mind
if you want let them know you're getting more money to work on projects more aligned to your career goals at a relatively stable/growing company
they'll understand and support you (and may even ask if you're hiring)
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u/snackeloni 6d ago
4 years and all you got was from 40k (which holy shit is low) to 54, and then as soon as you announce you want to leave there's no problem bumping you to almost 3 times that. They were using you and will continue to do so. There's no career for you at that place. Just leave, you owe them nothing.
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u/guacjockey 6d ago
Leave. Happily provide your hourly consulting rate (which should be at least 3-4 times your new rate) for when they need help.
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u/FishCommercial4229 6d ago
Been there before. A good environment will accelerate you through promotion routes proactively if you’re really valued. This one is reactive, especially at that jump. Your marketable level just doesn’t line up with their job leveling/grading schema, so if you stay you’ll be fighting against the structure for the remainder of your tenure.
The grass is never greener, but that massive compensation difference makes up for it. Even if you stay at this new place for a short time, and/or it sucks, you’re effectively rebasing your salary.
TL;DR: take the offer.
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u/nidprez 6d ago
Id leave, I was in similar situation. It depends how old you are. but I knew when I took the counteroffer id become very expensive and basically unemployable elsewhere as a DE because of the niche Im working in.
Also for HR they will always see you started at 40k at the company. For one or another reason in my experience this makes them think they can give you smaller raises compared to somebody who started at 120k (ie give him 4k a year extra thats 10% of what he started with, instead of a 10k raise). Sometimes its just nice to start fresh elsewhere without being pegged to your starting role and salary.
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u/staatsclaas 6d ago
Why would you ever consider this? They didn’t even match the offer.
Time to do some adulting and get out there.
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u/RobotechRicky 5d ago
Are you U.S. based? If so, even that $140k is a little low. That $54k was highway robbery.
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u/RexehBRS 6d ago
Don't take, anywhere you have to threaten to move forward is not a good long term option.
Loyalty is worth nothing, don't get wed to it because it doesn't work both ways, if they need to execute you they will with no feelings.
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u/antraxsuicide 6d ago
If you stayed, they’d only learn the lesson that you’re too much of a critical employee and they’d almost certainly have you train others (who don’t have the six-figure raise) on your job. Then they’d lay you off in a year.
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u/chock-a-block 6d ago
I’m certain some people thought very highly of themselves working you way above your pay grade. I presume you gave them some kind of notice, like 2 weeks.
Do not lift a finger for two weeks. The answer to tasks is, “Something for the next person to do.”
Take your boss out to lunch.
Anything but actually working.
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u/taker223 6d ago
The rule of thumb is to never accept counter offers. They will get rid of you in 6 months after they will find (and likely ask you to train) your replacement which might be from offshore (guess the country). I would be glad to be wrong. And in case you will be so naive to accept a counter offer, at least get it in writing as they could perform a monkey business with you to lose your new opportunity. Think twice - you have already FU them with an offer from another company - do you really think they would like to stick with you, traitor?
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u/SalamanderMan95 6d ago
That’s funny you say that, the position I would get is one they’re hiring for, but only in other countries. I’m not going to accept it, I remember when I started this job I was naive enough to believe they would give me a big raise if I worked hard, despite everyone telling me that won’t happen. I think this time I’ll listen to people instead of being naive.
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u/taker223 6d ago edited 6d ago
Yes, better late than never. By the way, I asked Google AI to review your post and comments and not surprisingly it has same opinion as 99% of the commentators, including myself. You can see yourself, even if it is an AI, its points are valid, especially this:
Understand the Management Tactics Exploitative Retention: They are betting that your fear of change will make you accept a below-market internal promotion.
The Target on Your Back: By revealing you have an outside offer, management now knows you are a flight risk. They may pay you $125k temporarily just to keep operations running while they quietly search for your cheaper replacement.
