The general consensus I’ve seen on here when it comes to counter offers being issued by companies when an employee hands in their resignation for a better paying job is to never accept. It’s given me pause for thought that there should be a sort of standardised response that, if it were to gain traction, might start to get crappy businesses to value their damned employees.
When an employer offers to match salary and benefits of the newly offered contract, reply “Thank you for recognising my value to the company. As you’ll realise, this pay rise far exceeds anything previously offered by the company and leaves me weary of how readily you’ve exploited my good nature. I’ll happily negotiate an offer with you, if you are willing to acknowledge you’ve underpaid me for X years by cutting me a cheque for the pay discrepancy by end of day, otherwise just accept my resignation.”
In the incredibly unlikely and circumstance, that any company even moderately considers cutting that cheque, then firstly it reduces the likelihood you’re replaced rapidly, as they’ve now invested heavily in you (and even if they do, you’ve got a nice little monetary buffer), and secondly tells you that you’re being undercut at your new salary. Any suggestions or improvements?