Being a good employer should not take a lot of your time, but it does take some. A great deal can be accomplished by something as simple as knowing the date of an employee's birthday and sending a card. For employees, the greatest single factor in job satisfaction is being appreciated for what they do. It ranks ahead of working conditions and salary. An employee that is publicly or privately appreciated for doing a good job will work harder for less compensation.
Employees are people with hopes, dreams, hurts, and fears.
If they are treated like machines, expected to perform at a moment's notice without complaint, only to be discarded or traded in when they are worn out, they will not stay in your employ very long no matter how much you pay them. Be clear with the employee about your business arrangement. If you do not like sharing major business decisions, then stick to paying people completely on salary. If you ask someone to take a portion of the business risk with you, for instance, by paying commissions or entering into a partnership, be sure that the potential for compensation is commensurate with the risk you are asking the person to take. If you have tried building a breeding farm business in your area and are having difficulty, it may not be realistic to turn around and expect someone else to come in and build such a business based on commissions.