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Just to play Devil's advocate... What do you consider to be so wrong about this?
I don't think it's ethically wrong, but it isn't a wise financial decision in a free market economy. If you don't base your compensation on performance, then your employees will go where they can get the money their work is worth. Paying based on needs results in people competeing to demonstrate the greatest need, rather than doing the best work. Doing so says you value meeting human needs more than the contributions of your employees. While this might be moral and decent, it doesn't jive with how our economic system operates- corporate businesses aren't for meeting human needs, they are for creating products and services relying on the output of their employees. Therefore, the smart company needs to maximize and reward this output.

There can be elements of meeting needs though. My employer gave everyone in the Atlanta office an extra $50 a month for the last three months because of the high gas prices here. I don't think that disenfranchised anyone (including those in other offices) but definitely showed that the company values its employees and considers their needs.
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-Jeff
Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings; they did it by killing all those who opposed them.