“To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, which is from 9 to 15 May this year, we are running another of our mental wellbeing surveys with CIPA, CITMA and the mental health charity Jonathan’s Voice.
If you work in the patent and trade mark sector, please, please complete it for us – and encourage your colleagues to do the same. It should only take about ten minutes. Jonathan’s Voice do some great work supporting mental wellbeing in the patent and trade mark professions, and they need evidence like this to help them target that work more effectively.
Here are the links. Or select “Read more” below to find out exactly who the survey’s for, how it’s set up and what it covers.
- Survey for IP paralegals and business support professionals
- Survey for student members of CIPA and CITMA
- Survey for all other CIPA and CITMA members
Thank you!
Who is the survey for?
As in 2018 and 2019, this one is for patent and trade mark attorneys, paralegals and trainees. However, this time we’re inviting all patent and trade mark paralegals, records and formalities staff to take part – whether or not qualified CIPA and/or CITMA members. We’d also like to hear from anyone who works in a so-called “business support” role in the patent and trade mark professions: this includes, for example, people in IT, HR, finance or marketing.
There are three separate versions of the survey. Please pick the one that’s appropriate for you:
- Survey for IP paralegals and business support professionals
- Survey for student members of CIPA and CITMA
- Survey for all other CIPA and CITMA members
What does it cover?
Our 2022 survey is similar to those from 2018 and 2019, but tailored in light of earlier responses and feedback from the IP Inclusive community. We’ve also included questions about the impact of Covid-19 on mental wellbeing; these align with questions in LawCare’s 2020-21 Life in the Law survey, to enable comparisons with the wider legal sector.
A lot has changed since 2018. So we’d like to know: what are the IP professions getting right, and what still needs to improve?
The survey should take you less than 10 minutes to complete. That’s time well spent to help improve mental wellbeing for you, your colleagues and future generations of patent and trade mark professionals.
Is it anonymous?
Yes! Your answers will remain anonymous and confidential.
You can skip any questions you’d rather not answer. There are also optional text boxes throughout for you to provide more detailed comments than the check-boxes allow.
When does it close?
We know patent and trade mark professionals love a deadline. This one is midnight on Tuesday 31 May 2022. In other words, the survey will be open not only during Mental Health Awareness Week but for most of the rest of May too.
What else is happening in Mental Health Awareness Week?
We’re running a lunchtime webinar with Jonathan’s Voice on Wednesday 11 May, about “Mental health & intersectionality”: details here. CITMA have also planned a webinar, this one on Thursday 12 May, about “Understanding and managing stress at work”: see here. And you might be interested in our June webinar, “The sticking plaster and the stairwell”, about organisational approaches to mental wellbeing.
Keep an eye on the Jonathan’s Voice and LawCare websites for more news and resources as the week approaches: for example LawCare’s Mental Health Awareness Week campaign. Remember LawCare offers a range of confidential, non-judgemental peer support services; there really is no need to struggle alone.
