Corporate report

Inclusion and diversity report for 2020-2021

Published 16 November 2021

This corporate report was withdrawn on 9 February 2024

Page no longer current or required.

Tim Moss CEO Foreword

Part of being a brilliant place to work is having a great culture and operating in an inclusive, open environment. We want our organisation to be built on fairness and opportunity for all with shared values and behaviours, a respect of difference and a common purpose.

Listen to the whole of Tim Moss CEO Foreword on YouTube.

Making the IPO a Brilliant Place to Work

What does a brilliant place to work feel like? We believe it’s feeling confident being yourself at work, feeling valued for your contributions, and feeling supported to be successful in a way that is right for you and our organisation. Our working lives have changed immeasurably over the past 12 months. The pandemic has taken us from a predominantly office-based organisation to being one that has over 1500 ‘offices’. How to be yourself at work, and how people contribute has also changed and, along with it, the kinds of support we offer.

We are all different, we all experience the world differently and our uniqueness helps us bring different perspectives to the table, be more creative, and make better decisions. We believe in respecting people as individuals, and by extension, this means that we might not always treat people exactly the same way. What one person needs to feel included, supported and valued, can be very different to the next. Our cultural principles encourage us to interact with the best of intentions. Respect, reasonableness, accountability, confidence and pragmatism guide our behaviours, our decision making, and our actions. This is why we have been able to give our colleagues the support and flexibility they have needed to balance home and work in unprecedented ways, whilst still delivering excellent service to our customers.

We are committed to creating an environment where people are clear about expectations, have the capability to be successful and the confidence to speak up when they need help or to challenge things that don’t meet our values. Inclusion and diversity is at the heart of all of this. When our colleagues and customers think of the IPO, we want them to see an organisation they want to work for, or with. One where they can expect fairness, trust and action based on individual circumstances.

Our approach isn’t just about meeting our legal responsibilities under the 2010 Equality Act, it’s about building an IPO we can be proud of and one that contributes positively to our UK society and economy.

Our response to Covid 19

In January 2020, when cases of Coronavirus were first being reported in other parts of the world, we started preparing plans to support our people through a number of different scenarios.

On 11 March, a couple of weeks before the first lockdown the IPO board took the decision that all IPO could work from home. Within a week the only people working on site were the Business Continuity Team and those in essential roles.

Most of our people already had the IT capability to work from home, but we were concerned that using their usual devices alone was difficult for sustained working and plans were drawn up to ensure staff had the equipment they needed. Within a few weeks, staff were working more comfortably from home following van deliveries of all kinds of IT equipment such as keyboards, mice, extra monitors/screens, desks and chairs. The IT and Services teams worked like clockwork to ensure everyone had the equipment they needed.

Wellbeing

From the beginning, we were very clear that wellbeing and safety was our primary concern. Emphasis was put on making use of the on-site staff counsellors and Mental Health First Aiders. Extra measures were put in place including short wellbeing virtual chats with a staff counsellor (in addition to the normal counselling appointments) and an offer for the mental health first aid team to attend team meetings to talk about the range of wellbeing support available.

Trying to keep a sense of community was important and Yammer was utilised. We set up a wellbeing support group where people could talk about things that help them and where wellbeing information could be posted. A virtual tea point was also set up to try and replicate those corridor conversations that people have missed while working from home. Even a home-schooling group was set up to support those juggling work with teaching responsibilities.

The Resilience Group still meet fortnightly and have developed an ongoing resilience plan to chart the initiatives we have implemented over the past year. Some of these include:

• manager support sessions facilitated by a staff counsellor
• office funded licences for the “Headspace” mindfulness app
• desk yoga and relaxation sessions
• IPO Advent Calendar with a range of daily activities during December
• virtual mindfulness 8-week programme
• expert speakers on a range of wellbeing subjects such as “Thriving from home” and “positivity”
• flu vaccination programme for around 250 employees
• coffee Connect (virtual cuppa with colleagues from around the office)

Flexibility

We are aware that for working parents the pandemic has had additional challenges with home schooling having an impact on the working day. We have encouraged people to work flexibility, even working outside the normal working day if it helps. For those who aren’t able to complete their normal working hours, line managers have been able to authorise special leave to make this time up.

