Hi,I have recently been offered a position at a Company which I had verbally accepted last week. I have also received the paper work and the HR of the Company is waiting for me to return the signed contracts.In the meantime, my current employer have counter offered me and I have now decided to take this offer (from my current employer).Now, I am at a fix as how to reject the former offer having accepted it verbally and sitting on the paper work for over a week? Am I closing the doors with this Company for future opportunities? Can they take any action on me for not joining them after verbal acceptance? Any acceptable reasons (for not joining) I can provide to them that does not look bad morally?Help appreciated. Thanks.

Simple answer is that you contact the agent (if there is one) or the Hr company direct, and you tell the truth."My employer was shocked that I was considering leaving and has really listened to the reasons why and has now provided me with a real incentive to stay - one I can't say no to. Sadly this means I won't be joining you after all".They cannot make any claim against you, and even if they could are hardly likely to bother. However, having verbally accepted and now reacted to a counter offer, I think it is likely that the "new" company will categorise you as indecisive/easily bought/whatever (even if only to justify to themselves why you have turned down their wonderful company) and as such you are closing the door on them for the future.Worth asking yourself why it took the threat of walking away to get a decent offer from your current employer? What form did it take? Was it more money, a formal promotion or a new role?

This subject has been covered extensively on this forum, but for the avoidance of doubt:Yes you can decline the offer with no legal consequences: you have not even signed the contract, and even then it only becomes binding when you actually set foot on company property or that of an organisation they are contracted to (such as joining a project direct on client site). Verbal acceptance does not consitute an acceptance, it constitutes an indication you intend to accept (consider your local laws though - if you are not in the UK this may not be the case and in some countries verbal acceptance is binding).Whether you close the door depends on how you handle it: they are not idiots I presume, so will be able to tell if you feed them a line. Be honest and to the point - you have had a counter offer which you intend to accept and are therefore declining their offer. Morals do not come into it (look at it this way, if they were firing you not hiring you, would they not do so for moral reasons? No ).Consider this though: most individuals who accept a counter offer return to the job market 6 - 9 months later: the counter offer is unlikely to address any core reasons you wanted to leave in the first place, and once your current employer has had to buy you back, loyalty - and trust - have been broken. They will begin looking for a replacement for you (discretely) before the ink is dry on your counter offer, so be sure - ABSOLUTELY sure - the counter offer addresses whatever points made you apply elsewhere, and see this as a stay of execution on your current role - 12 Months max I would say, before you want, or have to, start looking again.

Thanks Anon and Mars a Day.Points well taken.My situation is slighly different. I wasn't actually looking when I got this new offer. But, when the agent contacted me for this potential position, I just gave it a try (knowing that some of the skill sets required in the role are not my core strength, I was sure I won't get the job. But I did.)So, with my current employer it was never a "threat to walk out". Because the new offer was good too (role and money), I let my manager know about it (more to have some advice). Initially he gave me a similar offer (to the new one) on which point I verbally accepted the new offer (as I found new role slightly more interesting), but later he (my boss) improved the offer and it was too good to reject. That's the story.

Good for you. A move like this announces your arrival/ sticks you head above the parapet. Your manager and his manager will have their eyes on you. We're in a recession and a big squeeze on consulting spend, yet you've organised another job and then used it to leverage an internal counter-offer. You've showed initiative and balls. If you can do this in hard times, how well will your perform in good times....Time to deliver.....PS Whats your area of work? I'm guessing that you're 2-4 years in?

it is obviously not good rejecting an offer once you have agreed to it verbally. Go and discuss with HR...but my ideas are that unless you are the CEO, nothing will happen; so you can go ahead and break it ( although poor form). Have an honest discussion with recruiters/hr ...unfortunately most recruiters will be so focussed on sales comms, they will not listen properly and try to get you to change your mind.

mate..life is short. Do what's best for you. If the counter offer measn you wanna stay - then do so. Either way it's not a life or death situation.. and all that talk 12 mnths down the line tops you'd be out if you stay is bolloni. Do you deliver? if you do..all would be forgotten..