Whether Covid forced us to re-evaluate the way conveyancers work together, or a realisation that the practices we upheld no longer serve us, I can honestly say that I’ve never experienced the wave of positive change that we are seeing in our industry right now.  Here are just some of the things that are making a difference to my own business practices:

Podcasts and panel sessions are changing the way we share information amongst conveyancers.  Industry media like Today’s Conveyancer use it’s platform to extend engagement beyond the pages of its website.  This encourages open conversation and allows challenging subjects that we might not have shared 10 years ago, to come to the forefront. Menopause is a great example, it’s a hot topic right now but for good reason (I’ll share more on this later). By speaking up, we realise that we’re not all that different, working towards the same goal.  It helps conveyancers identify with others going through the same issues – whether that be professional or personal.  By speaking up, we are collectively more powerful.

We’ve spent many years losing good conveyancers through stress and burn-out. This has made it difficult to plan ahead when business leaders are often faced with the pressure of just trying to make it to Friday.

We enjoy a high staff retention rate but need to consider how we futureproof our workforce – how are we going to attract the best talent and more importantly, how are we going to keep them.  That has to be reflected in the way we treat the staff we already have.

Take female employees as an example. According to a 2022 report by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, 61% of solicitors are female and women make up 74% of the workforce in law firms. Recent Law Society Gazette statistics show that 60% of new entrants to the profession are women. With millennials being the largest generation in the workforce currently and the oldest of them heading towards the perimenopausal period, ignoring the urgent need for proper support around menopause is a huge risk for business owners right now. 

There is no reason why the experienced members of your workforce experiencing menopausal difficulties cannot continue to perform to their full potential. If practical adjustments are made by law firms to afford menopausal women the support they are entitled to in the workplace, it will have a significantly positive effect on their wellbeing and will help to future-proof your workforce. 

There is a reason why menopause is such a big topic of conversation, don’t ignore it, the time to act is now.

Forward thinking leaders in our industry are stepping up and investing their own time in making change rather than waiting for legislation.  David Opie is a great example. He’s worked hard to reframe the way conveyancers view one another, encouraging the sharing of information and best practice. Organisations like the Conveyancing Association and it’s charity arm the Conveyancing Foundation have made huge gains in uniting the industry. I am seeing this across the Estate Agency industry too, with women like Liana Loporto Browne and movements like Women in Estate Agency making gains in uniting employees in a wider cross-section of the workforce.   Our own Conveyancers for Change Facebook community was established to facilitate conversation amongst us, feel free to join us.  Change is happening, get involved.

Join the Conveyancers for Change community on Facebook.