The post Joshua Hollander first appeared on Horton International.

• Half of job seekers will receive a counter-offer from their employers
• 80% of employees who accept a counter-offer will leave within six months
• Counter-offers are rarely about the employee but protecting the business.

Looking for a new job is an exciting time. Whether you are seeking the next challenge in your career or have decided you need a change of scenery from your current role, a new opportunity can be life-changing.

During the recruitment process, there can be some difficult decisions to make. This whole process can be even more complicated if your current employer makes a counter-offer. You’ve already decided to move on, and suddenly there are new terms to think about. The idea of being offered more money or additional benefits can be tempting, but is it ever worthwhile?

What Is A Counter-Offer?

Deciding to leave your job and take on a new venture is a huge decision and one that often takes months of preparation.

When you finally get offered that dream role that you’ve had your heart set on, it might seem like that’s the end of the process. However, many job seekers are then faced with the counter-offer. This is when you hand in your notice to your current employer, and they offer you a pay rise or promotion in return for staying with the business.

A counter-offer can seem like an excellent opportunity. After all, you already know the company and the people, and you are being offered more to stay. But this isn’t a decision to be taken lightly, because often a counter-offer isn’t as great as it may seem.

Why Would An Employer Make A Counter-Offer?

Before you can decide if a counter-offer is ever worthwhile, you need to understand why your employer is offering one. They can seem like a flattering compliment, but the hard truth is that a counter-offer is not about you, it’s about the business.

A huge 50% of workers who hand in their resignation will receive a counter-offer, so this is not a rare situation. Replacing employees takes time and money. You need to consider the cost of advertising your role, finding the right candidate and then training them. Typically, it costs 213% of an annual salary to replace a senior team member.

Not only that but if you are in a role that is challenging to fill because of skills shortages; your position could by empty for many months. All this means that a lot of the time and stress for the business. Consequently, a counter-offer has nothing to do with how much they like you as an employee, but it is a cost-saving exercise.

Is Accepting A Counter-Offer Ever Worthwhile?

When an employer makes a counter-offer, it can disrupt your plans significantly. Just when you think you are ready to leave and move on to the next exciting stage of your career, you have another decision to make.

It is important that you weigh up the benefits and downsides of accepting a counter-offer before making your final decision. Here are a few things to consider if you receive a counter-offer;

Remember Your Reasons For Leaving

You have already made the hard decision to leave the company, and there would have been some real reasons behind that choice. Consider why you decided to look for a new role and ask yourself if the counter-offer changes anything.

For example, if you were leaving because you hate your commute, then no matter how much money your employer offers you, your commute will still be there.

You Could Ruin Your Employer’s Trust

Once your employer knows that you have decided to leave the company and go elsewhere, their trust in you could be gone for good. Even if you decide to accept the counter-offer and stay with them, they may question your loyalty. They may be reluctant to invest more into your career in future, out of fear that you are going to decide to leave again.

When a business thinks you aren’t there for the long-term, it can have a negative impact on your career.

Think About Why They Didn’t Offer This Before

If your current company was in a position to offer a pay rise or a promotion, why did they not do it before you decided to leave? A company that recognises the value in its employees is essential. So, if it takes handing your notice in to get what you deserve, then maybe they aren’t the kind of business you want to work for.

If your existing employers offer you a promotion, then carefully consider if that new role really exists. It is not uncommon for a business to make a new role as a promotion to entice you to stay, only to give themselves time to find a replacement. Once they’ve recruited your old position, your new role might become redundant because you are now expendable.

It Can Tarnish Your Professional Reputation

No one wants to be messed around and backing out of a deal will never go down well. Your new business will have halted their recruitment and planning your arrival, only to be turned down at the last minute because you accepted your counter-offer.

The same goes for recruiters; they have put a lot of hard work and dedication into finding you the perfect role. When you back out, not only can it be costly for them, but it makes them look bad to their clients. All of this bad blood can be extremely damaging to your future career choices.

You will not only blow your chances of working at that company again, or with that recruiter, but there is no way of knowing if those hiring managers will go on to work at your next dream business.

What Is Your Reason For Leaving?

Some workers use counter-offers as a tactic to get their current employer to give them a pay rise and realise their value to the company. This is a very different situation to actually wanting to leave and find a new role.