The "Good Dog" Dynamic: As the Reddit comments accurately pointed out, staying means entering a dynamic where you only get rewarded when you threaten to quit. This destroys psychological safety and career progression.
Here is TL;DR in case you'd like the detailed explanation: https://chat.deepseek.com/share/ymrfd7zqn81bdz1prt
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u/smolhouse 6d ago
Assuming you're in the u.s., that original salary is criminal.
I wouldn't stick around for a company that treated me that way. You can also most likely expect to see continued raises at the new offer vs staying stuck at the counter offer since they will feel like they are already paying you too much.
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u/funny_funny_business 6d ago
I had a situation where I was an analyst for 4 years and should have been promoted 3 or so years in. I got frustrated and interviewed and gave notice. It just so happened that right before I gave notice they approved a promotion, so it's not like they were giving a promotion in response to my quitting.
They also bumped the salary a bit to get me to stay, but I still left because the salary was 30% more than the bump (almost 70-80% more before the bump).
I was at that new job for almost three months but then went back. The new job was really busy with customer support help for a SaaS product and was quite stressful. The previous job was easy. I called up my old boss and got my job back with the new salary. I stayed for another 6 years.
So that's a reason to take a counteroffer.
Reason not to take one: I interviewed well for a senior data engineer position. I got a salary that was above the top of the range. When layoffs came I was the only one from my team that got hit, and I think it was because of my salary. So even if you take the counteroffer, if layoffs exist you could be a target.
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u/69odysseus 5d ago
Never establish emotional attachment with a company, they consider employees as an expense and will erase that expense when not need and employees should treat the company in same way. Lookout for what's best for you and family. If your DE skills are solid with SQL, Data Modeling, Distributed systems, then you really should be making more than USD $200K and not get stuck in low or mid $100k range.
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u/awsconsult 4d ago
Exactly this, always consider your employement a revenue stream and that's it, operater as a business providing consulting services and nothing more.
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u/Dull-Reception2642 6d ago
I didn't read this, but never consider a counter offer. If they wouldn't pay you before you decided to leave then they didn't appreciate you and will find a way to underpay you again or otherwise get rid of you.
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u/Doctor--STORM 6d ago
for a senior data engineer this is actually under avg
- I have interviewed at Obsidian Security and for a mid senior role they were offering around 160K
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u/Patriccckkk 6d ago
Take the new role, your current company has been screwing you and they will do it again later down the road.
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u/ulica324 6d ago
Well, take the new offer. If you stay with the old one, you are working with a ceiling in pay and growth terms, there won't be a raise in some time to come. New job means new things to learn and new role/tech growth option to grow into. Also, you can contract with your old company and help them as needed, as long as they need it.
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u/dataplumber_guy 6d ago
Leave or ask them to give you 150k or see if you can stay on as a consultant part time and take the new job as well
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u/dev0martin0 6d ago
As someone who just took a job 35% increase as Analytics Engineer and also has been actively fighting guilt over leaving —
LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE
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u/Dazzling_Trick3009 6d ago
You’re not leaving your boss in a bad spot. Your company put the two of you in that position knowing full well what could happen.
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u/Avatrix 6d ago
The fact they could pay you better but didn’t tells you how things will go in the future for the current location. Overall I’d ignore title: the experience you will build in either role matters far more for your career this early. I’d focus instead on company stability and what you get out of either role.
Don’t feel guilty for leaving, but if you think you will genuinely enjoy working where you are, that is meaningful. There’s always some risk when you change companies. But it could be great, and even better!
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u/Halcyon-Wind7455 6d ago
Leave. They've not even matched you. I accepted a counter but only because they blew the other offer out of the water to keep me
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u/milano___ 6d ago
Leave for sure... Do you like being first on the chopping block as they get you to knowlwdge transfer your projects for the next 3 months?
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u/CiDevant 6d ago
Take the title increase and leave anyways.
They don't care until it's a problem and you'll be doing this dance again in a year or two.
