If a valued employee is tempted to move on the last resort is to counter that job offer, beware the pitfalls!

With such a fierce war for talent currently affecting the construction industry and with skilled professionals at a premium, it isn't unusual for companies to enter the world of "counter offers".

The counter offer comes as a response to the employee accepting an offer for a role elsewhere, which given the current skills shortage is likely to be one of a number of offers they have collected before deciding.

Before placing a counter offer on the table employers should get to the bottom of why the employee wanted to leave in the first place. A recent snapshot of construction professionals carried out by specialist construction recruiter Jonathan Lee Recruitment shows that most people leave their companies in search of greater appreciation of skills and abilities, personal development and enhanced remuneration.

Grant Nisbet, the company's head of recruitment for the construction sector said, "Interestingly, whilst salary is a key factor in moving on, it is rarely the sole reason. It's important for employers to identify exactly what their employee is looking for in a new role or new company and considering whether it can be matched if they stay put.

Avoid empty promises
If an employer manages to persuade an employee to stay and turn down the other offer they need to be sure that the desired needs can be met or the person will likely leave shortly afterwards anyway". The most common reason for employees moving on despite previously accepting a counter offer is because they perceive that nothing has changed and promises not followed through.

"Handing out a counter offer can be like giving sweets to a child. The employee is often apprehensive in resigning and moving on, so when the organisation throws money and flattery at them vulnerability kicks in and they are often tempted to stay, forgetting about the negatives that led them to look elsewhere in the first place.

Held to ransom
Companies should also avoid being caught in a salary war which can, if not monitored, spiral out of control with workers holding employers to ransom by moving regularly and taking their skills to the highest bidder.

Then there is the loyalty issue. Some employers just can't really accept a person back into the workforce (even if they didn't ever leave) once they have dared to voice their interest in moving on. The advice is to forgive and forget or to let them go.

A word of warning to employers "If you have great staff that you want to keep within the company, decide their worth now and reward them accordingly. However flattering, the counter offer can be seen as just a belated recognition of contribution in response to the threat of losing the employee and can leave a sour taste in the mouths of workers involved".

There is also the risk that other employees will see that a colleague achieved a promotion, pay rise or increased benefits because they handed in their notice and they may follow suit.

For management, this can quickly feel like bribery by the whole workforce and could potentially lead to poor morale and disruption, whether companies give in or not.

If the employee cannot find what satisfies them in the current company the employer is nest to let them go with good grace.