When you are using a resignation as a way of getting more money for your current role, you are never really serious about leaving the business. This situation is very different from when you want to leave your role for another but receive an incentive to stay.

The truth is, it is rarely worthwhile to accept a counter-offer. A survey by the Wall Street Journal revealed that 80% of employees who accept a counter-offer leave the company within six months. It can be very tempting to stay where you are and settle for a pay rise or promotion. However, in the long run, it could be detrimental to your career.

If you receive a counter-offer, make sure you consider it very carefully. Remember that if you have received a job offer for a role that you have worked very hard to get, then that should always be your top priority.

We know that making a big change in your career can bring anxiety and stress. However, there was a reason you wanted to leave, and a fantastic opportunity lies ahead. So do think carefully before slipping back into the comfort of your old role. You may be forsaking a chance to really enjoy the next stage of your career.

The post Is Accepting A Counter-Offer Ever Worthwhile? first appeared on Horton International.

If your company is transitioning an employee overseas, here are four tips to make sure it’s a successful move for the company and employee:

1)      Provide a Clear and Customized Offer – While you should have a consistent relocation offer package overall, the individual circumstances and needs of the employee should be taken into consideration. For example, take into account the cost of living both where they’re living and moving to, whether the employee has family considerations (elderly parents, a significant other, children) and real estate. Be sure to communicate any expectations up front, such as whether the position has a contract duration, what relocation expenses will be covered by the company, the resources and support that will be provided, and whether the employee’s current position is guaranteed if they move back. Also be willing to be flexible and negotiate. This will help the employee and their loved ones feel supported and make an informed decision.

2)      Arrange Housing – A crucial aspect of relocation is simply having a place to live during and after the transition. Whatever level of support your company chooses to provide in this area, make sure your employee has support in finding convenient temporary and long-term housing in the new location, which can be tricky overseas when there’s limited knowledge of the geographic area and how the process works. Consider whether you’ll cover closing costs if the employee has to sell their current home or if you’ll help them cover the cost of breaking a lease if they rent.

3)      Offer Cultural Resources– From offering language lessons to covering costs for the employee and their significant other to visit the country ahead of time to help identify the best school system for the employee’s children, make sure they have all the support they need to acclimate once they arrive in the new country. Help simplify the process leading up to the move – from making sure they have up-to-date passports, visas and work permits, to ensuring they understand the medical system. Do everything you can to help the employee deal with the new country’s nuances.

4)      Continue Support Post-Relocation – Once an employee has relocated, make sure the support continues, as living in a new country can be isolating for some people until they acclimate. Set them up with fellow expatriates that work for the company or provide them with a mentor at the new office location. Help their significant other find a new position if they’ve also relocated and ensure they have a contact they can go to at any time to help them overcome any hurdles or to provide much-needed resources and advice.

Relocation is exciting for an employer and the employee taking on the new opportunity. Following the guidelines above can help to make the transition go more smoothly ensuring they can focus on getting right to work in an exciting new country and position

The post Four Best Practices for Relocating Employees Internationally first appeared on Horton International.

In the financial industry, ensuring the security of customer assets, information, and transactions is a top priority. However, according to the FBI, the U.S. financial sector is one of the most targeted in the world. Thieves can essentially break into thousands of accounts simultaneously without setting foot in a bank. Add to this that cyber security threats are rapidly evolving and growing more sophisticated. Technology is always advancing and providing new potential targets (i.e. – mobile apps) and it isn’t a matter of if your business will be hacked, it’s a matter of when.

Thieves can essentially break into thousands of accounts simultaneously without setting foot in a bank.

So what can you do to protect and prepare yourself for a potential cyber attack?

