Let me tell you the story of Alan. He’s not actually called Alan, mind you.

A client organisation contacted me, as they thought they might benefit from a Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessment for a manager within their team. The manager, Alan, was a bit chaotic with regard to meeting deadlines at work but really brilliant at coming up with new ideas of how things could be improved, with a new system or a new spreadsheet!

So I had a call with the company’s HR Manager to understand the situation. She outlined the consequences of some of Alan’s fun but chaotic way of working, and I could feel some frustration from her that they had tried a few things already to help, but so far, it wasn’t working.

I explained the process for a Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessment. The aim is to identify the adjustments that will support a specific individual, with their specific challenges due to their neurodivergence(s), in their specific role. And as a result, they’d be better able to utilise their strengths.

The HR Manager said she felt that the process I had described would be helpful.

So we started the process. The HR Manager and Alan’s Line Manager jointly explained to Alan what would be happening. A questionnaire was sent to him, and another to his Line Manager. I then had a call with each of the HR Manager and the Line Manager to build a good picture of the situation from the two people who’d been supporting him the most.

I then met Alan face to face*.

I wanted to discuss with Alan the challenges he was experiencing in the workplace due to his neurodiversity. He wasn’t formally diagnosed with ADHD, but from the descriptions from all parties, and from my experience in the discussion, there were definitely some challenges going on! I couldn’t keep up; his brain was whirring so fast!

I used post-it notes to show visually the agenda of what we would discuss, to keep us on track, and so I could then put each post-it to one side once we’d covered that topic.

We talked about what Alan was already aware of that helped him, things that his friends and family also did that helped him, and I made some suggestions of what else could help. He commented that it was great to discuss with someone who really “got him” and could empathise with his situation. At the end of our discussion, he gave me a big hug!

I then wrote up the report, outlining the challenges caused by Alan’s ADHD symptoms in his particular role and also the strengths that his ADHD creative brain brought.

I then outlined the reasonable adjustments that would support him to be effective in his role, and when I say reasonable, I mean reasonable for the small size of the organisation. Most of the recommendations were zero cost – sending meeting agendas in advance and setting up reminders. And some were low-cost headphones or changing the lighting above his desk. And some of them were about capitalising on Alan’s strengths – his creativity, his desire to challenge the normal way of doing things and seek improvement, and the fact that he was a joy to talk to!

I shared the report with Alan first, to make sure I’d described our discussions accurately, and then shared it with his line manager.

Just over a week later, I had a follow-up discussion with Alan’s line manager and HR to support them in implementing and prioritising the adjustments.

Three months later, I received a note from the HR Manager thanking me, commenting that the situation had improved hugely since they’d started implementing some of the recommendations, and that both Alan and his line manager were both definitely a lot happier.

So it’s a process that’s person-focused.

It doesn’t have to be based on a formal diagnosis.

It aims to support the specific individual in a way that is reasonable for the organisation.

If that sounds like something that would be beneficial in your organisation, please feel free to contact me for a no-obligation discussion.

*And this can be done online instead.

How coaching creates competent and empathetic leaders

How can we develop an inclusive culture within an organisation? By building an operational framework that is inclusive by design. In a truly neuroinclusive organisation, no-one has to inform their employer that they are formally diagnosed (or self diagnosed) as neurodivergent – the admission is entirely voluntary. They want to.

As an experienced coach, this is a topic that I care about deeply. When we talk about neurodiversity, we shouldn’t be talking about deficits. We are talking about a fundamental difference – a difference that, when recognised and genuinely valued – is one of the most powerful assets a team can have. The bottom line here? We need to ensure that we’re creating environments that are neuroinclusive by design, not by chance.

What do we mean by “neurodiversity”?

Neurodiversity refers to the natural variation in human brain functioning. The CIPD describes it as “encompassing the infinite range of differences in how individuals process information, learn, and communicate”. This includes conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, among others.

These conditions are not an illness. The language we use matters enormously here. ACAS’s guidance on “Talking About Neurodiversity” highlights that terms like ‘suffering from’ or ‘symptoms’ are best avoided, as they imply a medical condition when, in reality, we are simply describing a different way of thinking and experiencing the world.

And bringing a range of perspectives and ways of thinking into the room is beneficial for innovation, problem solving and therefore business results.

 Are we acting on the evidence?

Awareness about neurodiversity is building, but the following statistics clearly demonstrate that we’re not. We’re a long way away. The CIPD’s survey data paints a striking picture – while 70% of organisations say DEI is a critical priority and 83% say employee wellbeing is, only 60% say neuroinclusion is a focus – and just 33% have it in their DEI strategy or action plan.

