Championing Neurodiversity: Paving The Way For A More Inclusive Future

What Does Neurodiversity Encompass: 

I am a huge advocate for diversity and the inclusion of people; in the workplace and outside. For me personally in the last 3 years, I have learnt more about what diversity means and specifically about the term neurodiversity and what it encompasses.  Neurodiversity is a term that covers a wide range of diagnoses including but not limited to; autistic spectrum disorder (ASD); attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); developmental speech disorders; dyslexia; dyspraxia; dyscalculia; Tourette syndrome - with each diagnosis, symptoms, and traits presented in different ways for each person.

Organisations are now paying a lot of attention to DE&I as well as the issues of gender and race and for very good reason. The increased focus is excellent for bringing awareness to the subject. However, with diversity initiatives heavily geared toward the aforementioned two key areas, this vast and highly complex topic can be brushed over.

Neurodiversity is often a forgotten area, a poll conducted in the UK by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development showed the need for better efforts at neurodivergent inclusion. 72% of HR professionals who responded to this poll don’t consider neurodiversity as part of their DE&I policy, and 17% didn’t even know what “neurodiversity” means.

Neurodiverse people can find it hard to be understood and often find it frustrating that people in their lives; friends, family, and co-workers don't understand them and can't see things from their perspective. A documentary called "Inside Our Autistic Minds" is available on BBC iPlayer and is a must-watch - It provides insight into how the world, people, and tasks are viewed by people who have ASD. This documentary was eye-opening and HR professionals or senior executives would massively benefit from watching to gain perspective and see how they can support individuals according to their needs in a more personal way.

Organisations Making Change:

In recent years there has been an increased number of organisations changing and reforming HR processes in order to access neurodiverse talent. Companies such as EY, Microsoft, and SAP are a selection of firms that are now seeing the benefits of increased productivity, quality improvements, and enhanced innovation and according to Forbes, they found managers were reflecting more deeply and ensuring that they were communicating in a more effective manner which has seen companywide benefits.

Below are some of the broader findings:

1. IMB has created a group with more than 1400 members supporting neurodiversity in the workplace.
2. Hewlett Packard Enterprise conducted a program that showed that the neurodiverse teams are 30% more productive than the others.
3. Research from a 2018 Deloitte report found that companies with inclusive cultures were six times more likely to be innovative and agile.
4. A report by JPMorgan Chase found that professionals in its Autism at Work initiative made fewer errors and were 90% to 140% more productive than neurotypical employees.
5. Organisations that provide mentors to professionals with a disability reported a 16% increase in profitability, 18% in productivity, and 12% in customer loyalty.

Hiring Neurodiverse Talent:

Cognitive diversity is essentially the variety of ways that people think. It includes things like the way we process information, how we see the world, and how we make decisions. In the workplace, cognitively diverse leaders can be massively impactful -  It can lead to better problem-solving, more creativity, and greater innovation.

Sourcing neurodiverse talent can be harder to do without the right expertise with adept individuals being filtered out of interview processes where they do not fit a ‘criteria’ geared mainly towards identifying skills in neurotypical people.  Working in partnership with specialist talent consultancies like Fraser Dove International can make hiring cognitively diverse leaders much easier. Fraser Dove International has access to specialist talent pools and is able to evaluate individuals with professional tools to allow employers to achieve cognitive diversity.

The life sciences sector is an area that is struggling with regard to hiring the right leadership at the moment with organisations suffering from the talent crunch which encapsulates the global talent shortage, great resignation, and an aging workforce. With decreased talent pool sizes already impacting businesses, it is likely to get worse as we approach the talent crisis peak in 2030 - A recent study conducted by BCG shows the extent of the current situation, and an analysis conducted by Fraser Dove International highlights the mitigation methods. 

Organisations should be looking to increase the hiring of neurodiverse people - not only because it is the right thing to do, but also because it will continue to provide them with a competitive advantage in the talent war. As previously mentioned, neurodiverse hires, with the right support, can help with adding new perspectives, increasing problem-solving, higher job retention rates, increasing creative thinking, and higher levels of empathy.

A large proportion of roles in the life sciences sector require skills such as exceptional maths, analytical skills, and detail orientation. Studies have shown that these are just a few skills and areas in which neurodiverse people can tend to demonstrate above-average levels - e.g. People who are diagnosed with ASD have been known to demonstrate higher levels of IQ than the average neurotypical person.

Accommodations:

So what can you do to make the work environment easier to navigate? There are a number of accommodations companies can make that will allow individuals to be productive whilst alleviating common struggles they face - Below are a few changes that can be made:

1. Allowing the person to wear sunglasses inside if they are overstimulated by the overhead lights or even changing the lighting in their office
2. Providing noise-cancelling headphones
3. Offering decompression spaces
4. Not requiring people to turn on their cameras for remote meetings and understanding why some people aren’t comfortable making eye contact with others
5. Increasing work from home for people or consulting with individuals to see what their preference is
6. Standardised processes and creating uniform work environments
7. Providing mandatory training for managers on what to expect and how to manage neurodiverse individuals better - this could be hard in workplaces where the scope of neurodiversity is not understood and openly discussed. However, bringing awareness is key to improving the work environment and creating a more inclusive culture
8. Assistive workplace technology - Special laptops or software on the computer to make completing tasks easier for people 
9. Set up an employee resource group - use this as a platform for neurodiverse people to feel heard, share experiences/ ideas, feel connected, and provide feedback on ways accommodations in place can be improved
10. Encouraging periodic breaks to aid in breaking the workday into smaller, manageable chunks which will help with numerous things, such as concentration.

Note that this is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list by any means, but rather a small suggestion of combinations of accommodations that have proven to be helpful for others. As with most things, what works for one individual may not work for another, and vice versa.

Creating an equitable work environment by fostering real inclusion by making accommodations such as lighting, and noise-canceling headphones can make a massive difference for neurodiverse people and can make completing tasks easier as well as making them feel more comfortable and understood in the work environment.

Organisations can adopt non-interview methods - this can see massive benefits in identifying the right neurodiverse talent for your business whilst creating a fairer process that is a level playing field. For some neurodiverse individuals, social interactions may be harder, which could make the utilisation of quizzes and questionnaires to determine someone's skills, strengths, and weaknesses without the need for multiple face-to-face interviews hugely beneficial for them.

Another accommodation that could be made is the creation of a support system or mentorship scheme. Neurodiverse people would be able to have 1:1 sessions to bond with neurotypical peers or leaders - this can prove to be beneficial for both parties as the neurotypical person can learn more about how they can do things differently to support neurodiverse individuals and gain increased perspective of what neurodiversity is for that person. 

There is no one-size-fits-all solution and it is important to tailor any accommodations to each individual and their specific needs.

Great Minds Don't Think Alike: 

Neurodivergence can present itself in different ways and can be visible or non-visible. It is pivotal that leaders think about the way that they are providing and enabling a wholly accessible work environment regardless of whether neurodivergence can be seen or not. 

To have an intrinsically neuro-inclusive culture, the executive leadership of a company must focus on growing awareness of neurodiversity among the workforce. At the individual level, employees can help drive the conversation about neurodiversity and cognitive differences at work, sharing their experiences and cognitive profiles.

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