Why is this?

[old3dogg]

Hows come everytime you go to the boss and ask for a raise he says I will have to think about it.But when you go to the boss and say Im leaving for something better he says wait!I will give you x amount more to stay!?
Why not pay a person what they are worth in the first place?
After 18 years on the same job I just put in my one week notice yesterday.I was making $13.55 an hour and all of a sudden they wanted to give me $17.
Oh well.I have been up all night with all of this on my mind and had to vent somewhere.
Big changes in my life right now.Excided,sad.and almost drunk all at the same time.Sure do wish Du-Duwane was here to help me out!

[Patty]

Why are you leaving your job? Is it only due to low pay? If that is the only reason, then you may want to accept the raise and stay on. If there is more to why you are wanting to quit, then the extra money is not worth it.
Do you have another job or business lined up to replace the one you are leaving? If so, stay with your heart and move on. If not, then maybe you should stick around until another one comes along, or your business plan is in place.
Are you married and have children who depend upon you? That can enter into this decision as well. They need to eat whether you like your job or not....being a responsible parent isn't always buckets of fun.
As far as your boss not offering more money until you turned in your notice....well sometimes some folks need a little push to make the right decision. Sometimes they think they don't have to give you that raise, that you'll stay on anyway, but when you called his bluff, he gave in. It may be as simple as that. In no way am I defending the boss, please don't misunderstand me, but I do know that is just how some folks think. That is how they get on in life...to not react to situations until they are backed into a corner.
This is just my opinion, mind you, obviously I do not know your situation. But maybe it can give you some different perspective on this dilemma you are in.

[Engineer]

At least they were willing to give you more.  I was working for a construction & engineering company, for a pitiful salary, when I finally got my engineering license.  I was expecting to be given a raise, benefits, something, anything to make me stay.  I was doing all the work anyway.

What I got was the boss asking me "So, what's your plans?  What are you gonna do now?"  As if he was expecting me to leave.  I did.  Gave two weeks on the spot.  Told him that if his reaction was any different I probably would have stayed.   He actually wanted me to hang around and teach him how to use the computers so that he could do *my* job.   ;D

Not sure I can offer you much encouragement, but there's always the option to take the extra $$$.  Unless, you are just fed up with the job, then nothing should be able to make you stay.  

[Tom]

I think that even a good company doesn't always realize that their good employees are the heart of their company and get so envolved in business that they forget what is making it run.  When a key employee offers to leave, it makes them think about having to replace them and that's when the lights turn on.  

On the employee's side, he must decide if he wants to be bought.  If you love your job and the money is good, it might be worth staying..... as long as you realize that you again become "bought" after you accept the raise and they look on to different things until your wheels need greasing again.

There's an addage "don't cut of your nose to spite your face" that fits here too.  Quiting without a comparable income can get shakey.  It seems that jobs are hard to find when you don't have a job already.

If you're thinking about self-employment, think long and hard about trying to do it on a shoe-string.  That's a situation where it's nice to have another income to help you get started too.

[old3dogg]

Thanks Patty.
Yes.I do have a wife and kids.The best in the world as a matter of fact!I also have a different job lined up.It will be a $2 cut in pay but the benefits are way better.
I guess at 38 years old Im a little afraid that my current job isnt going to be around much longer and I need to look out for myself at this point.
Its hard on someone when I had a big part in taking this company from 50 people all the way to 250 people and now back down to about 80 people.It just sucks to see this happen.
Like I said.18 years is a long time to be making changes.
I got a call from my best friend just a little while ago.She works at the same place but gets to see all of the "numbers".
We had a long talk and she told me that I was making a smart move.That and a few hours of sleep have made me feel a lot better my big change.
Vented here,slept a little and feel great!
Thanks!

[old3dogg]

Thanks Tom.
I just got all fired up when I went to the boss and said I was walking and the first words out of his mouth were"We can give you more money!"
A little respect and a "thank you" would have kept me there a little while longer at least wanting to talk.
Oh well.May by gones be by gones!Next week will be rough but I feel now that I will be able to handle it!
This place is the best!
Thank You!

[Timber_Framer]

Listen to the book keeper, I wish I had at least once :
And good luck with your new job.

[Patty]

Old3dogg,

Seems to me at 39 everyone is itchin' for a change in their life. Time to move on type itch. That is not a bad thing, it just forces you to do some re-examining in your life. I am trying to remember where I was at  when I was 39  : , seems Norm & I decided to expand our business and move to a larger facility, and hire on more help.

Change can be good for you, even though what you decide to do may not always work out like you thought it would, at least you did something. I don't understand folks who can go their whole life with the same job, the same house, the same everything. I'm not criticizing them, I just don't understand them. There has to be some sort of security in knowing you'll be doing the exact same thing one week from Tuesday, that you did last Tuesday.

Now if you feel the ship is sinking where you were working, BAIL OUT ! Only the owner needs to go down with the ship. Best of luck to you.  ;)