That really does leave quite a gap.

Did it matter? Absolutely! Overlooking neurodiversity means overlooking talent, limiting productivity, and negatively impacting the wellbeing of employees. A third of neurodivergent employees surveyed by CIPD reported that their experience at work had a negative impact on their mental health. That is not a small statistic. That is a call to action.

When organisations take action…

The organisations that are successfully embracing neuroinclusion are already seeing the rewards: stronger teams, better retention, more creative problem-solving, and a deeper sense of belonging across the board.

Empathy Is the Starting Point

One of the most important things that understanding neurodiversity gives us is empathy – a deeper and richer understanding that comes with different neurological makeups.

When we understand that a colleague who struggles in loud, open-plan offices might also have an extraordinary capacity for focused, detailed work, our perspective shifts. When we understand that the team member who finds small talk difficult might have an exceptional ability to identify patterns and solve complex problems – we stop seeing the obvious challenges and start seeing their truest potential. One that minor adjustments could unlock.

This shift in perspective does not just benefit neurodivergent individuals. It benefits everyone. The message is clear: managing with neurodiversity in mind is simply good management.

Do you need to work with a specialist?

Yes, absolutely. Coaches who are experienced and equipped with the working knowledge surrounding neurodiversity are better prepared to support clients. Not as therapists, but in caring partnerships. We can help clients to develop strategies, build resilience, and find ways of working that genuinely suit them.

Creating a culture of psychological safety is essential. People need to feel safe to ask for what they need, to disclose their neurodivergence if they choose to, and to do so without fear of judgement or negative consequences. Without that foundation, even the best-intentioned adjustments will fall short.

And we’re on a learning curve. The topic of neurodiversity is new for many people and many fear getting things wrong. Not knowing how to performance manage a neurodivergent employee. Not knowing how to resolve interpersonal conflicts within a team. Not knowing how to get the best out of someone who thinks differently to ourselves. Coaching allows space to discuss and explore in a safe environment, becoming better equipped and more confident to approach new situations.

Where do we go from here?

When we create environments where every professional can thrive – where their strengths are recognised and their differences are valued, people can begin to feel safe to be themselves. Forward-thinking leaders will strive to make our teams more creative, more cohesive, and more capable of doing their best work.

That is the type of workplace I want to help build.

And I believe that strengths-based coaching has a vital role to play in getting us there.

Get in touch to make lasting and significant changes to your workplace, for the good of everyone.

 

 

Sources

CIPD – Neuroinclusion at Work (February 2024):

https://www.cipd.org/en/knowledge/guides/neuroinclusion-work/

ACAS – Talking About Neurodiversity:

https://www.acas.org.uk/neurodiversity-at-work/talking-about-neurodiversity

Neuroinclusive workplaces do it better! In fact, according to a recent study by Deloitte, teams that include neurodivergent professionals are 30% more productive. And JP Morgan Chase’s “Autism at Work” programme found that “participating employees were 90-140% more productive, with fewer errors”.

So why is that in the UK, the unemployment rate for neurodivergent adults is estimated to be 30-40%? Despite having both the awareness and the offer of support, we’re struggling to help neurodivergent professionals enter or re-enter the workplace.

And it’s not that those individuals don’t want to work.

The National Autistic Society recently revealed that 77% of autistic adults want to be in work. Recognising this need, autism charities across the country have developed a series of employment programs, offering skills and support to empower individuals and help them find meaningful work. Not only does this benefit them personally, it also has a positive impact on the economy. Figures have suggested that “doubling the employment rate for autistic adults would generate potential societal savings of £900 million to £1.5 billion annually” (reviewing figures for state-funded benefits).

So it would be beneficial for individuals, it’d be good to build the workforce, and it would be good for the economy.

So why isn’t it happening?

Employers who are finding it difficult to recruit are finding it a challenge to access this talent pool. Where are the bottlenecks, and what can we do about them? In this blog, we’re going to discuss the challenges to entry, specifically the recruitment process. We also want to demonstrate how neuroinclusive employers can refine their own policies, and improve internal retention.

What processes are we looking to refine?

Before we discuss what neuroinclusive employers need to take into consideration, we need to remind everyone of all the steps in a recruitment process:

• Identifying the need
• Defining the role
• Advertising the role
• Reviewing the candidates
• Conducting telephone interviews
• Conducting in-person interviews
• Selecting candidates
• Offering the role
• Onboarding

For candidates who are neurodivergent, we need to understand how to make the process easier to follow, and easier to pass.

