Morobane sisters tackling office stress in corporate wellness mission

Get more, do more, produce more, put in the sweat. Where’s that straw that will break the camel’s back?

Let’s squeeze the last bit of life out of John or Jane Doe. It’s bang for buck and until a few decades ago that’s all that corporations wanted; that was, until the realisation dawned that people could tire, employees have feelings and a more well workforce can mean better yields over time.

That’s corporate wellness, and it’s evolved to a point where employers aren’t simply compelled to care, some have ingrained it into company culture. And that’s where sisters Kefilwe and Thato Morobane found their niche.

Growing focus on employee health

“Workplace stress is often referred to as the health epidemic of the 21st century,” said Kefilwe.

This growing awareness has led to companies prioritising employee health, supporting mental health initiatives and encouraging self-care practices among staff.

For the sisters, this focus on wellness isn’t just a trend, it’s a mission.

“We identified an opportunity to help people become more effective communicators,” Kefilwe explained.

Through their research, they learnt that effective human development is a non-negotiable for organisational success, a tool to achieve a vision that in turn nurtures innovation and individual growth. It’s the reason they launched Giving Wings in 2014.

The siblings spent their formative years in Rustenburg, North West, where they grew up in a family that valued education and personal growth as integral to success in life.

It was a nurturing environment, they said, where these values were instilled from an early age. It also seeded their stepping into entrepreneurial shoes.

Kefilwe said she realised the importance of empowering others as she paced through the early days of her life as a staffer to someone else.

“While working in corporate, I noticed that so many people were holding themselves back due to ineffective communication and leadership skills,” she said.

Banking in entrepreneurial lessons learnt

The sisters dropped everything to start the kind of consultancy they felt was necessary to transform workplaces.

Kefilwe said it was tough. “Building the confidence to leave the comfort of a corporate job and pursue entrepreneurship was challenging,” she shared.

At first, she said they faced stereotypes and internal hurdles like fear and imposter syndrome.

“ Overcoming these required a lot of personal mastery work anchored on being intentional about my ‘why’,” she said.

But the sweat and sometimes tears paid off with the company getting work from leading JSE-listed companies that employed thousands of professionals, entrepreneurs and youth.

Working together as sisters has been a rewarding experience for Kefilwe and Thato. Kefilwe said they were usually on the same page. “We are very aligned in our values, which plays a huge role in how we manage the organisation,” she said.

Two sides of the same coin

Their roles are complementary, with Kefilwe as the visionary and Thato as the implementer. “We have cultivated open communication and a policy of honesty between us,” said Thato.

This has helped them navigate disagreements and maintain a harmonious working relationship. “Sometimes we agree to disagree, and Kefilwe, as the CEO, makes the final decision,” Thato shared.

Post the pandemic has been the most challenging period for any company. It upended the workplace in so many ways. “The shift to remote work and hybrid models has redefined how we work,” said Thato.

While technology has facilitated productivity and better work-life balance, it has also introduced challenges like communication hurdles and feelings of isolation.

“Organisations needed clear policies, technology investments and a focus on employee well-being and flexibility to navigate these complexities,” she said.

Generational differences in the workplace also present interesting challenges.

Today, Millennials, Generation-Xers and Baby Boomers all share the same space, everyone was raised in different periods of the socio-tech evolution and value sets are vastly different.

Kefilwe said that diversity could produce organisational strength. “Each generation brings unique strengths and challenges to the workplace,” she said.

“It can enrich the work environment but also demands careful management,” she said.