• Assess Your Cyber Risk –Take the time to understand your company’s vulnerabilities by utilizing tools such as Travelers’ free Cyber Risk Pressure Test, which asks a short series of questions and gives you an idea of where you stand. Not only are you at risk of your system being infiltrated, but there are also inside and operational risks that have to be considered.
• Invest in Prevention – Based on your level of risk, ensure you have technical controls and a clear cyber security governance and risk management plan in place that not only accounts for your business but also takes into account third party vendors.
• Prepare a Response Plan – You should have a thorough response plan and clear chain of command in place in the event you do experience a breach, so you can get right to addressing and dealing with the issue versus scrambling to form a plan. Invest a considerable amount of time and resources to this plan and work with outside consultants if needed. Also make sure to revisit and refresh the plan on an ongoing basis.
• Communications is Key – Do you know what you would tell your employees, customers, and the media if you were the victim of a data breach? What about social media? Would you be proactive or reactive to inquiries and what level of detail would you provide?   Communications responses to breaches can greatly impact consumer trust in a company. Have a top-notch communications leader (or retain an outside firm) that has a plan in place and is ready to handle your integrated communications response.
• Hire and Train Smart – Having strong leadership equipped to prepare for and respond to a breach if needed is key. Make sure you are employing the best and brightest talent and invest in ongoing training so they are always up to speed on the latest technology and threats.

The key is being prepared and hyper focused on your company and data.

The post Cyber Vigilance: Ensure You’re Protected and Prepared first appeared on Horton International.

Vertex discovered and developed the first medicines to treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF), a rare, life-threatening genetic disease. In addition to clinical development programs in CF, Vertex has more than a dozen ongoing research programs focused on the underlying mechanisms of other serious diseases.

Founded in 1989 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Vertex today has research and development sites and commercial offices in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. For eight years in a row, Science magazine has named Vertex one of its Top Employers in the life sciences.

The focus of the search was to identify a leader capable of formulating and implementing the next evolution of Quality within Vertex by transforming the function from a compliance function focused on “staying out of trouble” to a trusted business partner enabling the Vertex organization to continue to focus on what it does best – providing patients with transformative medicines – with compliance as the byproduct.

Horton International conducted a global search focusing on candidates with executive level Quality experience in high-performance drug development environments.  After considering multiple candidates, Vertex leadership selected Ms. Luczak, an experienced, innovative leader with more than 25 years pharmaceutical and biotechnology experience across multiple functions and disciplines at Sponsor and CRO organizations. Her record of staff engagement, retention, development and growth across global organizations with various organizational models is second to none.

“Elizabeth’s track record as a transformative and strategic change-agent, coupled with her proven accomplishments within evolving and complex environments will be a terrific addition to Vertex’s Global R&D Quality Assurance team.  We are thrilled to have found an executive of her caliber to continue to build on Vertex’s record of success,”…

…said Molly Robb, Managing Director, Global Life Sciences and Healthcare Venture Capital and Private Equity Search Practice, who led the search from the firm’s Boston office.

For additional information and the latest updates from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, please visit www.vrtx.com.

The post Vertex Pharmaceuticals – Vice President of R&D Quality Assurance first appeared on Horton International.

Add to this that one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese , that America’s workforce is aging and working longer, that chronic diseases and conditions like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, are caused in large part by lifestyle choices and that healthcare costs continue to skyrocket and the need to have a healthier workforce becomes quite clear.

Wellness Programs are currently more prevalent in corporate atmospheres among those with white collar jobs. However, it’s predicted that they will begin to be implemented in more physically-demanding blue collar industries in the near future, like the industrial, construction, transportation, and manufacturing fields. And the need in these industries is acute, as blue-collar workers have been found to have more health concerns, like obesity and smoking, than other groups.

So what’s all the buzz about and why should you care?

Workplace Wellness Programs:

• Increase employee engagement, productivity and job satisfaction
• Reduce employees’ out-of-pocket medical expenses
• Lower employee stress levels and boost their overall well-being and energy
• Decrease healthcare costs, worker’s compensation claims, employee injuries, and absenteeism
• Attract and help retain the best talent
• Enhance your company’s image

One thing to keep in mind is that wellness programs are growing and expanding beyond physical wellness and are looking more holistically at employee well-being.   Companies are beginning to take more integrated approaches with initiatives like flexible work arrangements, financial and retirement planning, mental health support, child and elder care assistance and more.

Wellness programs have a high ROI for both workers and employers and are worth the time and effort invested in them.   Thinking about implementing one in your workplace? There are many resources and tools to determine what would work best for your employees.

Do you have a successful wellness program at your company? We’d love to hear more!

The post Wellness at Work: Prevention and Support is Key first appeared on Horton International.