The case we're discussing is one where they had exactly one developer doing the work of multiple developers, and he was about to quit. He did them a favor by not only staying around to train his replacement, but giving them advance notice of his intent to leave. Considering they hired someone new once he did this, it sounds like he was probably contributing to the bottom line!

Treating devs as people would be a good start.

Of course you treat devs with total respect and as people who sometimes get sick, or worries or tired- with the presumption that they're contributing to the generation of profit for the business over the long term.

It's not a social club, there's a requirement for devs to do work. Sometimes this work is boring or drudgery and as people we might say we don't want to do this and rather go sit in the sun and chill.

But the social contract is to either submit to both the interesting and unpleasant aspects of the work or go and be some free spirit elsewhere.