Returning to site

Initially 96% of employees were working from home, with only those whose jobs could not be done from home working from the office. However, we identified that the wellbeing of some staff could be improved if they were to work from the office (e.g. lack of space at home, family reasons). Therefore, since August 2020 a number of wellbeing returners have also been authorised to work from the office. So that they have support at close hand should they need it, a member of the mental health first aid team also attends site on a rota basis.

To keep our people safe, our sites have been risk assessed and are covid safe. We have maintained 2 meters between desks, have increased cleaning schedules and made PPE equipment avaliable to all staff attending site.

The Future

We are currently thinking about what the site and our working patterns may look like in the future. We think that wellbeing will be an important issue for a while yet and we’ve started to think about the longer-term mental health problems resulting from the pandemic and what we can do to support people. This is likely to form a corporate priority for 2021/22.

Meet Our Staff Networks

Our Networks form an integral part of the IPO. They are a place for our people to go for support and are integral to us building an organisation that’s inclusive and diverse.

BAME

Our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Network

BAME is a network committed to increasing BAME representation and support in the IPO.

Michelle Llewellyn

Head of Finance Business Partners and BAME Network Chair

Some of our achievements this year include:

• we’ve held 2 excellent, virtual panels exploring “Questions white people are too scared to ask”. The sessions aimed to tackle some of difficulties in language and terminology and give people confidence to be great allies
• we continue to support the business by advising on Trade Mark applications which may face moral objections for racial/cultural reasons
• our network chair, Michelle represented the IPO at a BAME panel in the Senedd with the Black Young Professionals Network

Carer’s Network

Karen Powell

Head of Governance and Risk Management and Carer’s Network Chair

Caring for Carers is a network aimed at supporting the wellbeing of Carers facing many day-to-day challenges, juggling demanding roles outside of the office along with their work

Some of our achievements this year include:

• we held internal virtual Coffee Mornings to offer support to people who were feeling overwhelmed with extra responsibilities during the pandemic
• the start of a thriving Yammer Network of people who aren’t afraid to reach out for help and lessons from colleagues
• achieving the Carers Confident Accomplished Employer award

iBelieve

Our Faith and Belief Network

Stephen Williams

Patent Examiner and iBelieve Network Chair

iBelieve is a network to support conversations around faith and belief (and no belief) at work that will help us feel comfortable bringing our whole selves to work.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• number of panel discussions around Veganism, Vegetarianism and Environmentalism, challenging misconceptions about what a belief is, and encouraging open conversation and debate around challenging issues
• we were joined by an external speaker to help us understand more about modern day slavery
• challenging perceptions around Faith and Belief so our people feel comfortable discussing concepts more broadly

iCAN

Our Capability Action Network

Doug Adams

Trade Mark Examiner and iCAN Network Chair

iCAN is committed to providing support for all of our colleagues living with disabilities.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• celebrating Disability Awareness with internal blogs from our people, raising awareness of the challenges and brilliance that comes with disability
• we hosted a virtual panel with our people called “Questions you are too afraid to ask,” encouraging open conversations around challenging issues
• working in partnership with the accessibility team to ensure all our products meet accessibility requirements

iPride

Our LGBTQ+ and allies network

Beth Kenure

Is Head of Internal Communications and Engagement and iPride Network Co-Chair.

Al Skilton

Is Principal Hearing Officer and iPride Network Co-Chair.

iPride is here for all those with shared experience in the realms of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. We are passionate about being allies to our other networks and colleagues who need support or encouragement.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• our Co-Chair Al gave a well-received ‘introduction to non-binary identities’ for IP Out/Inclusive and for Cabinet Office Inclusion Week and we marked Transgender Awareness Week by highlighting the contributions of Trans and non-binary people in STEM and music
• we continue to support the business by advising on Trade Mark applications which may face moral objections for LGBT+ reasons
• marked this year’s LGBT+ History Month with the help of our iBelieve and Wellbeing friends. Together we talked about the difficulties we face in maintaining good mental, physical and spiritual health in a pandemic and the Rev Sarah Jones helped us explore the concept of social identity and the things that can make us feel like outsiders

iThink

Our Neurodiversity Network

Nikki Dowell

Head of Patent Examining Group and iThink Network Chair

iThink is a group committed to supporting colleagues in the IPO with neurodiverse conditions and parents of children with neurodiverse conditions by creating a safe space for support.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• running group-based training using ASDaware materials
• we represented the IPO at an IP Inclusive Webinar on dyslexia and dyspraxia, where we talked openly about the brilliance of Neurodiversity, and the ways organisations can support and grow their diverse talent
• celebrating autism awareness week with a number of personal stories of our people’s experiences of autism

