Why can’t conveyancers switch off – even when they go on holiday? 

SKILLED Conveyancing owner Trent Taylor – who talked to Australian Conveyancer about some of the hard truths practitioners needed to understand – said:   

I’ve seen it time and again.  Conveyancers taking their work with them everywhere, even on holiday. But why do they do it?  

Well, it really comes down to a few key reasons. First, there’s the fear of missing out on new work or letting down existing clients or people that refer work to us.  

Conveyancers are incredibly passionate about what they do. They genuinely care about their clients and want to do the right thing. After all, we’re working within a strict legal framework, and compliance is critical.  

But if I had to pinpoint the biggest reason why so many Conveyancers find themselves working on holiday, it comes down to one thing: resourcing.   

Most conveyancing businesses are small operations—often just a one- or two-person team. The owner is typically the licensed Conveyancer, and they might have one other Conveyancer or an admin assistant. That’s it. Even if a conveyancing company has 5-15 employees, the same things happen yet it is due to lack of quality systems and resource usage!  

The problem is, the work doesn’t stop when they go on holiday. Settlements keep happening. Bank issues arise. Files keep moving. And because many firms don’t have adequate backup or contingency plans in place, they feel like they have no choice but to stay connected, even when they should be switching off.  

That’s why, in my business, I’ve made it a priority to have that extra bit of capacity—what I call “a little bit of fat”—built into the team. I aim to keep our workload at about 0.5 to 1.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) over capacity. Why? Because people get sick. People take maternity leave. People go on holidays. And they should!  

Conveyancing is tough. It’s high pressure, and people in this industry work incredibly hard. They need time to rest and reset. That’s why I actively encourage my team to take breaks.   

At a minimum, I suggest our team take one or two long weekends per quarter. Ideally, they take a full week off each quarter. Of course, some prefer to accrue their leave for a longer holiday, and that’s fine too.   

I know from personal experience what happens when you don’t. I used to work long hours every week of the year, and by the time Christmas rolled around, I was exhausted. I’d push through until the break, and then—like clockwork—I’d get sick within the first few days. The body just shuts down when you finally stop. And I know many Conveyancers experience the same thing.  

So, how do we make sure our team can truly unplug and get a proper rest that they need and deserve. Simple. When they go on holiday, we shut down their access to emails and files. We also do a proper transition before they leave, ensuring that all tasks are allocated and the workflow continues seamlessly in our system. That way, when they return, they’re not walking into chaos. There’s no mountain of emails to dig through. They can step back into their role without feeling overwhelmed.  

At the end of the day, the best solution is proper planning, adequate resourcing, a clear and documented system that everyone follows and a culture that truly supports taking time off. Because if you’re always working—even on holiday—you’re not doing your best work. And that helps no one.