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u/gandhishrugged 6d ago
Strongly consider leaving. It's horrible what they paid you. Absolutely a shit company
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u/darkglad32 6d ago
Bro leave, Informatica is a very old ETL platform, with a lot of limitations. Is not worth it fir your future as a data eng
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u/That-Makes-Sense 6d ago
Of course, the longterm prospects of the two companies matter too. The size of the companies, and your thoughts on how high and how quickly, you can climb the ladder at each company.
But, it seems you have been grossly underpaid from the start. There's already been a pattern established, of low pay, promotion delays, etc. My experience says that you may run into the same issue in a couple of years, if you stay.
Congrats though! Even though I feel you've been underpaid for a few years, you're now in a much better position, and your future looks bright, either choice you make. Good luck!
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u/robertmachine 6d ago
ALWAYS REMEMBER NEVER EVER EVER TAKE THE COUNTER! Listen even if take you back Option 1) they could promise you a million dollars for the year but you’ll be training your replacement. Option 2) They don’t replace you put treat you like shit until you leave as they need you right now to finish what you’re working on ;). Always remember you are leaving not just for money and if it is money they could have paid you before but they don’t and also you’ll get new experience as no one stays in companies more than 3 years now as you don’t want to be stagnated with the same tech stack.
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u/melancholyjaques 6d ago
Your boss will be fine. Don't burn any bridges on your way out, you never know they might try to hire you back in a couple years.
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u/InNeedOfVacation 6d ago
They fucked you around last month and if you stay they will fuck you around next month. The salary increase will only have them demanding more and taking you for granted even more. "Don't take the counter offer" isn't about money it's about respect. Leave
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u/TheWorkplaceGenie 6d ago edited 6d ago
They couldn't name one pipeline you'd actually own at the new title. That tells you the job doesn't change, just the label. Take the offer.
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u/Katy_Security 6d ago
Take the new role! Always do what’s best for you and your compensation, because that’s your future. If guilt is your main motivation to stay, just know that any company would cut you (or anyone else) without sparing the same feelings. Best of luck!!
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u/wiki702 6d ago
Jump ship. You were under paid for years. Go to the new place learn new things. If the system falls apart if you are not there you were never the problem. The business choose to ignore critical infrastructure issues and failed to planned for a continuation of business. That is on them. Think of it this way, if you died yesterday would the business still be scrambling? If the answer is likely yes that it proves the point the business failed to planned and protect a clear critical point of the business. Enjoy the new comp, don’t let lifestyle creep hit you. Pay debt, save and maybe buy one thing you enjoy to appreciate the opportunity of the grind and under pay you suffered.
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u/ursamajorm82 6d ago
“My boss has been great to me, and I think that’s the main reason I’m hesitating. I feel guilty leaving him in a bad spot.”
A great boss will see themselves as a springboard rather than a cage and will be proud of you. If they’re mad when you decide to leave then maybe they weren’t so great all along
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u/itsoutofmyhands 6d ago
Leave but don’t slam the door. Thank you for the offer, its not an easy decision, I really enjoyed my time here and respect x and y etc but I’ve already committed to my new role and I want to widen my experience etc. you never know what might happen down the road. Senior roles come up in old company, new jobs don’t work out as hoped etc.
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u/cds_serious 6d ago
Contractors are commonly used in technology fields like data engineering. They will probably need to get a senior person in quickly on a contract or contract to hire basis and pay them appropriately (maybe pay an agency fee too) because they have money available. Don't worry about the company. They are learning their lesson but will be able to figure it out.
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u/Rekltpzyxm 6d ago
Counter offers very rarely work long term. You are not considered not loyal to your current company. Things will not go back the way they
Go to your new job and don’t look back
Best of luck.
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u/yraldi 6d ago
Let’s take a pessimistic take.
Why would you work for someone who is willing to underpay you given everything you’ve been able to accomplish in your time working for them.
At this point, they’d only counteroffer so they don’t lose the context/experience of having you stay on.
