The charity Jonathan’s Voice (https://jonathansvoice.org.uk/), in collaboration with the Charlie Waller Trust ( https://charliewaller.org/), has created a bespoke and timely mental health resource for senior leaders in the intellectual property profession. This guide has been created with input from those in the sector and mental health professionals. It calls for new ways of thinking when it comes to a mentally healthy workplace. Covid-19 has made this document all the more important.
Jonathan’s Voice, a charity established following the tragic death by suicide of patent attorney, Jonathan McCartney, has worked in collaboration with the highly regarded mental health charity the Charlie Waller Trust. In a 2019 survey of the IP professions 20% had considered leaving their jobs. Working together to emphasise wellbeing at work could reduce that number.
The recent global CEO survey by PwC https://www.pwc.co.uk/ceo-survey.html revealed that CEOs are more concerned than ever about the wellbeing of their teams. It stated that looking after wellbeing is good for business as well as for people. We think this guide can help those in leadership to create a mentally healthy and efficient workplace.
The guide is research based, easily digestible, provides practical advice and lists useful resources. Those in the sector have described how impressive the document is; its value to those in the IP sector but also its “value to those in other professions”.
The guide is endorsed by CIPA, CITMA and IP inclusive. Lee Davies, CEO of CIPA writes “As a leader, giving a small amount of time to read this guide should make a significant difference to the way you and your people support one another…. it will help you understand how a firm, however large or small, can prioritize the mental health and wellbeing of all its people”.
