That's a wrap on #RewiringRecruitment2023

When it comes to Neurodiversity in the workplace, you could say we have a vested interest.

A few members of our team and families are Neurodivergent. And after receiving training from Marc Crawley last year, we were shocked to find out around 25% of tech professionals are Neurodiverse, too.  

As consultative recruiters, we’re in a unique position. We can, if we so choose, become a conduit for positive change. By first focusing on ourselves, and then on our clients we can make a real difference for marginalised communities and those “othered” by legacy recruitment processes.   

So, Marc’s training was the kick we needed to start building a more Neuro-inclusive recruitment environment. 

Last year, our Marketing Manager Alex embarked on a mission to make Neurodiversity in the Workplace an accessible topic to all, creating our Guide to Neurodiversity at Work. In a space filled with so much noise, the Guide offers a refreshingly simple and informative look at understanding Neurodiversity and implementing inclusive change. 

Download your Guide.

This project culminated in last week’s event, “Rewiring Recruitment: Embracing Neurodivergent Potential.” We were delighted to welcome representatives from the likes of DHL, UCAS, Galliford Try and more. 

Our Director Paul opened the day with an emotive explanation behind the “Why”.  

As the father of an autistic daughter who recently entered the workforce, Paul Miles was able to share his journey as a parent supporting her through the seemingly endless barriers to a job. Paul gave insight into how one company went above and beyond to be inclusive during the recruitment and onboarding process, and how this has changed the trajectory of his daughter’s life. 

Marc Crawley gave a fantastic introduction to Neurodiversity, focusing on how to implement quick wins in the recruitment process.  

Amy Brann engaged our audience with a science-based overview of individualising support in the workplace, encouraging our attendees to build trust and be more vulnerable.  

Alex Taylor shared her lived experiences as a Neurodivergent professional. She opened up about the struggles she faced before Big Red, and how simply offering tailored accommodations has not only helped her achieve highly at work, but also get her life back. 

Feedback from the event blew us away.  

“Firstly, massive thank you to Alex Taylor for organising and shaping the event, and to Adam Farrell for the invite. Paul, Marc, Amy and Alex did an incredible job of making this vital topic real, and some parts relatable. This wasn't your standard educational presentation on neurodiversity it was people being raw and vulnerable about their own experiences and sharing not only their learnings but the culture shift which is required.” 

“Great event yesterday. Eye-opening, inspiring and thought provoking. Thanks for the invitation.” 

“Kudos to Big Red Recruitment and their speakers for their efforts to move things forward with some powerful and actionable talks, I for one found it very useful and know others did too!” 

“Thank you Adam Farrell for the invite to the inspiring event on Neurodiversity. It was great to meet new contacts. Big shout out to Paul Miles for his very personal talk.”  

“Well done both and my personal thanks for sharing your stories with us, it was clearly not easy, but they were humbling and inspiring and started to give me insight to why this subject is so very important and how I can be better and support more. Amy and Marc were both excellent and thought provoking, with some really simple and practical advice that is easy to implement and can start to make a real difference. So again thank you both.” 

“So for the first time in a long time, I took a few hours out of my day to open my mind and attend the Neurodiversity at Work event this morning. An incredible few hours that made me think and appreciate how we as leaders in business and indeed humans need to do more.” 

We couldn’t ask for anything more. A huge thanks to all who attended and supported this event.  

Interested in hearing more from Big Red?

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Stay tuned for the slides and video.