Men’s Network

Guy Robinson

Deputy Director and Men’s Network Chair

Our Men’s Network is a network specifically set up for men looking for commonality and support around mental health and wellbeing.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• review of our Shared Parental Leave policy, making sure it’s accessible for everyone, reshaping support materials and organising videos and podcasts busting myths and detailing how to make the most of Shared Parental Leave.
• a plan to focus on increasing men’s access to mental health support both inside and outside the office.
• we took part in the IPO’s International Women’s Day events and contributed to a discussion around shared parental leave and societal expectations in childcare.

Peer 2 Peer

Our Mental Health Support Network

Dave Watts

Senior Business Analyst and Peer 2 Peer Network Co-Chair

Fiona Dutson

Project Support Manager and Peer 2 Peer Network Co-Chair

The IPO mental health Peer 2 Peer support group aims to provide support to anyone experiencing mental health issues

Some of our achievements this year include:

• we’ve run weekly Sunday quizzes to support people feeling isolated through Covid
• we’ve continued with weekly support meetings virtually during the pandemic, as we know how critical they’ve been to helping our people through a difficult time
• we’ve offered extensive support for our people through loss of friends, colleagues and family during the pandemic

WIN- Women’s Inclusive Network

Gemma Jones

Head of Business Intelligence and Women’s Network Deputy Chair

Hazel Thorpe

Business Change Manager and Women’s Network Chair

WIN is the Women’s Inclusive Network supporting the IPO to be a workplace where everyone can reach their full potential regardless of gender.

Some of our achievements this year include:

• holding myth-busting coffee sessions with senior leaders from inside and outside IPO, talking about the misconceptions of moving into senior roles, and how to be your authentic self
• the sponsorship of women on an internal, structured Positive Action Pathway, providing women with coaching, shadowing opportunities and a recognised leadership qualification

Launching a tool for our people to report behaviours or situations that they felt weren’t ok, giving the Women’s Network and our central HR teams better data on opportunities to improve.

What do staff think of working at the IPO?

The support I’ve received from the office throughout my journey of being matched with my guide dog Edison, has been amazing. The IPO really is a brilliant place to work

— Richard Tully, Corporate Officer

In February I publicly announced to the whole IPO the fact that I crossdress and wished to do so in work. The response, both public and private, was incredible and genuinely heart-warming to a degree that I’ve never encountered in any other organisation previously. Not only that, but the support and endorsement I received from people of all levels of seniority, from the CEO and Deputy CEO to the IT graduates and all levels in between was enormously confidence-inspiring and reassuring, and has led to me feeling as comfortable and accepted coming to work in a dress and heels as I was in a shirt and brogues. This organisation truly lives and breathes diversity and inclusion.

— Matt Lucas, Head of Existing Systems

I have worked at the IPO for over twenty years and for no more than a few days every year my disability of epilepsy is visible, although I’m sure a few colleagues have briefly wondered why I don’t drive to work and spill drinks more than most. All through that time my line managers, my working colleagues and those in HR have been helpful and understanding on a day-to-day basis and when something more serious happens, often out of the blue, they act quickly and sensitively to help me, all of which has helped me feel more a part of the IPO.

— John Talbot, Data Analyst

I joined the IPD/IPO team during Covid and I was a bit stressed as never joined a job remotely in my career. But this was all put to rest when my Line Manager spoke to me and assured me that he would be there every step of my journey to help me feel settled. We have daily catch ups which helps me understand my role and perform my job effectively. I love learning and using my skills to better myself in my job and because of the support of my line manager I have successfully completed the Foundation Course from the Diplomatic Academy within 4 months of joining the IPO. Am hoping that all new-comers to the IPO seize the opportunities it has to offer.

— Promilla Caughey, Executive Policy Officer

Since joining the IPO during lockdown everyone has made me feel very much welcomed. Everyone that I have spoken to has been very helpful and friendly. So far, I would say that my experience has been a good one and the onboarding process was well organised.

— Mezy Gill- Head of Performance and Engagement

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness and a disability and trying to work out how I was going to cope with work was initially quite daunting but the support the office has provided has really helped me learn to balance both. The flexibility that is available and adjustments that can be put in place along with the support services on offer have made a real difference in being able to manage symptoms and carry out my role at the same time. I think though, most importantly, the open and supportive culture in the organisation gave me the confidence to share the challenges I was facing with my whole directorate and board colleagues which has made the journey far easier and far less lonely.

