Purpose-driven work meets paycheque
According to Ofentse Lekwane, a social entrepreneur and a programme manager for a youth employment accelerator, there’s a misconception that one has to forego a competitve salary for purpose-driven work.
“The biggest fight when deciding to do purpose-driven work will be fighting the lie that your purpose should not pay you, that altruism hurts, it has no rewards or that it can’t even exist in the mainstream context,” says Ofentse.
The great reflection
According to a recent Gartner article, following the COVID layoffs and the great resignation, employees have become reflective and are now seeking job opportunities that drive societal change through purposeful and meaningful work. It would appear that purposeful jobs are more in demand than ever before.
Work that impacts social change
Purpose driven organisations play a central role in addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by our communities, from poverty and inequality to environmental sustainability and healthcare access. These are complex challenges that require a dedicated passionate workforce committed to unlocking real change and driving desired impact.
However, is there a cost to working for purpose-driven organisations? Does one have to compromise on their salary expectations to drive social impact?
Ofentse argues against this school of thought.
She is an MSc Management (Entrepreneurship) graduate who is passionate about empowering youth, making education accessible, disruptive technologies and social entrepreneurship.
Born and bred in Pretoria, she gained most of her working experience with Accenture SA, where she employed her Information Systems education to develop technology solutions for SA’s big 4 Telecommunications companies. She later joined Deloitte Consulting, as Chief of Staff to the CEO.
After 6 years in consulting, Ofentse followed the dream of empowering young people and making education accessible by joining, a Private Education Group, where she grew to lead Growth and Expansion, IT and Operations for the school network in South Africa. She later made the move from education to youth unemployment where she serves as a Program Manager for a Youth Employment Accelerator, where she is tasked to unlock learning and earning opportunities within the government space, for the youth of South Africa.
You can have both, purpose and a paycheck
Having followed her heart, Ofentse says in the context of South Africa, women of colour simply cannot afford to not get paid.
“Mother Theresa is not a favorite of mine right now. Not by her own doing but because people took her legacy and figured to sell us on the idea that the only way that she could be impactful or save others was to tear the clothes off her back,” she says.
Ofentse’s belief is that adverse self-sacrifice should not be a universal expectation or marker of good spiritedness.
“If you are a black person, especially a black woman living and working in South Africa, you unfortunately can’t afford not to get paid. Hunger and economic oppression are a real thing and for black people, these two things have been a pain for too long to continue in this way. For us, a big chunk of the emancipation of your own and your family’s space is reliant on a paycheck.”
The social entrepreneur says her statements shouldn’t be confused to mean people should be greedy and self-centered but she strongly believes in striking a good balance.
“There should be a balance stricken between doing work that only gives to the world and takes from you and doing work that takes from the world to only give to you. We should all strive to do work that takes and gives to both ourselves and the world at least in equal measure if not slightly learning towards giving to the world,” she adds.