Why some people love work

WHAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE to work?

Seriously, it’s a bit of an effort, isn’t it?

The quick answer – and probably the most obvious answer – is money. Without question, money motivates most people. In fact, research confirms that salary is the number one workplace perk for UK office staff, with 70% of workers flagging this as key.

But money alone is not enough. Otherwise, we’d put up with just about anything, as long as we could see a steady flow of cash tumbling into our bank accounts.

Re-evaluating life

Probably more than anything else in recent memory, the coronavirus pandemic has prompted more people to re-evaluate what they want from life. Enter Emma Jones. Emma is a conveyancing solicitor who, until July 2020, was working hard for a conventional law firm.

As lockdown tightened its grip across the UK last year, Emma’s challenges grew. In tandem with most employees, she had to get used to new ways of working while maintaining targets set by her employers and adhering to a rigid schedule.

Every day is not a school day

But lockdown was not just an inconvenience for workers: it also affected school children. Including Emma’s nine-year-old son, George, who has learning difficulties.

While many may have become overwhelmed by the challenges she faced in the first few months of the UK’s first lockdown, Emma saw it as an opportunity. All she really needed was an employer that would allow her to manage work around the love and support she needed to dedicate to her son, George.

Emma and her son, George.

All of which brought Emma to Setfords.

One year since joining the firm, Emma smiles at the opportunity to talk about her experience to date.

Emma responds with an ace

“I love it!” she beams when asked to compare being a consultant solicitor with her former role. “It is still hard work,” she admits. “But I can have a tennis lesson in the middle of the day and work in the evening if I decide to.

“Now, I never need to worry about missing my son’s sports day,” she continues. “I can even work from my family’s seaside caravan, which also allows me to spend time with George. It all puts work into a completely different perspective compared to what I was used to. And I earn as much as I want because I choose how much I work.”

Crazy month

Emma is right to say that being a consultant at Setfords is still hard work. During the lead up to the end of the government’s tax breaks for homebuyers she had what she describes as “the craziest month of my career!”

The housing market – as we reported recently is “on fire”, according to Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s chief economist. And, as the pressure to close deals increased, many conveyancers got a little hot under the collar.

Record breakers

Indeed, the 2500 property transactions Setfords’ conveyancers dealt with in the five days to 30 June translated to a record £1 billion for the firm. Many conveyancers working at conventional firms during this red-hot property boom were burnt to a crisp. As stress levels increased in line with property prices, sleep was gazumped by anxiety.

But, whenever Emma felt she was getting too busy during this period at Setfords, she simply stopped taking new instructions. As she puts it: “The support at Setfords means that there is always someone there willing to help when needed”.

Inspirational teamwork

“The guidance from our compliance team has been exemplary,” she continues. The work ethic of the whole head office team is really commendable. The accounts and management teams were totally inspirational during the end of the stamp duty deadline in June. They worked relentlessly to ensure all the sales and purchases went through,” Emma adds.

If Carlsberg did law firms…

“And when the stamp duty holiday was over, I came home to a bottle of champagne and a bunch of flowers from the firm’s directors! That was so lovely of them. I can honestly say I’ve loved my first year here.

“I sum it up like this,” Emma concludes. “If Carlsberg did law firms, they would probably look like Setfords.”

Soon after deadline day, Emma packed her bags and took George off to their favourite holiday destination in Devon for a well-earned break. A well-earned break consisting of caravans, coastal walks and crabbing.

Emma’s son, George, enjoying the beach in Devon.

What motivates people to work? This does.

Is consultancy for me?

Get in touch to find out more about becoming a consultant solicitor with Setfords. Don’t worry about traipsing into our office to find out more. We’ll chat to you on Teams if it suits you better. If we agree we’re a good fit for each other, you’ll be joining a firm that was created for lawyers to do their best work.

Call us on 0330 058 4011 or email info@setfords.co.uk.

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