— Pippa Hall, Director of Innovation and Chief Economist

Having joined the IPO back in June in the midst of the pandemic, I’ve only ever known the IPO virtually. Still to this date, I haven’t met any of my colleagues in person (hopefully that’ll change soon with the easing of the lockdown guidelines) nor have I been to our office. Sometimes, it’s really hard to get a feel for a place behind a computer screen but that hasn’t been the case at the IPO. It’s the most warm and welcoming place I’ve ever worked. Everyone listens to what you have to say and you’re always treated with respect – you don’t get that everywhere! Kindness isn’t just preached here, it’s practised.

— Rhiannon Lewis, Transformation Communications Lead

The training is thorough and everyone has been so helpful. Nothing is too much trouble. Everyone involved in the training programme and anyone we have met so far has made us feel so welcome.

Leah Smith, Trade Mark Examiner

I joined the IPO mid-pandemic. Despite having never met my colleagues in person I feel more supported here than I have in any other place of work – a fantastic culture of respect and big characters but not big ego’s.

— Zoe McElya, Senior videographer and motion graphic designer

I embarked upon my IPO journey as an apprentice 18 months ago. During this time, I have completed a Level 3 NVQ in business administration, been given opportunities to develop my knowledge of what the business delivers and their values. Which has been the key to my success in becoming a trade mark examiner. The IPO have given me invaluable opportunities to grow as a person and develop skills to pave the way in achieving a fantastic career.

— Amy Broomhall, Trade Mark Examiner

Inclusion and Diversity - The Team

Some of the achievements we’re proud of this year include:

• our iPride Network chair was shortlisted for Role Model of the Year by Pink News
• our Women’s Network chair won Wales STEM Woman of the Year
• our networks continued commitment to support people during lockdown, from Sunday morning virtual quizzes, to Christmas day Teams chats to support people experiencing loneliness
• our board’s commitment to inclusion, from gender inclusive services to their passion to reduce the gender pay gap
• IP Inclusive coffee mornings, bringing together the IP Community from across Wales and the South West to explore all ways to increase diversity in the profession
• as well as our fantastic external awards that are a credit to the hard work put in from all corners of the organisation to make the IPO a Brilliant Place to Work:

Closing our Gender Pay Gap

Table showing mean and median gender pay gap

Year	Mean	Median
2017/2018	22%	30%
2018/2019	20%	33%
2019/2020	22%	30%
2020/2021	20%	33%

Table showing mean and median bonus pay gender pay gap

Year	Mean	Median
2017/2018	1%	-2%
2018/2019	-0.29%	-1.47%
2019/2020	8.7%	0%
2020/2021	12.6%	8%

In 2020 we reported a mean pay gap of 18%, and median of 30%, in favour of men’s salaries when calculated using Government Equalities Office’s (GEO) methodology. Whilst our concern isn’t one of gender pay (by grade there’s no more than 4% difference in base pay), there is an underrepresentation of women in specialist STEM roles in the IPO.

33% of our people are in specialist STEM roles. Although women make up nearly half of our workforce, the majority of them are in non-specialist roles. Our patent examining roles attract higher salaries due to their specialism, however, only 22% of these are taken up by women. Although this issue isn’t exclusive to the IPO, we need to address any perceived barriers that are preventing women from pursuing a career in STEM.

33% of our people are in specialist STEM roles

22% of these roles are taken up by women.

We are actively seeking to recruit more women into our specialist roles, and remove unintended barriers for all our women to progress in the workplace. With support of our STEM abassadors and our Women’s Network, this year we have:

A programme of work to raise the profile of Patent Examining as a career, seeking out more opportunities to speak at schools, universities and take advantage of media opportunities.

• continuing a STEM based outreach programme in local schools and universities, delivering talks to students, aiming to inspire girls and women to study and build careers in these fields
• invested in a STEM Returner scheme to help those who have been out of the STEM environment close the gap in their CV
• our Men’s Network reviewed our Shared Parental Leave policy, refreshed the guidance and created videos to encourage more people to take advantage of it
• developed a Returners Mentoring Programme that is targeted at people who have been on long-term leave to help them return to work more easily and confidently

Ensuring our outreach activity is diverse and attractive in it’s messaging so it presents STEM and innovation as something for everyone.

