Your article reminded me of Dan Price, who proved that if you pay your employees enough to render them financially empowered and treat them like actual human beings, you can buy real productivity.

https://www.inc.com/magazine/201511/paul-keegan/does-more-pay-mean-more-growth.html

A pity the media firestorm blew itself out, this "experiment" deserves a lot more attention - now more than ever.