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The IPKat has received many peculiar communications in his time ... and here's another. The source is said to be, quite simply, "OHIM", the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market which is responsible for administering the Community trade mark and Community design systems. This communique reads as follows (with kittenish embellishments in red):

"The results of the OHIM staff opinion survey, carried out by independent consultants Towers Perrin [who seem to be risk management specialists], have now been presented to OHIM's Enlarged Management Committee [the IPKat hopes it's only the Committee that's enlarged, not the managment] and the Staff Committee, and the report is available for consultation by all staff.

The key findings of the survey show that OHIM staff are in general very satisfied with working conditions, training and the work they perform. Negative perceptions emerged with regard to OHIM's image, communication [always a problem with a multilingual organisation + EU red tape] and top management [we all know we can do better than the bosses ...].

The consultants found that there was a strong "Us" and "Them" divide, with positive opinions about colleagues and departments ("Us") and negative impressions about management at all levels ("Them") [the IPKat suspects that "us" is actually positive. In English we call it cameraderie or esprit de corps].

Staff, particularly those who had been with OHIM for a long time, were concerned that change had occurred at too fast a pace [it's SO disconcerting when the refectory menu changes before you've had a chance to try all those options], with insufficient communication or consultation [the longer you work for an organisation without becoming part of the management structure, the more likely you've been passed over and are cultivating sour grapes]. Views among newer staff tended to be more positive [don't worry -- they'll soon grow out of it].

The Management Committee remains committed to the main policies implemented so far, such as the staff and e-Business policies. Thanks to these policies and the active engagement of staff the Office has obtained significant achievements in service levels and customer satisfaction, as demonstrated, year on year, by the results of the annual User Satisfaction Survey [it's more important to please the customers: there are far more of them and they pay for the privilege of using OHIM. Staff are fewer in number and have to be paid ...]. Nevertheless, the Management Committee acknowledges the concerns expressed and the results of the survey will be carefully analysed [that doesn't actually commit the Management Committee to do anything]".