In the strictest sense yes, offering an incentive above and beyond the value of something is a form of coercion .. . .where people fall down is that they assume coercion is just about physical threats and it is not, it is anything that places an undue burden on a decision.
Offering someone value, doesn't place a burden on them. The burden you might be thinking of is whatever need that motivates them to take it from you. ... and you are not the arbiter of value. Your opinion about what a person is due, or what is therefore undue, does not transform an offer into a coercive act.
Whose criteria? You are welcome to disagree, but I can't identify the burden you claim is being placed. Your disagreement seems to be based on the existence of something others do not observe. An offer, even one with strings, places no obligation on a person's shoulders. Should a person choose to accept an offer, it is their actions and their choice to shoulder the obligations of that agreement.
