Disability equality and wellbeing at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO)
Published 28 October 2026
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Workforce representation
14.6% of our people have declared that they are disabled or have a long-term physical or mental health condition.
Encouraging colleagues to share diversity information helps us better understand our workforce, identify barriers and target support where it is needed. Improving disability declaration rates remains an important priority for the organisation.
Civil Service disability Pay Gap Bulletin
Eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation
We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where our people are treated fairly and where workplace barriers do not disadvantage people with disabilities or those with health conditions.
We provide policies, guidance and support to help managers and our people understand their responsibilities and ensure reasonable adjustments can be considered where appropriate. We also promote a culture in which colleagues can speak up if they experience or witness discrimination.
Advancing equality of opportunity
We work to improve accessibility and remove barriers that may affect colleagues with disabilities throughout their employment journey.
Our activities include:
- improving workplace accessibility
- supporting workplace adjustments
- considering accessibility in organisational change and policy development
- reviewing workforce data and employee feedback
- working with disabled colleagues and employee networks to better understand lived experiences
Accessibility remains a strategic priority and informs our ongoing work to improve employee experience and inclusion.
Fostering good relations
We want all colleagues to feel valued, respected and able to contribute fully.
We promote disability awareness, encourage open conversations about health and wellbeing, and work with staff networks and communities to improve understanding of disability, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions.
Mental health and wellbeing
Supporting employee wellbeing is an important part of creating an inclusive workplace.
Based on the IPO’s comprehensive wellbeing strategy and staff feedback, a range of support options are available to help maintain and improve employee wellbeing across three key areas.
The IPO’s inclusion, diversity & wellbeing strategic plan has helped create an environment where 63% of our people reported being satisfied with their lives. This has plateaued over the past two years. 65% of our people feel that things they do in their life are worthwhile; an improvement of 2% from 2024. Mental health support includes access to staff counsellors, trained mental health first aiders throughout the organisation, and a comprehensive employee assistance programme. This approach has helped destigmatise mental health discussions. 67% of our people rating their mental health as good to excellent in 2025, showing a slight improvement from 2024.
79% of our people agree that the IPO provides good support for employee health, wellbeing and resilience with a 3% improvement on last year and a 19% improvement since 2024. Popular facilities include on-site gym access and cycling facilities for active commuting and fitness. The organisation also provides preventive healthcare through regular health screening programmes, offering blood pressure monitoring, osteoporosis testing, and cholesterol checks, complemented by an annual flu vaccination programme.
The IPO recognises volunteering as a vital component of social wellbeing, providing structured opportunities for staff to support local community organisations. Our volunteering initiatives serve a dual purpose: strengthening community partnerships whilst enhancing employee wellbeing through skill development, improved mental health, and stronger team relationships.
Whilst our PERMA index (positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and accomplishment) has improved from 72% in 2024 to 73% in 2025, proxy stress remains a challenge in the organisation with scores flatlining at 27% across 2024 and 2025. In response, we have developed a new inclusion, diversity and wellbeing strategic plan. This aims to address wellbeing issues at root-case, giving managers the confidence and clarity to have sensitive and supportive conversations with their people. It also gives them the flexibility and responsibility to deal with work-place triggers of stress.