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I tried doing a quick search and didn't see another thread regarding this topic, so I figured I'd throw this out there and see if anyone has some advice.
I live in LA and have a pretty great job - great pay, good people, love what I do, etc, etc. However, my family lives back on the east coast and it's been difficult being that far away. I'm also somewhat unhappy with the LA traffic and cost of living.
In this past year I have been looking for jobs back east to possibly see what is out there and see how they stack up to my current job. There is nothing out there that comes close to the job I enjoy now. But, I realize that, so I moved forward with continuing my search anyway. Earlier this year I had an offer that I accepted. Just before I was supposed to start working I had some family medical problems that unfortunately caused me some major problems. I emailed the company and told them I could no longer work there. This was a horrible unethical thing to do and I felt extremely bad about it. I ended up continuing to work in LA.
I continued to look for other jobs and found another one in the same area. It's a decent company, decent pay, etc but doesn't provide the same level of excitement or pride that I have with my current job. I accepted it anyways. When I put in my notice with my current employer, they proceeded to bend over backwards and try to figure out how to get me to stay. I explained that I wanted to live near my family. They offered me the ability to work remotely and fly back once in a while when support is needed. If I had known this particular arrangement was possible I would not have pursued anything else. That arrangement really gives me what I want. I get to keep a job that I have a passion for (a company that has the potential for great financial success), and I get to live near my family and still get paid salary and benefits. Without giving the name of the company, this place is a tech based company...but has the same level of freedom and potential success as google did just before it went public.
My concern is that if I turn down this job that I've already accepted, that my reputation will be permanently tarnished in that area. I'm assuming that the news would spread and I would not have a chance of working in that area if I decided to in the future.
So, I'm stuck between continuing with a job that I truly enjoy, or moving forward with another one to avoid ruining my reputation.
Any particular thoughts on this dilemma? (I've really dug myself into a deep hole on this one)
I don't know what industry you are in, but is it so small that people in other companies would find out about this?
At the end of the day you have to look out for yourself. No one else will. It's a sucky situation, but the company you tell no will survive. They always do.
I agree with the above... unless this is a really small "community," where the managers all know each other, I doubt it will tarnish your reputation. People turn down jobs, it happens! I had to turn down an accepted job once, when I was offered something better & closer less than a week later - I called the other job, apologized for the inconvenience, and explained the situation honestly. They were very understanding, and as far as I know it didn't hurt my reputation. You gotta do what you gotta do sometimes, and ultimately it's YOU who has to go to work every day.
My background is somewhat of a specialty and people in this field are limited, so that's why i'm a little concerned.
I understand that either company will move on and survive, but my main concern is screwing myself out of potential opportunities in the future. I'd hate for this to have a serious negative impact on my professional reputation.
How long has it been since you accepted the new job? Have you started already?
It's certainly not the best course of action, but if you see yourself working for the company that you're with now who is trying to counter offer for a long time it may be worth it. There are certainly circumstances like this where people go to a new company and their old company wants them to stay bad enough to counter offer for a higher salary, promotion, etc.
My cousin and his wife have moved about 3 times in the last 12 years I think and he's been with the same company all the long working remotely from home. He used to be in the office and then he left for California for about 3 or 4 years. I suspect that's when they offered to let him work from home for the same reasons your present company is doing this. Then they got sick of California and moved back to Chicago again. Now he's out in Vegas after 3 years back in Chicago. He loves it. He has the freedom to work where he wants to, and a company that is willing to continue their working arrangement where ever he is.
Turning down a job you accepted due to receiving a better counter offer happens often enough that nobody should be shocked. Just tell them the truth, as quickly as possible.
I wouldn't worry about, just don't string them along. Reneging on accepted offers were considered a no-no a long time ago. But since then, companies are much more likely to withdraw offers that have been accepted, but prior to a start date than vice versa. Years ago, companies would never do that because it would hurt their reputation, but they do that all of the time now. So the vice versa isn't that big of a deal either.
One thing you need to be concerned about is your current employer. Companies only give counter offers when you leaving would put them in a difficult short term situation. They offer you raises and make lots of promises, as a short term solution. Since they already know that you were looking to leave, they will eventually put in procedures (or hire others) so if you leave, it will be a much easier transition. Once this happens, you are much more likely to be let go in the future. I've seen this happen a ton of times.
So if you stay, just beware that there might be a target on your back and you need to continually network and look for other opportunities if things with your old company doesn't work out.
I tend to agree with Slim. I've seen this a few times and it never works out well long term. But you never know. The fact that they are letting you work remotely certainly seems to say they really want you to stay.
Thanks for the input. We were able to work out a scenario that allows me to keep the main job I accepted and still provide some consulting on the side to the company I was preparing to leave. I'm not sure how that will work out entirely, but I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.
Thanks for the input. We were able to work out a scenario that allows me to keep the main job I accepted and still provide some consulting on the side to the company I was preparing to leave. I'm not sure how that will work out entirely, but I'll give it a shot and see how it goes.
Actually, unless the two are in competition, it sounds like you pulled off a major coup.
It is generally [URL="http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/28/counter-offer-employer-lead-careers-cx_hr_0630counteroffer.html"]a kiss of death to accept a counter-offer[/URL] from a company you have announced you're leaving. Your situation might be a little bit special, in that you left because of relocation. However, usually when a company makes a counter-offer, it's only to keep you on board until they find your replacement. They know you want to leave, which means they know you don't want to be there. The bond has been broken.
I have never seen it work out well for someone who accepted a counter-offer to stay with a current company. Usually they are let go within a year, and in the meantime, they are treated less cordially than they were before they announced they were leaving. So, you were smart to stick with the new offer and it's all gravy that you get to consult for the company you're leaving. Sweet deal!
However, sweet as it is, if I were you, in six months to a year, I would expect the company you will now be consulting for to tell you they no longer need your services.
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