I think the overall theme here is a distinction between cultivating an employee, rather than extracting value from one. Another comparison is between a long-ter

I think the overall theme here is a distinction between cultivating an employee, rather than extracting value from one. Another comparison is between a long-term relationship and short-term. A narrative is part of a long relationship, a story that evolves and grows over time, holding your interest through the climax. This works with an employee/employer relationship because it there's an evolution of learning about the different characters and environment, discovering problems and solving them. Anytime an employer forgets that employees get something out of work aside from rewards/benefits/payment, they see only a scale with a cost center on one side and a resource to be mined on the other. And they want to mine more than they spend. Compare that with a garden, remembering that you have to give the garden something. Yes, you provided soil, and the plants get nutrients. But do you care if they get watered, the weeds are taken care of, and the sun is shining? Cultivate your employees. Help them grow, and you'll benefit from that growth. Eventually, harvest time will be over, and they will leave for greener fields, but you'll have enough stored up to get you through winter.