• started to undertake a review of all of our internal and external documents to remove gendered language
• have continued to work on improving our recruitment practices, ensuring there are no barriers to women in our processes, using data to inform where we advertise, and how to improve attraction
• are looking at ways to strengthen the STEM pipeline outside of the IPO for the benefit of everyone, by investing into tech training for women of all ages
• have celebrated our women who have become more visible. Our Women’s Network Chair, Hazel Thorpe won Wales’ STEM Woman of the Year award

Supporting our people’s Health and Wellbeing

As part of making the IPO a brilliant place to work, our strategy commits us to support the physical and mental wellbeing of our people across all our activities. We maintain a wellbeing roadmap which outlines the campaigns that we will get involved in during the year.

Highlights from this year include the following activities:

Setting up a Physical and Mental Wellbeing Yammer group, full of help and support, where staff are encouraged to share any wellbeing related information they feel others may find interesting/useful to support their wellbeing.

• hosting a dedicated Financial wellbeing support page on our intranet, outlining both in-house & external support available for those experiencing financial difficulties and/or caring or supporting others requiring support with associated emotional/relational issues caused by their financial situation
• teaming with Alzhemiers Society and encouraging staff to increase their activity levels whilst raising vital funds for charity
• launching ‘Coffee Connect’, a chance for people from across the office to virtually connect over a coffee to network, collaborate and talk about resilience and share ideas as to how they are managing their wellbeing
• our new Employee Assistance Programme by Health Assured, which includes a 24/7 helpline staffed by qualified therapists and advisers
• our Mental Health First Aiders have been hosting informal virtual sessions once a month so staff can find out about the wide range of support available at the IPO
• our annual flu vaccination programme during which over 250 staff took advantage of free vaccinations.
• external speakers provided awareness talks on: the signs and symptoms of breast cancer, men’s health (Movember); nutrition; SAD, sleeping better; virtual yoga / relaxation sessions and Pilates
• we promoted Civil Service Active Wellbeing Week – advertising local walks and wellbeing services and giving people the opportunity to win daily prizes
• we ran mindfulness sessions that were open to all our people
• funding Headspace for Work Programme licences for staff which offers comprehensive mindfulness training, delivered via an app
• supporting a virtual Christmas advent to give all staff opportunity to come together virtually and enjoy some light-hearted festivities including a virtual quiz
• taking part in the Mind Wellbeing Index Survey 2021
• raising awareness of Cycling by promoting: Love 2 Ride’s Ride it Out Challenge; Cycling UK’s latest webinars for Safety Week; 7 Days of Cycling – Bike Week ; IPO salary Sacrifice/ Interest-free loan schemes; cycling hints and tips and local cycling routes

Our Counselling Service

The last year has been a very challenging time, and most of us have felt that our mental health and wellbeing have been affected to some extent. The service has continued to be in demand throughout the pandemic, and Staff Counsellors moved to online and telephone appointments while offering continuity of support. As in previous years, most clients self-referred, indicating a high level of awareness of the service among our people. There continues to be an increase in the number of our people who have been referred by line managers year on year, suggesting that various mental health awareness initiatives are effective. Our people are also referred by the Mental Health First Aiders, who are working well to complement the support offered by the Staff Counselling Service.

What our data tells us

What our data tells us

10% made an appointment following a conversation with a Mental Health First Aider.

36% self-referred based on a personal recommendation.

24% were advised to contact us by a line-manager

30% found us via Intranet

This year has seen some significant changes for the Staff Counselling Team. In February 2021 we mourned the death of Jamie Palmer, the longest serving IPO Staff Counsellor. Jamie has supported many people during difficult times in their lives over the last ten years. Helping and connecting with people was part of his DNA and he is much missed.

What did staff think about our counselling experience?

4.8/5 I feel the counsellor understood me

4.7/5 I feel better able to cope with my problems

4.7/5 I have some strategies and techniques

4.6/5 I feel better about my situation

4.6/5 I feel better able to remain in work, or return sooner if absent

4.2/5 I feel more productive in work

4.9/5 I would recommend the service to colleagues

Meet the Team

Ceri Davies, Aimee Gregory,Cathy Bailey

Staff Feedback About Our Counselling Service

Cannot praise this service enough, it really helped me through a very difficult situation. It has helped me address feelings that I have bottled up for a long time and helped me develop techniques that will hopefully help me in the future.

