As a hosting company owner, and having been in the industry for the past 15 years, there's nothing like having your own employees, but even then, there are limits.
Having someone punch the clock for 8 hours a day and get paid only goes so far. Much like a store clerk (in most cases) doesn't care what you buy, or whether you buy from them again in the future, the same can often be said of Live Help and Tickets at Hosting companies. As long as the work is done, even if it's half assed, it's done.
Any self respecting company should definitely be concerned with Half-Assed work being done by employees or contractors. There's nothing wrong with hiring contractors.
What I've found over the years is that if you pay your employees a decent wage, and offer incentives and possibly even a profit share, they can be extremely loyal employees and their work shows it.
I can't say that I have employees that are more dedicated than me to the business, but I have 3 particular staff members that go well above the call of duty on everything they do. While only being paid for an 8 hour shift, it's not uncommon for them to be around for 8 hours, leave, then come back for a few more hours. It's not because there's lots of work that needs to be done, or not enough staff to do it, it's because they love their job and they love their pay & rewards. I've never had such a dedicated team working for me like the time I have had over the past 2 years.