A Malaysian employee debates whether to accept a RM7,000 counteroffer from her employer or leave after eight years due to a toxic manager.
A MALAYSIAN woman has triggered an online debate after revealing that she is torn between accepting a RM7,000 counteroffer from her current employer or leaving the company after eight years due to an unpleasant experience with a newly hired manager.
Sharing her dilemma online, the woman explained that she had already resigned without securing another job offer, but her employer later made a counteroffer to convince her to stay.
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She wrote: “Hi everyone, I’d like to get your opinion.
“Previously, my salary was around RM6.3k. I resigned without having another job lined up about two months ago, and my notice period is three months.
“Now, my boss has made a counteroffer, increasing my salary to RM7k. I’ve been working here for eight years.
“The main reason I wanted to leave is because I was verbally scolded by a newly hired manager from a different department.
“My colleagues are amazing, the best, honestly. My boss is okay, maybe a 5/10. They do micromanage, but it’s still bearable.
“The office is also quite close to my house, about a 25-minute drive.
“As for bonuses, sometimes we get them, sometimes we don’t. The highest I’ve ever received was a three-month bonus.”
She added that despite actively searching for a new opportunity over the past two months, she had only managed to secure one interview, which was scheduled for the following week.
However, the potential new job also came with its own challenges, including a much longer commute of around one to one-and-a-half hours from home, depending on traffic.
Reflecting on her current situation, she said her workload had reduced significantly after she raised her concerns with her boss.
“As for my current job, after I raised my concerns with my boss, he reassigned a lot of my responsibilities to the newly hired staff. So my workload isn’t nearly as heavy as it used to be.
“Right now, I’m in my comfort zone, maybe a little too comfortable. I also feel like I haven’t been upskilling enough.
“So I’m wondering… should I stay, make the most of the training opportunities here, and build my skills? Or should I just move on?” she asked.
Her post quickly gained traction, with many netizens weighing in on whether she should prioritise career growth or job stability.
Many advised her to accept the counteroffer first, pointing out that finding a new job is not easy in the current market.
They also suggested that she could use the extra time and financial stability to attend more training, improve her skills and continue searching for better opportunities.
“Jobs are difficult to secure nowadays. Even if you get a new job, you still have to go through the confirmation period.
“Take the salary increment first. The new workplace could also have toxic bosses or colleagues. After that, you can continue looking for another opportunity. At least you’ll still have a steady monthly income coming in,” one user called zlfkrhshmn commented.
Another user, rebellious.mom, agreed that staying might be the better option for now.
“Accept the counteroffer. The person who scolded you is from a different department, and you can always go back to your own manager and ask for their support if needed. With everything happening in the world right now, a RM7k salary with a 25-minute commute doesn’t sound like a bad deal,” she said.
While some acknowledged that career growth and upskilling are important, many felt that a higher salary, short commute, familiar workplace and supportive colleagues were valuable advantages that should not be easily given up.
