HR Policy

Policy objectives

The Office’s employees and their expertise form the foundation of its operations and its ability to fulfil its statutory duties and serve society. It is therefore essential that employees have the skills and knowledge needed to provide these services. The Icelandic Intellectual Property Office is committed to being an attractive workplace that offers employees opportunities to develop and grow professionally.

Recruitment, onboarding and departure

Recruitment follows a professional process, with competency requirements defined according to job descriptions and all vacancies advertised in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. New employees receive support, with particular attention paid to their training and induction. When employment ends, emphasis is placed on ensuring a well-managed departure, whether due to retirement, resignation, dismissal or other reasons.

Terms and conditions of employment

The Icelandic Intellectual Property Office is committed to offering competitive terms and conditions of employment. Pay is determined in accordance with collective agreements, institution-specific agreements, and the Office’s pay and equal pay policies.

Equality

Equality must always be a guiding consideration, with the aim of ensuring equal opportunities for all employees, in accordance with the Office’s equality policy. All employees must be valued on their merits, regardless of race, nationality, religion, skin colour, financial circumstances, ancestry or other irrelevant factors.

The Office has adopted an equal pay policy to ensure that pay decisions are based on objective criteria and do not involve direct or indirect discrimination on the grounds of gender or other factors. To implement this policy, the Office has introduced an equal pay management system based on the Icelandic Equal Pay Standard, ÍST 85. The system establishes structured procedures for pay decisions within the Office to ensure equality, continuous improvement and the correction of any gender pay gap identified. An equality action plan is implemented for three years at a time.

Work–life balance

The Icelandic Intellectual Property Office is a family-friendly workplace that places strong emphasis on work–life balance. This includes flexible working hours and arrangements for shorter working hours.

Respect, well-being and health

Employees must always treat their colleagues with respect, tolerance and a positive attitude, and help prevent negative behaviour. The Office strives to create a safe and healthy working environment that promotes employees’ well-being and health. It supports the development of a health-promoting workplace.

Professionalism and a forward-looking approach

All internal and external activities reflect the Office’s values of professionalism, knowledge and trust. Emphasis is placed on a results-oriented workplace culture, effective and well-informed decision-making, and professional, reliable customer service. Employees are encouraged to show initiative, embrace progress, think critically and strive for continuous improvement.

Responsibility, implementation and monitoring

This human resources policy must be reviewed every three years. The Director General is responsible for ensuring its implementation. Managers and employees share responsibility for adhering to the policy. An employee survey must be conducted at least annually to assess whether the policy is achieving its intended results, and measures must be taken to address any departures from the policy that are identified.