What Is Major Step?
Major Step is an organization of business owners who believes in the importance of two major
programs, namely:
1. Having Spiritual Program in the workplace during working hours.
It is more or less a one hour weekly Spiritual program in the workplace during working hours. In our company, we use the Sunday Mass readings as our point of discussion and sharing. We do it usually on Mondays, first working hour in the morning.
2. Sharing of profits to employees.
Sharing of profits to all employees is rooted in this Rerum Novarum principle,”Each needs the other. Capital cannot do without employees, nor employees without capital,” which means, if all we have is capital, no employees, we cannot operate the business. Similarly, if all we have are employees, no capital, we cannot also operate the business. Each needs the other.
From this principle we develop this internal accounting system: Sales minus all expenses, salaries, and inflation maintenance allowance equals net profit for sharing. (Take note, the inflation maintenance allowance is arrive at by multiplying capital or owners equity by the inflation rate for the year). Now, net profit for sharing times 50% equals employees share. Employees share minus all general benefits already spent or enjoyed by the employees, such as company contribution to the Social Security System, retirement benefits, medical health benefits, Christmas party, uniforms, excursion to the beach, etc. equals net cash for distribution to the employees. Take note that if the benefits is not of general nature, meaning not applicable to all departments, such as the salesmen’s commissions or incentives, they are not to be deducted from the share of the employees.
There are two bases for individual employee’s profit share, namely: level of responsibility and performance. Also, if you are the owner of the business and works in the company as the general manager, you are also entitled to a salary as an employee and a share in the employees’ profit sharing.
Rerum Novarum is a social writing of Pope Leo XIII in 1891.
What are the good things about this movement?
In the past, especially before the industrial revolution, most people work as self-employed, or working for someone who employs a few person. Nowadays a big portion of the population are working in a business organization that employs twelve, twenty, thirty, sixty, hundreds, or even thousands of people. There are even companies that employs hundreds of thousands. In these setting, there is a big opportunity for companies to share the word of God. There are many business owners or top decision makers who knew the importance of bringing people back to God. Major Step as an organization can help show them the way.
Studying the Word of God on a regular basis affects the overall attitude of people towards the good. Added to this is the fact that we are sharing a substancial amount of profits to the employees, which in a way will contribute to social justice and to poverty reduction.These two prograns will help change our world for the better, where there is justice, love and peace.
The two programs, namely: having spiritual program in the workplace and sharing profits to employees are acts of love, generosity. It is a personal decision of the business owner or top decision maker. It is a non-violent way of changing our world for the better.
All employees are included in the profit sharing program, including those who are paid the minimum wage,who may be experiencing poverty.
It is also a fact that when people received something they tend to share, especially to their loved ones and/or to those who are in need.
As every experienced business owner would tell us, managing employees is hard, not easy. Studying the Word of God in the workplace on a regular basis affects the overall attitude of employees towards the good, making them less hard to manage. It is still hard, but less. Studying the word of God is basically a moral education.
Studying the Word of God together with the employees, in my experienced, enriches the soul. And for the business owner to share profit to the employees, in my experienced, I can say, brings me more joy and happiness, and I believe this will be true not only to me but to all other business owners.
