To use job offer as a bargaining chip with current employer?

[Fressia123]

Work has been very slow in changing my roles. The current one is making me feel like my brain is slowly dying. The job I've been offered is not much more in money terms but I think I'll learn more and potentially might have more transferable skills than the one I'm supposed to eventually transition at work. My DP thinks it's a terrible tactic but I'm getting tired of the "we're working on it" from my boss.

I agree with your DH, I don’t like people that use this tactic and would call your bluff. But in any case, the job you have offered sounds better, so why would you want to use this tactic anyway?

Why do you need a tactic? The new job sounds much better, just go to that job?

I know several people who have done this.
Decide, before you engage, what your ideal outcome is. Do you want to leave? Just hand in your notice.
Do you want your current boss to create a new role for you (more responsibilities., more pay)? And do you trust them to do so? Two different conversations.

As long as you're prepared to leave then it can be an OK tactic, though a decent employer shouldn't need a kick up the arse. I enjoyed handing my notice in and knowing I was leaving more. My old work miraculously were going to sort out my promised promotion and payrise on the day I handed my notice in. I just said it's a bit late now!

I would be prepared to leave. The only reason I'd stay it's because I love the industry and to some extent "the idea" of the company but it's awful the way they're running. they're also very flexible in terms of the workload can be spread through the week.

I agree with you @bungaloid I should have to be chasing this at all. I have been told I can't apply for other roles because of this "mythical new role".

I think you have to decide that you are going and then if they come back with a counter offer, then great, you can consider that, but don’t use it to bargain.

If its a niche role and it will be hard to replace you, it can work, they might offer a bit more money - somewhere in between current salary and the higher offer. You might be leverage it into getting the job move you want sooner.

However generally the view I get from career related discussions on reddit is it often leads to the business knowing that you're thinking of leaving, and if you they don't give you the move into the next role that you want, don't expect them to anytime soon - they'll be wary that you're looking elsewhere regularly and so might give it to another colleague.

Take the new job. You can always return to your current employer in future - in a much better job!

It's not niche per se, but they'd have to hire someone else to do it. The main problem (in both roles anyways) is that they're using my language skills as the key factor, whereas I see myself as professional that happens to be bilingual.

You say that the new job is better than what you might get at your current place. So take it and stop being a doormat which is what you come across as.

My DPs other point is that neither offer a great salary, so I won't be "at peace" for long.

The thing @BlokeNumber9 is that I'm not even sure what the new role is supposed to entail, I just know it's language based that's it.

Threatening to hand in your notice is not going to get your current employer to take note, you have to actually do it. Only do it if you are genuinely prepared to walk away. Maybe they'll give you a counter offer, maybe not.

This is the sort of thing you can only do once by the way - if you accept a counter offer, stay where you are, but try pulling the same stunt in the future, then next time you will definitely be out of the door.

Yes, I think the point is that I'd rather stay but I want them to deliver what they've promised. If they won't/can't then I think it's time to leave.

I would never do this.

Your current employer is wank.
They aren't going to get better - even if you sting them into action you will be back in the same place before long.
Leave and don't look back.

If the new job offers you more development opportunities for the same money, it’s probably worth moving, especially if you’ve been in your current role for a while getting empty promises of change. But we’d need more details (that you might not want to post here if outing) to give you a sound recommendation.

Things you might want to consider include:
-how young are you and do you have dependents?
-can you afford the financial risk in case you move over and then the new job does not work out?
-which industry would you be moving from, and which industry would you be moving into, and what are the prospects in each?
-what are the career prospects going forward with the new role vs the old?
-highly important: who would be your new boss and how well would you expect to get on? do you trust them?
-highly important: which firm suits you better in terms of Culture ie ‘how things are done here’, and in terms of values: how people treat each other and how they treat customers, suppliers, etc.

Absolutely worth doing if you are prepared to leave. It's the only reason I got promoted in my current workplace but I had another other that I would have taken if they'd said no.

Wow @YankeeDad such an insightful reply.

how young are you and do you have dependents? - mid thirties with two children.

-can you afford the financial risk in case you move over and then the new job does not work out? - we would really struggle, but we could (I was supposed to retrain this year so have don the maths).

-which industry would you be moving from, and which industry would you be moving into, and what are the prospects in each? From online content publisher to online retail. The new role in the new company would be a territory specialist. I think it can eventually evolve into business development/territory manager.

-what are the career prospects going forward with the new role vs the old? I'm not sure! I think I'm suppose to liaise with high profile accounts in Spanish but also create original content in said language.

-highly important: who would be your new boss and how well would you expect to get on? do you trust them? In the new role, same employer? If report to the CEO (I think).

-highly important: which firm suits you better in terms of Culture ie ‘how things are done here’, and in terms of values: how people treat each other and how they treat customers, suppliers, etc. - That's a tough one. My current employer is very resistant to change and find that frustrating. I have tons of previous experience that could be used but they're wasting it away.

The employment landscape has change in view of this Pnademic so I'd think very careful about it because there will be 100 applicants to refill you space when you leave. I would also some research on where you are going too. I have a good friend who moved jobs to a well known airline and within 6 weeks she was out on her ear pleading for her old job back. Just be careful.

@Pyewhacket my industry (online sphere in general) is the one that has benefit the most from the pandemic. In fact the reason why I haven transitioned to the new role is because demand exploded and they couldn't keep up, so they'd rather I stay in my current role as I had already been trained.

Absolutely do it, it’s the only reason I got my recent pay rise.

I do genuinely like my current employer and colleagues, so I was very polite about it and said it wasn’t what I wanted as such I just couldn’t see me going anyway.

Be prepared it might back fire but you do have a plan B so what do you have to lose?

I agree with the PP - as long as you are happy to leave and minded to do that, there's no reason you can't hand in your notice and say that you're sorry to be leaving and that it's only because the other role they talked about never came off, you're about to accept the other offer but just wanted to talk to them first in case they were about to come back to you with something..........

It's a terrible tactic. Never bluff. Either accept the other position and put your notice in with the full intention of leaving, or approach your current employer with a strong argument for clarity on your future with them without waving a threat of leaving.

I got the promotion that set me on track to where I am now because the previous person bluffed and it was called.

There's nothing to stop you discussing the new position further with the company that's offering it to you. Clarify what it is, what the prospects are. Then if you like it, just go for it.

I think you should move, but crucially informing your current employer "WITH REGRET".

Be very diplomatic with current employer.

"It's a pity but more prospects/opportunities etc etc."

Keep it very positive.

That may give them the push you want, to give you a solid offer on what they promised.

If they let you go...clearly they had no intention of following through.

Good luck