In today’s market we are seeing so many negotiations by candidates within their own firms where they try to resolve whatever issues they have internally but feel undervalued by doing this and therefore feel compelled to also explore their options on the market. More often than not, their business cannot offer them what they are hoping for, thus fueling the job search for many people…… Or can they offer them something?! Is it all a game?
90% of the candidates we speak to say they have had internal conversations to get that promotion, pay rise, flexibility etc but have been unsuccessful in achieving this or are made false promises about the timeline for when they might achieve this. They then come to us in search for what they desire and guess what…. We find them exactly that, but the story doesn’t end there. Even after candidates receive and accept another offer giving them everything they were hoping for, their own business suddenly turns around and counter offers them. There’s now been a change in budget so they can have their pay rise. The team is restructuring so of course they can have their promotion. The Directors have fought hard not to lose the candidate, so of course they can have greater flexibility – How true is it all? Generally, its 50/50 on those who are happy with this outcome and those who think, too little too late. Why couldn’t this have happened when you asked for it rather than there being a miraculous change in circumstances when you’ve made the choice to move on.
Maybe I’m being too hard on these businesses, but to me, it doesn’t make sense. If someone is valuable to your team, why push them to the edge, is it all to save a buck in the hopes they end up just staying without progression or advancement?
Then on the flip side, what do candidates really want? For the 50% who are happy with the outcome, is it all about the chase? Do they feel more valued having their employer changing things internally to ensure they retain them? You tell me!
Given employers would appear to make it so challenging for candidates to get what they want at work, does it create a stigma in peoples brains as well? For example, I spoke with a candidate recently who felt they were undervalued in terms of their salary, they asked their employer for a 20% pay increase and they were given it within the same week, the candidate then came to me confused and asked if they are still being undervalued in the market given that their business actually gave them what they wanted without hesitation and a long drawn out process. What does this say about the current market environment we are in?
Hopefully, this is food for thought, so what is it for you:
Salary?
Flexibility?
Job title?
The chase?