Hallway: the salary counteroffer trap
Respond to an employee's outside-offer anchor by testing interests and constraints before making a counteroffer.
The outside offer may be a real BATNA, a salary anchor, or a signal about deeper interests. Rafi says he has a $162,000 offer and needs an answer today. Elena's current range tops at $150,000 without HR approval. What should she do first? Acknowledge the offer, ask what it solves, and set a fast but realistic time to build a comparable package. Right. It treats the offer as potential BATNA evidence, resists blind anchoring, and opens interest-based package design. Promise to match the cash number immediately so Rafi does not leave the building unsettled. Weaker. It lets the outside anchor…
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