Neurodiversity

For more information about individual conditions, please see the resources section.

What are the benefits of taking an inclusive approach to neurodiversity in the workplace?

Given there are many people with neurodiverse conditions in the population (estimated to be around 15%), being inclusive as an employer will enable you to attract new talent including people with different skills or ways of approaching work. Supporting them to fulfil their potential and be part of a diverse workforce will help your organisation to thrive.

Skills that neurodiverse individuals can bring to a team, depending on their condition, include the ability to:

• Focus, multi-task and/or remain calm under pressure.
• Think outside the box to come up with new perspectives or creative approaches.
• Undertake analytical thinking.
• Focus on attention to detail.

Teams combining individuals with different qualities and ways of thinking can help  stimulate new ideas and lead to innovation or effective problem solving.

Reputation is also an important aspect and customers and clients increasingly appreciate doing business with a socially inclusive organisation.

How can employers attract neurodivergent people to their organisation?

Some simple things to consider include:

• • Reviewing and refining job descriptions to give candidates a clear sense of what’s involved in the job role.
  • Ensuring any recruitment processes and webpages are accessible to all.
  • Stating within the job description and advertisement that there will be additional support available to any applicants with additional needs, including neurodivergent applicants, during the recruitment process. Support could include being given additional time to read over questions prior to interview or for tests.
  • Create candidate packs which cover various aspects of the interview process, such as clear descriptions of how to get to the interview/assessment location (preferably with visual cues) and what to expect in the interview, including who they will meet, as well as the length and format of the interview.
  • Employers could even offer candidates the chance to become familiar with the interviewers prior to the interview date.
  • Work with candidates to understand what support, if any, they will need if appointed.

How can employers support and retain neurodivergent people in their organisation?

There is a range of actions employers could consider implementing, such as:

• • Raise awareness and understanding of neurodivergent conditions among all staff.
  • Provide training for line managers on supporting and managing colleagues with neurodivergent conditions to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence.
  • Create a positive and supportive culture that sends out a clear message about inclusivity and the value placed on having a diverse workforce.  This will help to create a safe environment for employees to disclose and discuss any additional needs with their line manager.

It is important to work with neurodivergent employees to understand what support, if any, they need in the workplace. DWP has produced a useful tool to aid discussions about adjustments called the Health Adjustment Passport. This can be used to support the individual and their manager to identify what help and changes are available to help them in the workplace.

A range of adjustments could be considered to meet an employee’s needs. For example:

• This can involve adjustments to the sensory environment, such as providing quiet spaces to work, noise-cancelling headphones or other sensory aids.
• Assistive technology can be helpful, such as screen readers and speech recognition software, assistive reading devices, memory aids such as digital recorders and timers, and electronic spell check and word prediction software.
• Help to reduce distractions to improve focus and the ability to stay on task, for example, in changing the location or orientation of someone’s desk space.
• Create routines within the job role if that would help, and where possible.
• Allow extra time to finish tasks or training and follow up to see if an individual needs help understanding any part of their work.
• Provide specific instructions, deadlines or expectations and put them down in writing.

Consideration could also be given to creating a workplace buddy system, especially for new staff, by pairing individuals up with a ‘buddy’ who also identifies as being differently abled and who is an established member of the organisation.

This system will enable neurodivergent people to:  

• Settle into their role and the organisation as quickly and effectively as possible through provision of informal and friendly one-to-one buddy support.
• More confidently discuss individual needs and preferences in relation to ways of working with their line manager as outlined above.
• Feel supported to seek and gain appropriate reasonable adjustments.
• Navigate the Access to Work process where appropriate.
• Link in with other support in the organisation, including any staff networks.

How can employers ensure their organisation is committed to creating a positive neurodivergent culture?

• Ensure support and commitment to being an inclusive employer is visible. For example:

• Create and provide a safe space for issues of concern to be raised, to offer support and share information.
• For larger organisations, consider establishing a staff network that shares information and takes action on equality, diversity and inclusivity overall as well as on individual protected characteristics, including neurodiversity. See CIPD guidance here.
• Become a Disability Confident employer (a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions).
• Become a member of Purple Space (a professional development hub for disability network leaders).

• Ensure workplace practices and policies are compliant with the Equality Act 2010. This may dictate, for example, changes to an individual’s way of working that will enable their job role to become more manageable. An example of this would be to allow more frequent breaks or flexible working.
• Provide clear guidance on general workplace etiquette:

• Rules around quiet spaces and loud noises.
• Option to turn the camera off when on video calls.
• Let employees take breaks between tasks or during meetings to stretch or move around.
• Avoidance of lengthy emails and copying people into emails unnecessarily.

• Undertake neurodiversity initiatives, such as awareness-raising using a related campaign day or week (see Section 5), to help create a positive culture in which neurodivergent staff feel more comfortable. This will help them to achieve their goals and be successful in their work.
• Encourage employees to access employee assistance programmes or occupational health services when relevant and where available.