# Evaluate a request for a retention counteroffer or off-cycle raise

Helps you decide whether to match an outside offer or grant an off-cycle raise, considering flight risk, equity, and precedent.

- Topic: HR & Hiring
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Leadership, HR & Hiring, Analyze, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/evaluate-a-request-for-a-retention-counteroffer-or-off-cycle-raise

## Prompt

```text
A manager wants to give an employee a counteroffer or off-cycle raise. Help me evaluate the request.

**Employee:** [role, level, tenure, performance history, criticality to the business]
**Current pay and range:** [BASE, range min/mid/max, last increase date]
**Trigger:** [outside offer (details if known) / market data / employee asked / flight risk]
**Proposed increase:** [AMOUNT or %]
**Peers in the same role/level:** [their pay, performance - anonymized]
**Budget available:** [OFF-CYCLE BUDGET]

Assess:
1. **Business case** - impact if they leave (knowledge, projects, replacement cost and time - mark estimates as [ESTIMATE]).
2. **Market position** - where the new pay would sit in range and vs. market data I provide.
3. **Internal equity** - would this create a gap with equally performing peers, especially across demographic groups?
4. **Root cause** - is pay the real reason they'd leave? Questions for the manager to explore (growth, manager, workload).
5. **Precedent** - what this signals to others and how to stay consistent.
6. **Options** - match, partial increase, non-pay levers (title, scope, development, retention bonus with clawback), or let them go - pros and cons of each.

Return a recommendation with reasoning, any peer adjustments to consider, and a short note I can send the manager. Use only the numbers I provide.
```

## What to fill in

- BASE, range min/mid/max, last increase date
- AMOUNT or %
- their pay, performance - anonymized
- OFF-CYCLE BUDGET
- ESTIMATE

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.