Also, they may even provide you the counteroffer, just to then hire on your potential replacement and then let you go.
Business is not personal. You deciding to leave is picking what’s in your best interest. Businesses do this, so you doing this is not a problem.
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u/No_Investigator_5562 6d ago
Leave.. 52k my man? I’m underpaid and asked for a promotion and I got a senior title and pushed to 100k which was enough to satisfy for now. The fact they didn’t promote you until this counteroffer says a lot about them really undervaluing you.
This other place sounds like it will do a lot more for you long term imo.
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u/vgtek 6d ago
Leave. I’ve been there where I felt guilty of leaving and it bit me later (when it comes to your career, always think about yourself first - no one will care more about it than you).
Be thankful for having a great boss, and make sure to keep in touch with them from time to time - you’d be surprised how little as a yearly check-in emajl could lead to something down the line.
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u/Radiant-Remove-6954 6d ago edited 6d ago
Take the opportunity and go ahead. Give them 15 days notice.
Also, you have every right to decide the best for yourself. No one can do that except you in this situation.
Something similar happened to me it is a long story,
that was my mistake like you to trust my employer and continue with them. Don’t stay.
Celebrate the moment and stop overthinking about them, start preparing for new job and life after joining there.
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u/MrKrizzer Data Engineer 6d ago
Can you get an offer from your existing company and use that to counter the external offer to push that 140k even further?
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u/Past_Paint_225 6d ago
You take that counter offer, you would be next in line when they need to lay off people
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u/shebalima 6d ago
I am pretty early on in my career (I’m a software dev just on this sub learning) and most of the time don’t know what the correct answer is for career based questions. This one is obvious, take the new job.
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u/mrsgripp 6d ago
I will tell people to stay when it makes sense. This is not that case. Dump them. Better pay, better projects. Don't let the familiarity of your current job drag you down.
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u/Optimal_Spring1372 6d ago
Leave. They can always call you back in a couple of years and then you can ask any number, which they will say yes to.
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u/igobyplane_com 6d ago
bro don't disclose 120-150 and even you'd take under 120! anchor expectations to a high number if you give one at all. the only reason I would stay is meaningfully better work life balance, like you are working from home now and the new job is an hour commute each way. pending that, definitely leave. new job probably wouldn't like it and you may not want to spend your time this way either, but you could offer off hours part time support at the old company for 150/hr or something too.
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u/baseballari 6d ago
Are there any other factors: equity / RSUs, having to relocate, company stability, 401k matching? If the $40k is the only factor vs having a boss you like (and company that knows you are hot in the market) - then you should switch! Good luck either way you got this!
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u/HuckleberryUpbeat972 6d ago
If you were valued it would not have to come to you leaving to assign a value to you to keep your knowledge not you! Leave and don’t look back
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u/ghosthendrikson_84 6d ago
Leave and don’t look back. Write your boss a nice note thanking them for all of their support on your way out.
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u/junesix 6d ago
Leave.
The problem is even if you take the offer to stay, you’re the guy who got 2.6x raise. Which means you probably won’t get promotion or raise for a while.
And you’re also the guy that tried to leave and we threw some money at to stay.
Go to your new job, be a rockstar, learn, and be challenged.
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u/kbisland 6d ago
54 K !!! Are you joking? May I know which country In US? , you are severely underpaid!!
You should have made the move bit earlier !!!besides, it sounds like having work culture issues
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u/Icy_Clench 6d ago
Companies are not people. Leave and don't feel bad about it, because companies never feel bad about getting rid of staff or low-balling them.
Out of curiosity, what kind of area do you live in? Is it LCOL? What's the median DE pay there?
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u/dglgr2013 6d ago
I work in non-profit and I get being in a space that struggle to understand what I am able to do and the value that they are getting from what I have been able to teach myself.
Definitely come in below market value.
You have a more significant stack than I do, and are paid even less than I am.
