Ask the Geezers

A View on Job Change "Temptation"

Question: One of my employees has an offer from another company for a higher position and a considerable
salary increase. If this person were my friend I would tell them to go for the new job, but as a manager
at Sun I think I'm obligated to try to convince the person to stay at Sun. What do I do?

Sin-Yaw: Do as if you are his or her friend. You should advise your friends to look beyond temporary pay increases and focus on learning and skills development. I have seen people jumping jobs for pay and ended up not growing over the long term. If your friend is still young, remind him or her that skills and relationship will yield better financial rewards over time.

Amiram: Don't forget that you have an obligation to have integrity as well. You can present options (if you have any), and let the person make their own decision. Again, you have to ask the person the following: what is their short term goal, and what is their long term goal? It is quite possible that people leave a stable job, with a lot of growth opportunity in the long term, for a short term opportunity which offers only a pay raise. Do this person have a horizon at Sun? Can they grow? Are they top performers? If the answer to all is "no", then you should probably bless them and let them go. If they do have potential, you should present the long term opportunities at Sun. The bottom line: keep your integrity, don't lie, and if you truly believe that this person is going for the right move, don't try to promise him/her things you can't possible give.

Mike:
Manager is always obligated to do what is right for your group and team. You should try to convince him to stay only if you think this person is good for Sun.

Don't cut side deals. Don't try to match the salary gap.
You don't know if the person will come back in 6 months with another even high offer or if the person is just testing the water.

Also remember to keep a global view of this case.

This is an opportunity to probe what are the underlying things that have led to this person looking for another job in the first place. Ask him about the pluses & minuses about his current job and situation. What would he change?

Except for salary, there are many other factors about a job, for example:
- work environment including both physical environment such as flexible hours, iwork infrastructure, and mental environment such as management style, group interactions.
- intellectual environment. Am I working with smart people and learning from them?

That is why the "Power of Sun" survey asks the question "If you get an offer at another company with similar pay, will you choose to leave Sun?"

Remind the employee that when making decision about a job change, one should also consider the potential risks at the new job. Ask questions like
- "How much do I know about his future job?"
- "Will I get along well with my future management and team members?"
In many cases the job change does not turn out as good as it originally looks.

Posted at 11:31AM Dec 12, 2006 by Wen Michelle Lei in General  |  Comments[2]