Modern Workers versus Slaves

Modern Workers versus Slaves
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Institution
Modern Workers versus Slaves
Abolishment of slavery brought hopes of a better world where no man would be exploited by another for economic gains and power. It promised freedom and economic empowerment for workers who would work out of their own will. In principle, it is to be expected that workers are now being treated well by their employers since to think otherwise is to indicate that employers are breaking the law. However, modern workers are not being treated any better by their bosses than workers who worked under slavery. Today, workers are still being viewed as a means of wealth accumulation where their performance is highly scrutinized, and their circumstances cannot allow them to choose otherwise because they have to work out of necessity.
During the slavery era, workers were treated as commodities by their owners, not as actual people. They could be traded between slave owners to maximize profits. The case is not different now because modern bosses treat workers as assets, commonly referred to as human assets. They are put in place to maximize profits, and once they fail to do so, they are let go. Slave owners sourced for workers who had the skills, strength, and endurance to perform duties as wished by their bosses (Berry, 2017), which is similar to modern employers who are sourcing for the best talent. Poaching of workers is now common because modern bosses believe that everyone has a price, just like during slavery where workers were bought for a price, depending on what he or she brought to the table. If a slave was not performing well, they could be sold to another slave owner at a throwaway price (Berry, 2017). Nowadays, the same dynamics apply, only that the “buying company” is the one benefiting more. Companies are busy looking for the best talent available in the market and once found, the individual(s) are offered a price they cannot resist and are forced to move to a new employer. As such, it is clear that workers are still being treated as commodities that can be bought or let go once their value has diminished, which is not any different from how slaves were treated.
Modern-day wage workers are also similar to workers during the slavery era. While modern-day wage workers work out of their consent, they are similar to slaves in the sense that they both have to work and in the process, their bosses can maintain a flow of income. Davidson (2015) indicates that modern employers or capitalists and slave owners are common in the sense that they both depended on their workers for economic and social power. Modern employers understand that workers are an important part of the success of their companies and as such, they have tried to give them more dignity in the name of remunerations. However, the rules of the game are similar to those of slavery; you work in exchange for something. People in modern society have to work for survival, which comes in the form of pay that ensures they meet their basic needs. Modern employers want to pay for the amount of time and effort one has put into work, and the fact that employers are embracing the concept of work-life balance is an indication that individuals are spending more time at work than with their fa...