Very much appreciated the service, very lucky to have especially with such a short waiting list. Feel so much better than did and in a better place. Thank you!

Without the support I am not sure I would have been able to remain in work over what has been a very difficult number of weeks. Would definitely recommend the service which is a real asset to the IPO.

The counselling sessions really helped me when I was feeling my worst and provided me with techniques that helped me manage my depression and anxiety. I would happily recommend the service to any other colleagues that are struggling with their mental health.

I found the counselling service so helpful. I feel much better equipped to deal with my situation and carry on with work. I was given really useful advice and coping mechanisms and supported through implementing them. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to use the service and feel relieved to know that I can contact the counsellors again if I need to at a later date.

Developing inclusive services for our customers

Throughout the challenges of 2020/21 we remained committed to delivering excellent IP services to our customers. Thanks to amazing creativity and teamwork we stayed open for business throughout the pandemic, responding to the changing needs of our customers and switching to digital delivery for many services.

During 2020/21 we established the IPO’s Customer Experience Unit (CEU) bringing together customer expertise from across the IPO (including insight and analysis, user research, complaints, relationship management and quality). This expertise means we can understand, and act on, the diverse needs of our customers, and ensure that customers are at the heart of everything we do.

It is an exciting time for the IPO, as we begin a 5-year journey to transform our services. The IPO’s ambitious transformation programme will provide new digital services that offer many benefits in terms of accessibility. It is important that our new services work for everyone. Our user research team ensure new services are designed and tested with a diversity of customers.

We are looking for volunteers to join our User Research Panel. By joining our panel you could be invited to participate in exploratory research to inform our early design thinking. Or, you could have the opportunity to test prototype services as they are developed. We would encourage anyone with accessibility or additional support requirements to get in touch to work with us on this essential aspect of our service design. If you would like to get involved, please email usertesting@ipo.gov.uk.

We continue to explore new ways of reaching even more people. In October 2020, the IPO launched a new trade mark pre-apply service. The aim of the new service is to help individuals and businesses improve their chances of successfully registering a trade mark using the power of AI. We needed to test the service with customers who had no prior experience of, or contact with, the IPO. This meant getting creative in how we recruited for user research, working with colleagues across the IPO, and external partners, to successfully reach a new audience.

In January 2021, the IPO introduced a new service called ‘Search UK trade mark classes’. This service allows customers to search for appropriate classes for their trade mark before applying.

An accessibility audit was conducted for the service with the Digital Accessibility Centre (DAC). The service underwent both a technical compliance audit and robust testing by users with a wide range of disabilities, including: visual impairments, hearing impairments, neurodiverse conditions, mobility impairments, and mental health conditions. The service is now successfully being used by customers.

Working pattern

82% Full time

18% Part time

Overall gender

54% Male

46% Female

Gender in STEM roles

78% Male

22% Female

Gender in non STEM roles

43% Male

57% Female

Ethnicity

90% White

6% BAME

4% Prefer not to say

Disability

93% No

7% Yes

Sexual Orientation

86% Hetrosexual/Straight

6% LGBT+

8% Prefer not to say

Recruitment Data

At the heart of recruitment practice is our desire to improve attraction and the application process for excellent talent. Making the IPO a Brilliant Place to Work isn’t just about improving it for people who currently work for us, but also for those we want to attract in the future. We use data to inform us where we’re going wrong, and have made significant improvements this financial year such as:

• using data to inform where we advertise future campaigns
• gender inclusive language used on all job adverts
• improved Disability Confident support
• reaching out to organisations such as Black Young Professionals network to steer future advertising
• consulted on a new recruitment policy
• consulting on new temporary posts policy

Recruitment by Disability

	Applicants	Passed Sift	Passed Interview	Posted
Disabled	499	124	59	43
Not Disabled	5442	1200	594	486
Prefer Not to Say	292	78	29	18

Recruitment by Gender

	Applicants	Passed Sift	Passed Interview	Posted
Man	3042	632	297	245
Woman	3012	721	364	289
Prefer not to Self Describe	7	3	1	1
Prefer Not to Disclose	172	46	20	12

Recruitment by Ethnicity

	Applicants	Passed Sift	Passed Interview	Posted
Asian / Asian British	589	69	21	17
Black / African / Caribbean / Black	316	32	10	8
Mixed / Multiple Ethnic Groups	164	39	21	14
Other Ethnic Group	57	6	3	2
White	4823	1180	591	483
Prefer Not to Disclose	282	76	33	23

