Can high salary buy job satisfaction?

• Position: Business & Finance - Brief article

Many businesses are apt to turn on the charm--and pull open the purse strings--when good employees threaten to leave for another company, according to a survey developed by The Creative Group, a Menlo Park, Calif., specialized staffing service that provides marketing, advertising, creative, and web professionals on a project basis. Sixty-three percent of advertising and marketing executives polled indicate they likely would extend a counteroffer if a prized staff member quit to accept a more lucrative position.

"The demand for talent has risen as companies invest more heavily in their marketing strategies," notes Tracey Turner, executive director of The Creative Group. "As a result, businesses are striving to retain their best people, and creative professionals have more leverage in terms of compensation."

Turner advises employees to think carefully before accepting counteroffers. "Professionals should consider air of the factors that prompted them to seek other positions; the decision often involves more than money. If the new job provides greater growth or advancement opportunities, accepting it may...