I said that most employers would love to have employees where the salary is not the first (or even top 3) factors in their decision to take a job.
In other words, employees who actually want to be there are far more valuable than those just looking for a high paycheck.
Sure, and most employees would love to have an employer who isn't trying to pay them the minimum possible. The idea that it's a bad sign for employees to try to maximize their salaries while it's okay for employers to try to minimize them is an absurd double-standard.
In any publicly traded company, this is an unacceptable viewpoint.
How is it in any way reasonable for an employer (who has a fiduciary responsibility to return maximum value for its shareholders) to take this stance and then admonish their at-will employees for it?