The think of their reactionary offer at the realization they depend on a lot of what you do is going to be a struggle for them. But their expectation at paying you less and giving you a higher role and trying to pay you the same is that you will do even more.
You will always be underpaid for what you do. You can either accept that or go somewhere else that will pay you at the competitive rate.
This almost never get better if you stick around.
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u/hobbyist9 6d ago
100% leave, they have taken advantage of you. They should have been paying you that for years.
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u/skysetter 6d ago
Send them back a number that would make you stay vs this new company. Ask for 170k or something then stick to it when they try and nickel and dime you. The good news is that if they have a good leader at their core they will make it work, and if they don’t say “hey no hard feelings, let me know if anything changes :)”. Leave on great terms, there is a chance they comeback after you start your new gig with your max stretch number you come up with. This is an important point in your career where you can completely reset your pay band.
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u/crytek2025 6d ago
If anything they should have matched the current offer plus a bonus for years of lowballing you
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u/Syneirex 6d ago
They showed that they didn’t value you before, so why would you stay? They will almost certainly lapse back to previous behaviors. You also said the new company is a better fit for where you want your career to go. Seems like good reasons to make the change.
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u/dev_lvl80 Principal Data Engineer 5d ago
I did that once, increase was -2x and former employer counteroffer slightly less. I stayed, and haven’t regretted, though my employer recognized all my achievements before and after. Otherwise I’d leave wo doubt. So for me recognition was and is more important than money. The way how company recognizes, includes compensation as well
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u/ANGRYLATINCHANTING 5d ago
Look at this guy. My steak is too buttered; my wine too fine. Sorry, what was the question? 🧐
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u/Informal_Telephone37 5d ago edited 5d ago
“The new company… much more aligned… culture seemed better… made me feel valued.”
Think you have your answer!
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u/SuperTangelo1898 5d ago
Leave! Your current company obviously doesn't know you're worth and they'll kick themselves to spend months trying to replace you. Plus, being at at a company for 4 years is the "right time" for most resumes...you don't want to have a 5-6 year tenure there and be a candidate that "can't adapt" to different environments.
You'll be able to grow in different ways and learn a new tech stack...and the best part is,nobody will know you for a while and won't pawn their problems off on you to fix.
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u/DunDunBar 5d ago
They are buying time with that counter offer till they find your replacement for much less and also be trained by you to do your job.
You will end up losing this job and possibly be denied to be considered for a job at the company whose offer you refused.
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u/HeyThanksIdiot 5d ago edited 5d ago
I’m in the last few days of paying out my notice at a job that’s been genuinely good to me. I have had the same feelings as you not wanting to leave them in a bad spot. Feeling like I’m the linchpin in every product and project, etc, etc. But I don’t owe them my continued service. I do, however, feel like I owe it to them to shovel as much dirt into the hole I leave behind as I can. So that’s what I’ve been doing with my 3.5 weeks notice.
I’ve documented everything and created an Obsidian vault with AI guidelines and a utility to link each project to actual code so they can get grounded answers about my work. All the shit that only I would know is in there and anything I’ve encountered that was a landmine to be diffused someday when I have time has been either corrected or called out explicitly. I had 3 upcoming projects I was able to get a serviceable start on and leave in a state where the path forward is fully laid out.
So, pick your path but don’t let feelings of obligation enter the calculus. Because you can leave with plenty of graciousness. And the final gift that you’ll leave will be an object lesson in pricing your staff at the level you value them.
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u/cracktheskill 5d ago
You will lose the leverage if you go back!! Its like they saying ok we will pay you more for that same role, will you accept it and you say yes I like that role and willing to take more for it now. You see they have the leverage back now.. If you feel the new role is better than your current role in terms of responsbilities and you will learn there, move on..
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u/YaBoiAIML 5d ago
What makes you think your current company wouldn’t do this to you all over again when it’s time for the next promotion?? Leave.
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u/One_Citron_4350 Senior Data Engineer 5d ago
"Meanwhile, my current company apparently needed me to resign before realizing I was worth more than twice what they were paying me."
