However, rather than attempt to remedy the half-pay scam, many senior executives, including Russell Withers, resigned from their board positions. One can only assume that they were unable to handle the fallout and negative reaction from the Australian public, therefore acting in an act of cowardice. This not only represents a negative assumption for the organization, but puts the success of staff recruitment and the retention of the workers it has at risk. Although the majority of the board has resigned, Michael Smith The consequences of non-compliant pay situations must be made clear, serving as a lesson to all boards and CEOs that the wellbeing of organisations' staff should be the priority rather than the pursuit of wealth and power.• Seeking wealth and power Greed and business values ​​extend beyond profits to care for the personal well-being of staff.• The cowardice of Russell Withers• Michael Smith instead of resigning, sought to fix and rebuild his reputation (ABC News,