Recruitment by Sexuality

	Total Applicants	Passed Sift	Passed Interview	Posted
Heterosexual or straight	5310	1194	586	470
Bisexual	233	45	27	23
Gay or lesbian	200	52	24	20
Prefer to self-describe	11	3	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0
Prefer not to disclose	479	108	45	34

Recruitment by Age

	Total Applicants	Passed Sift	Passed Interview	Posted
16-24	1954	273	132	101
25-29	1255	267	137	115
30-34	842	222	127	99
35-39	583	180	81	70
40-44	461	136	71	53
45-49	393	109	50	42
50-54	296	87	36	31
55-59	203	69	27	23
60-64	57	9	1	1
65+	4	1	0	0
Prefer not to disclose	185	49	20	12

People survey data

Understanding our culture and engagement is key to us making the IPO a Brilliant Place to Work. The engagement score shows us how connected to, and inspired by the IPO our people are, and how they feel when they talk about the IPO to others. This is such an important measure to us and one we track carefully and respond to with purpose.

Gender

• as last year, female staff are more engaged than male staff but the latter are 1% more engaged compared to last year
• engagement levels in the prefer not to say category stayed the same, response numbers dropped from 90 to 83

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

66% Men n=474 change from 2018 = +1%

75% Women n=471 change from 2018 = nil

55% Prefer not to say n=83 change from 2018 = nil

Disability

• engagement figures for disabled staff have decreased by 2% compared to last year
• declaration rates have decreased: 165 declaring themselves as disabled compared to 190 last year
• we do not have data on the prefer not to say category this year but based upon the response rates below we can assume 103 preferred not to say compared to 90 last year

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

64% Has a limiting long term illness n=165 change from 2018 = -2%

71% Does not have a limiting long term illness n= 33 change from 2018 = +1%

Ethnicity

• engagement figures for all staff have stayed the same compared to last year with those from a mixed minority ethnic background feeling more engaged than those from a white background
• those of an Asian or Asian British (including Chinese) have increased by 6%
• 65 people preferred not to declare their ethnic origin this year (compared to 80 in 2018) and their level of engagement decreased by 3%

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

69% White n=875 change from 2018 = nil

74% Mixed n=14 change from 2018 = nil

74% Asian or Asian British (inc Chinese) n=22 change from 2018 = +6%

54% Prefer not to say n=65 change from 2018 = -3%

• this year we also have additional data beyond the grouped data on the previous graph broken down by individual ethnic categories
• many of the groups have their data suppressed due to data protection requirements but we do have data on the following groups with 0 or more respondents

70% English/Welsh/Scottish/Nothern Irish n=841

63% Any other white background n=28

76% Indian n=10

Sexual orientation

• engagement figures for LGBO staff have increased by 3% to last year despite engagement figure remaining the same for our heterosexual/straight population
• the number of people in the prefer not to say category has increased by one compared to last year but their engagement level has decreased by 1%

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

70% Heterosexual/straight n=809 change from 2018 = nil

67% LGBO n=57 change from 2018 = +3%

55% Prefer not to say n=111 change from 2018 = -1%

• beyond the binary grouping on the previous graph, we have additional data broken down into some of the specific LGBO orientations. We did not have this data last year for us to make comparisons with

65% Gay or lesbian n=23

67% Bisexual n=24

73% Other n=10

Location

• continued decreased in engagement for those working in England (4% decrease last year)

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

64% England n=40 change from 2018 = -2%

69% Wales n=953 change from 2018 = +1%

Working pattern

• similar trend to last year with those working part-time hours similarly as engaged as those working full-time

68% IPO n=1001 change from 2018 = nil

69% Full time n=818 change from 2018 = +1%

69% Part time n=174 change from 2018 = nil

Carers and those with childcare responsibilities

• this year we have data on engagement by the below categories

Carer Status

70% Yes n=218

69% no n=676

55% Prefer not to say n=89

Childcare Responsibilities

71% Yes n=373

69% No n=552

53% Prefer Not to say n=55

Reflections

Ben Buchanan

Deputy Director and Chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Steering Group

This report tells an incredible story. One of how over a thousand people spent the year apart and yet came together and helped each other.

Listen to the whole of Inclusion and Diversity Report 2021 Ben Buchanan Reflections on YouTube.