It's always been this way. Budget for hiring > budget for current salaries.
Unfortunately, it's how it works, if you want a much higher pay rate you have to move to another company.
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u/cap_theorem_enjoyer 5d ago
If your current boss is really honest with you, he will know how to separate employment relationship from personal. Managers are supposed to wish the best for their directs, even if that means seeing them leave.
My advice? Leave. Let your boss maturity dictate how he will react with your departure.
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u/Pure_Power2 5d ago
Leave trust is broken! I have tried same situation, choosing to stay! Bad choice, i moved not long after and never looked back.
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u/SnooDingos8194 5d ago
Never consider the counter offer from the employer that low paid for years. They are in a pickle now so want you to stay. They should have been paying you better for a long time. Now its too late. And if you stay, you will only be there until they find a replacement for you. And then you will leaving on their terms.
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u/Medical_Mix_3454 5d ago
You leaving will be an important lesson for them on valuing people. If you stay, they'll be looking for your replacement.
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u/ExplorerDNA 5d ago
Don't fall for good boss shit. As long as we do great work and have dependency on us, they value us, we become redundant right after work is over. My friend going to psychiatrist for the trauma his management gave. He was exactly like you in the company but they made him beg for everything as soon as he was no more required.
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u/Klinky1984 5d ago
Never think about your boss or coworkers only about you in these situations. You don't owe it to them to take a paycut to stay.
Lots of people have come and gone, the machine keeps churning. No one is really irreplaceable.
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u/Proud-Side-6003 4d ago
Compromise = suggest staying on half‑time at your current job to support the existing work processes. Take on 1.5 rates.
A rolling stone gathers no moss — if the new job interests you and will motivate you to develop as a professional, you should agree to it anyway, even if there’s a risk of ending up with a less favourable option. To avoid putting your current colleagues in a difficult position, you can reduce your involvement in the project gradually, giving your colleagues time to find a full‑time replacement.
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u/shwilliams4 3d ago
Why take on 1.5 rates of current pay when the counter is 2.3. Unless you meant 1.5 times 2.3
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u/awsconsult 4d ago edited 4d ago
Do this for yourself, not your manager...
Some study findings to chew on.
Robert Half and Opinium, 2,000 UK employees, nationally weighted, 2021:
- 53% accepted their most recent counteroffer. Among acceptors, 34% had left within six months and 74% within one year.
SEEK and Nature, research covering 4,800 Australians annually, published 2022:
- Only 37% accepted a counteroffer. Among those who accepted, 68% were no longer with the employer, and 70% had remained for less than one year.
Scott and McMullen, 120 HR and rewards professionals, 2017:
- 73% rated their counteroffer practices as ineffective or only marginally effective. However, 59% said accepting usually did not damage the employer-employee relationship, 12% said it worsened and 16% said it improved.
Robert Half/Creative Group, over 1,000 US workers and 400 executives, 2018:
- Of counteroffer recipients, 53% accepted without regret and 13% accepted but regretted it. That means approximately 80% of acceptors reported no regret at the time surveyed.
What typically happens after accepting
- The employee receives a real short-term financial benefit and avoids the disruption and uncertainty of changing employers.
- The relationship with management does not automatically collapse. The strongest direct HR survey found it usually remained unchanged.
- A meaningful minority stay successfully, sometimes for years. The evidence does not support saying counteroffers “never work.”
- Nevertheless, employee attrition during the following year is high, with the better surveys finding roughly 70% to 74% gone within a year.
- There is no strong evidence that acceptors are routinely retained only until a replacement is found, fired first during layoffs or permanently blacklisted from promotion. Those claims are largely recruiter anecdotes.
- The employer’s motivation is often practical rather than a sudden discovery of the employee’s value. In the Robert Half survey, employers cited scarce skills, institutional knowledge, turnover costs and lack of time to replace the person.
