Around seven out of 10 US employees either said they are unfamiliar with the term neurodiversity or don’t know its meaning, reveals new research.
In fact, only 16% of employees said there have been formal conversations about neurodiversity at their workplace, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting, carried out to coincide with Neurodiversity Celebration Week. Additionally, only 19% can affirm that neurodiversity is part of their corporate diversity, equity and inclusion programmes.
The research on neurodiversity in the workplace also found that only 22% of US employees are aware of working with a neurodivergent individual. It also revealed that 69% of employees said that their employer does not seek out advice and input from neurodivergent employees when designing office spaces, teams and project management systems. Moreover, 85% say they are unaware of a single neurodivergent employee who has been promoted in their organisation. This isn’t surprising given that performance metrics for neurotypical employees may not be aligned with the skills of neurodiverse workers, noted the research.
NEURODIVERSITY COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
That said, the survey showed that 72% of employees would hire a neurodivergent employee. However, very few workers are trained on working with or managing neurodivergent workers. Only 14% said that training is offered at their workplace. Yet, 57% of workers said training in sensitivity to social differences would be valuable, and 56% indicated they would be interested in training on managing neurodivergent employees.
“By some estimates, about 15 to 20% of the population is neurodiverse, and some employers increasingly are aware that these individuals can provide a competitive advantage,” stated Eagle Hill Consulting’s President and CEO Melissa Jezior. “Neurodivergent employees often add tremendous value to a company with unique talents such as innovative problem solving, heightened attention to detail, sharp math and data analytics skills, reliability, and perseverance. But they also can face a multitude of big obstacles in the workplace – stigmas that create an inhospitable work environment, social and communication difficulties, sensory sensitives that make a typical workplace overwhelming, or executive functioning challenges that can hinder their organisation, time management, and productivity.”
NEURODIVERSITY TRAINING & AWARENESS
The research also found that when evaluating employee performance, most consider the ability to communicate clearly (55%) and stay organised (54%), as important evaluation criteria, skills that often are challenging for neurodivergent employees.
“The good news is that some companies are creating programmes to actively hire neurodivergent workers, build awareness, meet their needs, and foster a supportive culture” added Jezior. “But our research is clear that there is much work to be done in terms of raising awareness in the workplace about neurodivergent employees and implementing training and accommodations that enable these employees to thrive. If leaders aren’t trained on how to effectively manage workers and there isn’t a culture that values their skills, companies can’t leverage the unique strengths of these bright employees.”
Jezior believes that one of the most critical steps that organisations can take is to ensure leaders are properly trained and equipped to successfully manage and support neurodivergent employees. “It’s also important to create mentorship and professional development opportunities for neurodivergent employees. Implementing thoughtful strategies for these out-of-the-box thinkers is a win for employees, managers, and the organisation,” Jezior said.
HOW TO EMBRACE NEURODIVERSITY AT WORK
The study offers seven recommendations on how workplaces can become more nuero-inclusive and a welcome environment for all. They include:
1. Make neurodiversity part of your DEI strategy
Organisations can actively embrace neurodiversity by making it an integral part of their DEI efforts. To start, clearly define “neurodiversity” in your DEI strategy and how it fits into your organisation’s broader commitment to DEI. When formulating DEI strategies and policies, it’s critical to solicit employee voices and perspectives across all different facets of diversity, including neurodiversity. Employer-sponsored healthcare plans should cover services and treatments frequently utilised and needed by neurodivergent individuals, such as executive functioning counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, social skills groups, and pragmatic speech counselling.
2. Revamp traditional hiring approaches
To attract more neurodivergent employees to your candidate pool, ensure your organisation’s values, vision, and mission statement reflect a strong culture of inclusivity. Stereotypical ideas of what makes “good job candidate” such as friendly, outgoing demeanour; great eye contact and conversation skills; apparent confidence – all put neurodivergent candidates at a disadvantage. Interviewers must learn to recognise candidates’ potential differences and have the know-how to adapt their interview style so that all candidates feel welcome.
3. Foster an inclusive culture, beginning with a check for biases
Raising awareness among all staff of neurodiversity and the importance of a neuro-inclusive workplace can help to build understanding and consideration of others’ working styles and preferences. Start talking about neurodiversity, based on an understanding of what it means and its benefits for teams and organisations. Organisations can do many things to raise awareness, such as running an information campaign leveraging multiple pieces of content through a variety of channels to reach all employees.
4. Redefine employee engagement
Neurodivergent employees might not show their engagement in a task or conversation in typical ways. For example, lack of eye contact is a common marker of neurodivergence, so it’s important to throw out preconceived assumptions, such as eye contact alone indicates competency and respect. It’s common for neurodivergent individuals to want to stick to a routine, so allow employees to work set hours or days, and to give plenty of advance notice if plans must change. Similarly, people with ADHD may struggle to sit through long meetings or stay focused for more than a few hours at a time, so regular breaks can be beneficial.
5. Level up DEI training for managers and explore additional career supports
Train your managers to accept learning and cognitive differences and explore alternative approaches to work. Encourage them to take a strengths-based approach when assigning tasks, focusing on leveraging the talents of neurodivergent employees, rather than on their limitations. Finally, teach managers to provide structured feedback at regular intervals, with actionable steps to support neurodivergent employees in their career growth.
6. Communicate clearly
When assigning tasks to neurodivergent employees, it is important to provide context and reasoning behind the task. Break down assignments for neurodivergent employees and provide clear and concise instructions (written and verbal). People with neurodivergent conditions may struggle with processing information quickly, so this approach helps them understand what’s expected of them.
7. Consider neurodivergent employees when designing office space
To best support neurodivergent employees, organisations should think about creating a sensory-friendly workspace by minimising bright lights and noise, providing quiet spaces or noise-canceling headphones, Other things to consider include additional breaks, special equipment/technological aids, and flexible work arrangements.
Check out the full report and recommendations here.
RELATED ARTICLES
The majority of US employees want better neurodiversity support at work, reveals study.
Four key ways in which employers can combat stigmas surrounding neurodiversity in the workplace.
Employers are not supporting neurodiverse workers enough, and excluding a very valuable talent pool that could help to bridge the digital skills gap. Click here to read more.
Sign up for our newsletter
