CEO at BrightHR and COO at the Peninsula Group, responsible for the global rollout of HR tech supporting over 44,000 organizations.
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Of all the things I have learned over the years, this is perhaps the most important: Creating an inclusive and diverse workplace culture is fundamental for success.
A workplace made up of employees from different backgrounds, with a range of characteristics and life experiences, who all feel respected, included, valued and comfortable at work is what every employer should strive for. Research from a 2018 Deloitte report found that companies with inclusive cultures were six times more likely to be innovative and agile.
One characteristic that is often overlooked by employers is neurodiversity.
What Is Neurodiversity?
According to Harvard Health Publishing, we can define neurodiversity as "the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one 'right' way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits."
Conditions such as ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism are all on the neurodiversity spectrum. With an estimated 15% to 20% of the population being neurodivergent, I strongly believe employers and HR leaders have the power to champion and celebrate the benefits and talents of neurodiverse people. In a world dominated by rising technological advancement and automation, the benefits that come from having an inclusive, neurodiverse workforce have never been greater.
A neurodiverse employee might also be known as a "sensitive striver." Typical characteristics can include a highly attuned central nervous system; people are often both highly sensitive and high achieving, with great potential. All that they need is an employer who can see and embrace this potential and make any adjustments necessary. Not only is this in the interest of inclusivity and diversity; hiring neurodiverse employees could bring significant benefits to your organization.
When companies embrace neurodiversity, they gain competitive advantages in many areas — productivity, innovation, culture and talent retention, to name just a few. A report by JPMorgan Chase found in Financial Times (paywall) that professionals in its Autism at Work initiative made fewer errors and were 90% to 140% more productive than neurotypical employees.
The National Autistic Society says that people on the autistic spectrum have a variety of exceptional skills that are highly valued by employers, enabling them to thrive in roles ranging from computer programmer to journalist, statistician or sales assistant. In my experience, they often excel at pattern recognition and spotting irregularities, with sustained attention to detail and the ability to focus on complex and repetitive tasks over a long period of time — all of which are highly sought-after skills in business. People with dyslexia tend to think outside the box and are more likely to produce innovative and creative ideas — a fantastic quality for companies striving for innovation who like to stay away from the "traditional" approach.
It is also important that employers recognize some of the challenges that neurodiverse people could face in the workplace. A fast-paced corporate environment isn't always conducive to how everyone works, so employers need to make every effort to put reasonable adjustments in place, helping everyone feel included and supported.
Creating A Neurodiversity-Inclusive Workplace
Before any changes are made to the workforce, it’s vital for employers to understand the ways in which they can embrace neurodiversity accordingly within their organization. It’s important to adopt a mindful approach to the different ways in which people work and communicate. You shouldn’t feel unable to talk about neurodiversity in the workplace. When both employers and employees can have open discussions about finding ways to work more inclusively, that helps break down barriers and remove stigmas.
Likewise, it’s important to communicate the variety of resources that are available within your business to staff. These could include having quiet areas, being flexible when it comes to break times, having access to an EAP or setting up a mentoring program to help employees grow and succeed.
Managers should be trained and encouraged to offer 1-to-1 support for employees. This helps facilitate open and honest discussion whereby they can identify each person’s preferences and enable appropriate avenues of support to be implemented. Simple adjustments such as having a dark mode on screens and apps to help alleviate vision strain or providing specialized technology to adjust for different ways of reading, such as color filters for screens, can be practical ways to support employees.
Remote working has become the norm for many businesses over the last couple of years, and we’ve seen rapid changes in the ways in which we communicate. While some have embraced these changes, others have found them more difficult. It’s important to make sure you consider what adjustments are in place for homeworking employees, treating them the same way you would treat those who are in the office every day. Online meetings can be made more inclusive by including breaks and minimizing the use of the chat function, to avoid it becoming a distraction with the potential to overwhelm.
Understanding and championing neurodiversity in the workplace enables employers to foster a more diverse, inclusive and successful workforce and allows talent to thrive. Many managers of neurodiverse professionals have reported developing an increased understanding of the individual needs of all their employees, helping them embrace the talents of everyone in their workplace.
Creating an inclusive working environment where employees feel open and comfortable is key to maintaining a happy and successful workforce and will keep positive company culture alive long term. There will never be a one-size-fits-all approach to accommodate neurodiversity. Everyone has different needs and should be treated accordingly.
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