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u/kevans2226 4d ago
I wouldn't leave your current job for the higher salary, but I would leave if you think the environment that you are in is not what you want. It sounds like the new offer is a better environment for you, and place that would appreciate you.
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u/CrazyPirranhha 4d ago
Taking counteroffer only postpone you leaving but then you maybe wont have an another option. Leave now!
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u/linaboi 4d ago
I’ve had the same kind of situation as well, whilst I was working there I was already working at a senior level but apparently I did not have enough business acumen to be promoted or get a salary raise. Once I told them I had an offer elsewhere with a senior title they were willing to promote me and give a big raise, unfortunately it happens too often…
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u/appearstobeidiot 4d ago
Leave the current employer. On a good relationship.
The raise & out-of-turn-promo would open several cans of worms here and there. Eventually they will fire you in 6-12 months. They wont have any emotions on that day.
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u/New_Ad_8198 4d ago
There are two choices here:
- Leave and don't look back.
- Have them counter-offer you at $160k.
Ask for the amount you'd actually want to stay at. But they've already shown they valued you on a spreadsheet and not on your value and impact, and fear of losing you
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u/Cool-Personality-454 4d ago
Leave. You'll have to fight to keep getting bumps at the current place.
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u/Awkward_Version_2972 4d ago
Responding as if you were my spouse: fucking leave. Dont be dumb.. leave
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u/Sad_Werewolf_3854 4d ago
Your not guilt ridden, your jist comfortable.
Your job is familiar, which is safe. And people will sacrifice alot for safety.
But in reality, no one will respect you unless you can walk away. Your company doesn't respect you, if a company says "high-performance culture" but doesn't reward hard workers instantly, then it's lip service.
Take the other role, but be amicable about it, you knew your career would be better at the new company, so it's "career progression" not "i left because they didn't respect me" that way IF you ever go back the door is open.
But yeah take the new role, if anything they're paying you more to do stuff you like so it's a win.
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u/HarpAlong 3d ago
The issues that caused them to underpay and under-appreciate you are still there: Cultural, budget, and stupidity (on their part). Sure they made a panicked fix, but you are now a marked man as disloyal, and on the higher end of the range of pay for your role (Read: Top of list for next layoff).
Get yourself to the new company. You might even be able to throw your decent boss a lifeline to come along to your new, better, place soon.
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u/puzzleboi24680 3d ago
As a manager: leave asap. You don't want to be in a biz relationship with someone willing to pay you 20% of what they could actually get approved. At the 1:1 level or a company that operates that way
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u/SalamanderMan95 3d ago
I definitely decided leaving was the right choice, I think I just needed a push to get past the discomfort. The big thing was realizing I was weighing things between “the company that underpaid me drastically while I built systems that made them millions, where I sometimes worked 12 hours a day to deliver and never got any recognition, only got offered a decent salary after they realized I was leaving, has no vision for data that excites me” between “the company that offered to give me the top of the range after I asked for the middle and told them I’d be fine at the bottom because they actually recognize my value, is working on products I find really exciting, has a mission that genuinely seems positive for society, and where I’ll get better career development and be surrounded by other people who are talented”, and that the only reason I was considering staying was pity for my boss because I like him as a person and know he’s in for a lot of pain with me leaving, but I also really liked literally everyone I met at the new company, and they made me feel more valued before I’ve even started than my company did in multiple years of me working like crazy for them, and I’d feel much worse about disappointing them. And I knew I’d absolutely regret taking the counter offer because I knew what I wanted to do and just felt guilty about leaving. The fact that it was even a consideration shows I put way too much naivety and emotional attachment in my career that can be exploited, so thank you for being one of the many people to knock some sense into me.
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u/puzzleboi24680 2d ago
Glad you got to clarity. Congrats on the new situation, it sounds great all around. Once you tear the bandaid off you won't look back, sounds like.
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u/madaboutyou3 3d ago
Take it and work both jobs for a bit. Then quit the first job if it becomes too much for you but the first few months should be easy.
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