It sounds like your company misses one of the most important things about hiring - that both parties are supposed to benefit from the arrangement. You don't get "the upper hand" just because you have the job offer. If you lowball someone, and they find out, they're going to move on, and you get to spend your time hiring a replacement.
When I'm hiring, I want to find someone who will stick around a bit. Hiring is hard.
I wasn't using quotes for quoting. What I read for the statement was "we're offering the job, we decide the terms." And that's totally valid. But it's not mutually beneficial and I don't think it's a good way to hire people.
When I'm hiring, I want to find someone who will stick around a bit. Hiring is hard.