Friday, March 23, 2012

Counter-Offer: The substance over form


     Most resignation letter have a common parting words "irrevocable resignation".  And the fun part of this - a great number of it can also be revoked.  Well, let's face it, resigning from a certain job is one of the hardest thing to do.  We will stop seeing everyday the people that we have valued & colleagues that became our friends  and the other great opportunities within the organization will also cease.  This is always true even if we have the valid reasons to leave.

     Behind those valid reasons to leave, there are also  good grounds to stay.  Sometimes, a pat on a shoulder or a sincere conversation can be just enough to stay.  I can attest to this when a well-respected person have stopped me from transferring to another department.  You know, my respect and trust to that person and love for the colleagues are the good grounds for me to stay more patiently in the same department. I was counted on, afterall.

     But when the above ways are not as efficient anymore, the company will give an option - the COUNTER-OFFER. I'm not an expert in assessing a good counter-offer but I will be sharing to you  how I qualify things.

1.  Timing & consequences - When was it offered? A week after you tender your resignation or at your last few days?  If the company (HR/Boss) already have negotiated your extended stay then, it implies that they are already letting you go. But if after the acceptance of such, they talked to you again for another option, however great it can be, assess the sincerity of the offer.  Being happy at work cannot equates any monetary value.

2. Sincerity - Why you are being offered with such? Is it really a recognition of your value to the company?  Or they have recognized a less competent replacement and having you again will prevent failures? This is the most important factor  to me.  It is the point of regaining trust or losing it.  A good offer should recognize why are you resigning at the first place and work on compromising (or conceding) it.  Having a prepared (new) contract during informal  meeting without previous conversation or confirmation about the offer will only show a ONE-WAY communication.

3.  Actual Value - Wacky as it may sound, but I actually did my SWOT Analysis for the counter offer (SWOT = Strength, Weakness, Opportunity and Threat). I look deeper to SUBSTANCE OVER FORM. Aside from SWOT, assess the monetary value of the offer.  With your new rate, will you still receive the same benefits like Overtime Pay?  If being offered as consultant, you will also lose all the statutory benefits (Employer's share on SSS, Insurance, etc.). What is stated in the contract, is it what is being offered (i.e. responsibility, etc.)?  Another thing, people normally accumulate leave credits during employment. Will you still earn leave credits? What about the savings on tax rates? Compute the financial equivalent of these lost benefits vs the counter-offer.  How long will the new engagement would be? You must always value a long-term engagement, too.

     When I received the counter-offer, I didn't give my answer right away.  I asked for a day to assess various factors as stated above. I am overwhelmed blurrily perhaps, so I need to go out the circle and look what's inside. But before doing that,  I asked for God's guidance with the decision that I am about to give. Honestly, the REALIZATION came more vividly to me after.

     With the particular counter-offer that I got, I left the office that day with positive answer, went to church to seek for guidance, got home with a probable negative answer, computed the actual value and slept with negative answer.  I am truly grateful that I have declined the offer. ;-)

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Good Goodbyes on Resignation Letter


          At some point of your career, you want to leave the company for some valid reasons (professional/personal). A graceful exit from the company is the last good impression that you can leave and oftentimes, is the most remembered. Your resignation letter should be done in professional manner, too.  It's not the right medium to brag your accomplishments or express your sentiments or whines.  Whatever your reasons, your resignation letter should only contain 3 themes:

1.  Gratitute for the opportunity/experiences.  Even if the positive things was outweighed by the negative ones, express gratitude for those few positive things. You don't have to look back at negative things but rather, look forward.

2.  Reason.  The only reason you have to write is [a] career growth, [b] better opportunity or, [c] personal reasons.  You don't have to lie but if you have reasons other than [a] and [b], you just have to state [c]. Whatever you write in your resignation letter will be refered back to you in the future. Never badmouth your boss.  Don't worry because  the company/boss will recognize the real reason/s behind every resignation, even in your deep silence.

3.  Well wishes.  Wish the company more success and mean it.  You may asked me, "what for?".  I am a firm believer of the "Law of Attraction".  I believe that if you give good wishes sincerely, it will get back to you a hundred folds.

Don't worry on how your resignation is being handled.  Let bygones by bygones. Focus more on soaring high freely and the opportunity to have a better work milieu.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Behind Your Back


     As I am writing this, I wonder what people will say behind my back.  And surely, it's not the things that they can say to me upfront.  Because if they do, then, they won't talk behind my back, too.  Then, it will be a sort of re-telling some good conversation that we had because they're my friends somehow.  I'm sure, it happens to everybody. As the saying, "A dog barks only to a stranger" becomes a testament.

     Honestly, whatever I have said behind anybody.  Those are the things that I can also say to him/her directly.  The truth hurts but I believe that sincerity engraves a deeper trust.  I really am frank (ooopppsss! sincere and tactful rather) at my own right.

     If someone I know constantly talk about others behind their back, then, I have to qualify the language.  Why so?  It is because of a position, an object of fun, a strong personality, or a character?  Among the things, if it's the character of a person,  it's the person that I cannot trust.  I believe that such person can badmouth anybody (or everybody) including me. This person will have a harder time to really gain my trust. Remember, it's easier to deal civilly than to build rapport.

     Now, are you  wondering what people say behind your back? Who cares? You don't owe them any explanation.  Your life is not theirs to live unless you really are scandalous to norms.

    Let's not do any fun with other's imperfections or envious in what they have. Our own lives are gracefully beautiful. So, let's live happily with what we have. :-)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

(My) Someone like you

    Our moods or emotions can always be expressed with songs.  We may not discuss our personal struggles in details but there are songs that can really strike our hearts.

     My previous personal anthem was also Adele's song (Chasing Pavements).  But after a decade from where the budding love has started, I left that room and the door was finally locked.  Well,  the key was thrown at the deepest ocean, too.

    But, it seems just like yesterday.  And just like the lyrics "...No worries or cares, regrets and mistakes, they're memories made...", no bitterness is in store and it will stay merely a memory.    

   ...hey, this is just one of my heart's melodies to share ;)  Hope, you'll like it as much as I do.



Saturday, March 3, 2012

Can you fire your boss?



     Most of the business owners and big bosses that I have known have similar traits - Controlled emotion, Harmony & Compromising. As I observe, I have learned that these are just few things needed in business dealings - vertical or horizontal transactions.  We can't get all we want, all the time.  It's not always "YES" every time we ask.  But how we handle things will have a longer impact than we can think of.  A "NO" can somehow be transformed to a "YES" if we handled the previous answer harmoniously.

     Well, it's not really the exact things that i am looking for a company that I work with.  I can say "Yes" all the time under the rigid culture.  But of course, only if I'm in the right path and it's WORTH it all.  But as you know, everything has its consequences.

     What if you are not appropriately valued? Or treated just like "a worker that can be replaced anytime." And what if the owner tells your group these things? Or can you fire your boss or  the owner of the company you are working with? Most of us might have said "No".  Fortunately for me because I have different stand.

     Yes, we can fire them, too.  We are not carpets (or rags) to be stepped on.  We create value for them and so, we definitely deserve to be treated with such value and respect, also.  We may, as well, find another company where our contribution can be recognized and valued. And where we can be ourselves - growing and getting better as we go on...

     Ergo, always be gentle of your words because you will never know when will you ever EAT YOUR OWN WORDS.

     (My) Humility has its reservations, too!

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