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Culture and Benefits at the IPO

The Intellectual Property Office is committed to making this a great place to work, where staff are offered flexibility and development, where everyone’s contribution is recognised, and inclusion and diversity is genuinely valued.

We are a place that is friendly, supportive and full of talented people. It is also a place that allows our people to grow, to try new things and to thrive…

You’ll fit right in…

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer. Here at the IPO we want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us. We are committed to understanding, respecting and representing as broad a range of views and backgrounds as we have in UK society.

Our passion for inclusion, diversity and equality means creating a work environment for all that is welcoming, respectful, engaging and enriched with opportunities for personal and professional development.

want our people to be confident that they can be their true self in work and feel that their differences in identity and thought are respected. Not just because it is the right thing to do but because it will help IPO to be a more innovative organisation that is a Brilliant Place to Work.

Various images of IPO employees
Image of IPO's quiet room
Image of an outside office pod with plug sockets
Image of IPO's onsite Gym at concept house

The Workplace

Our workspaces are designed to support hybrid and collaborative working across the organisation. We offer modern offices with desk space, meetings rooms and dedicated innovation areas and breakout pods.

At the IPO our sustainability team work to keep our office green and lessen our impact on the environment. This includes initiatives to reduce paper use, reuse water and encourage staff to commute sustainably.

With wellbeing at the forefront of what we do, we also offer:

  • Dedicated learning spaces
  • Designated quiet workspaces for people to book
  • “The Haven” room – a peaceful space away from the day-to-day of the office that people can use when they need space
  • A recreational room for everyone to use on breaks

We also have the following on-site facilities:

  • Coffee shops and restaurant
  • Convenience shops
  • Gym
  • Nursery facilities
  • Shower and changing rooms
  • Access to Tredegar House National Trust grounds
  • Bike racks and electric bikes to borrow
  • On-site parking and car share spaces
  • Electric vehicle charging points
Image of IPO's Innovation space inclusive off pool and table tennis
Image of IPO's onsite Coffee Shop

Finding the balance

Creating a healthy balance between work and home life is essential at the IPO.
We do this by offering:
Our hybrid vision: We have the flexibility and understanding to be where we need to be so we can do our best work and play our part in supporting our culture and strategy delivery. That flexibility doesn’t override our minimum office attendance requirement, which is 20% or higher if required and agreed locally

  • Family-friendly working arrangements including full-time, part-time and flexible working
  • Flexi-time working to give you the freedom to vary your hours around personal commitments
  • Family friendly policies that support modern working families and individuals with caring responsibilities (including maternity, adoption or shared parental leave of up to 26 weeks full pay, followed by 13 weeks statutory pay and a further 13
    weeks unpaid, and paternity leave of three weeks full pay)
  • All the equipment you’d need to effectively carry out your role from home
  • A generous holiday allowance of 25 days annual leave from day one that increases by one day per year to a maximum of 30 days after five years, and eight public holidays if you live in England and Wales (if you’re an existing Civil Servant your A/L allowance total will transfer with you)
  • Maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave
  • The opportunity to take up to six days of volunteering leave
  • Occupational sick pay for Civil Servants on Existing T&Cs who joined the Civil Service pre 01/04/2014, can get six months full pay and six months half pay when sick. Civil Servants on Modernised T&Cs who joined
    post 01/04/14 get one month full pay and one month half pay in the first year, increasing yearly to a maximum of five months each by the fifth year
  • Paid special leave for people who have an emergency or incident involving a dependent
  • Ability to buy extra annual leave days


Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package. As a civil servant you will be eligible for the civil service pension scheme
where, as an employer we will
contribute 28.97%.

Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take home pay will not be reduced by
the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire.

For more information, visit
Civil Service Pension Scheme

We are adaptable, we value ideas and take opportunities to make the IPO better.

We are accountable for our experience, development and performance and build effective relationships with colleagues.

Together we deliver our strategy, share our successes and are connected to each other and our organisation.

We know recognition has the biggest impact and best motivates our people. At The IPO we believe everyone should have an equal chance of being given an award based on the expectations for their role.

  • Recognising Your Best Scheme – our real-time reward system designed to empower managers and peers to acknowledge outstanding outcomes and behaviours as they occur with a voucher or monetary sum.
  • A flexible performance management approach, where managers and colleagues are encouraged to provide timely feedback .

Recognising your achievements

Various images of IPO employees in the workplace

Investing in your future

Commitment to Talent and Learning

At the IPO, our commitment to talent and learning is at the core of our organisation, driving us to create a Centre of Expertise that empowers our people to succeed. We believe in enabling every colleague to reach their full potential, excel in their roles, and build meaningful careers.

Comprehensive Learning Opportunities

Our learning offer is designed to support your growth journey, offering specialised training programs, mentorship and coaching opportunities, and access to industry-leading resources. We understand that the joy of learning lies not just in the knowledge gained, but in its power to shape the best version of yourself, boosting your confidence and refining the skills you need to thrive.

A Culture of Continuous Development

We are dedicated to fostering a learning environment where time is set aside for distraction-free learning, and our leaders actively model the behaviours necessary for continuous development. We recognise that skills are not just acquired through courses or books—they are honed through experience, adapted to meet the ever-changing demands of the workplace.

Future-Proofing Your Career

Investing in skills development is essential for future-proofing your career, ensuring that you remain adaptable in a rapidly evolving world of work. By nurturing your growth, we enhance employee engagement, satisfaction, and contribute to a dynamic, innovative organization with a diverse range of expertise and capabilities.

We’ll support you

Various images of IPO employees in the workplace

At The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) we recognise that peoples’ health and workspace is important to succeed in their roles and deliver for the organisation. Here is a list of some of the support which is on offer to our people:

Mental Health and Wellbeing support

  • Staff counselling
  • Domestic abuse support officers
  • Harassment contact officers • Health assured counselling, advice, helpline
  • support, app and other resources
  • Mental health first aider wellbeing support
  • Virtual relaxation session
  • Monthly grief cafe sessions
  • MIND wellness action plans
  • The Charity for Civil Servants wellbeing
    support including sleep support, mindfulness
    courses, webinars, grief and bereavement
    support, financial support
  • Financial wellbeing resources

Workplace Adjustments

We support our people to deliver in their
roles by providing a wide range of workplace
adjustments. We’re proud to say that we’re a
Disability Confident employer.

Inclusion and Diversity Staff Networks

Everyone is given the opportunity to become
part of our many inclusive network groups. The
groups work across the organisation to support,
educate and engage people at all levels on
equality and to promote a safe, inclusive and
diverse working environment.

Image of IPO employees in the workplace

Excellent work/ life balance with family friendly policies, flexible, and hybrid working:

  • A flexible working scheme with excellent development opportunities and prospects for home, part-time and term-time working
  • 25 days annual leave moving to 30 days in annual increments (1 day per year) over 5 years of reckonable service. You will also get 8 days public leave and 1 day privilege leave
  • A very generous pension scheme with 28.97% employer contributions. Further information around the benefits of joining the Civil Service which can be found via the Civil Service Pension Scheme page
  • Eligibility for special and office-wide bonus payments
Start your career with IPO and check out our live vacancies on Civil Service Jobs
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Latest from the Intellectual Property Office

Keep up to date with all the latest news and updates from the Intellectual Property Office

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Spotlight on Inclusion – Words from our Staff Networks

A huge achievement of ours has been the creation and development of many staff networks, designed to create an environment where people feel that they belong.

Read about our networks