Where the barriers exist

In a recent LinkedIn post, neurodiversity advocate Andy Ryan wrote: “It’s all well and good to create neuro-affirming workplaces, but that’s no use if neurodivergent people can’t even get in the door!”. The post goes on to highlight that while a multi-faceted application process (one that asks candidates to submit a CV, covering letter, and introductory video) is a great way for businesses to filter out unsuitable candidates, it creates a barrier for those who are neurodivergent. The process challenges those with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia by creating a high-pressure situation that can create anxiety and trigger personal difficulties associated with their neurodiversity such as organisation, spelling, and completing long writing tasks.

If a candidate does make it through the application process, the next barrier is the interview itself. The focus is often on soft skills more than competence – candidates who have the technical skills and working knowledge may struggle with eye contact, social interaction or team working, leading them to perform poorly in an interview. Vague, open-ended questions such as “why should we hire you?” and “can you describe 3 strengths?” can be really hard to answer, again causing the talent to get lost in the process.

The barriers in recruitment can vary between individuals, the type of neurodiversity, and the process itself. So how can we make reasonable adjustments to improve their chance of success?

Steps to make your recruitment process more neuroinclusive

Improving your recruitment process to become more neuroinclusive will start with understanding the barriers, and developing a compassionate approach to all candidates. The processes themselves could often benefit from being shorter, more straightforward, and therefore, more inclusive.

We really like the high level outline that the Greater Manchester Good Work Charter provides. It provides a really strong set of guidelines of what you as an employer should be aiming to achieve. Here they are, what do you think?

They’re great guidelines but they’re outcomes. We can help to you refine those guidelines for your organisation, to identify exactly and concretely: what you could do, your processes, your practices, in your context, in your industry!

• Selection processes that are designed to eliminate unconscious bias
• Inclusive and fair recruitment practices with equality and diversity issues integral to all – this may include sending questions to candidates ahead of time and adapting the interview environment
• Recruitment processes which are anonymised, including the ‘disability confident scheme’ (or equivalent) and consistent with the ‘ban the box’ campaign (removing criminal record tick boxes from application forms, or equivalent)
• Job adverts which clearly specify the forms of flexible working that could be compatible with the role and the number of hours to be worked (see Flexible Work). Consideration should be given to a wide range of forms of flexibility that could potentially be made available to job applicants
• Recruiting managers who have completed equality and diversity training
• Recruitment methods that are appropriate to the role and the candidate – e.g. with adaptable methods of communication, interviews and other activities
• Recruitment processes, including the advertising of roles, which actively encourage the recruitment of a diverse workforce. This might offer candidates a choice of submission types or formats, as an example
• Clear and timely feedback offered in a range of formats to each individual candidate to discuss their performance and areas of improvement, if necessary
• Encourage feedback from candidates on the process itself for continual development

Taking such steps can improve accessibility, save time, and improve the quality of candidates in the selection pool – simply by being easier to understand and shorter in length.

Remove the barriers within your organisation, and create a truly neuroinclusive process.

Unsure where to start? Contact me for a brief consultation, and together we can create a plan to improve inclusion and diversity within your business.

In 2023, a survey of HR leaders from more than 1,100 companies across 46 countries by Aon (referenced here by IPSOS) concluded that “75% globally say that employee wellbeing is important at their company”. That same survey later revealed that “The majority of companies globally have both a wellbeing initiative in place (87%) and a wellbeing strategy (83%)”

Sounds reasonably encouraging, right?

Yes, it does. But while the focus on employee wellbeing is consistently high, the prioritisation of a more neuro-inclusive working environment doesn’t quite meet the same level of urgency. According to statistics published by CIPD earlier this year, “just 60% say that neuroinclusion is a focus for their organisation and a low 33% say it’s in their EDI strategy or action plan.“ 

So – how can you create a more neuro-inclusive culture within your organisation? And how will this benefit levels of profitability and productivity?

Understanding neurodiversity

Firstly, let’s make sure we’re on the same page with our terminology.

Neurodiversity, like diversity, means all of us.

Neurodivergence is the umbrella term for many conditions, which include Dyslexia, autism, ADHD, Dyspraxia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia and Tourette Syndrome. Those seven are the most common neurodivergent conditions in the UK.

I recently published a blog that specifically listed “10 practical tips to be more neuro-inclusive at work”. The purpose of that blog was to demonstrate that even small changes and minor considerations can make a big difference to those in your teams who identify as neurodivergent. It also reinforces the importance of doing so – around 1 in 5 people in the workforce are neurodivergent.

Neurodiversity itself has gained a lot of attention in recent years, largely because for some, the diagnosis process has become more efficient, easier to start, and more conclusive in its results. Conversations around awareness, understanding and education have become more popular, and there’s been significant media coverage on the topic. For some organisations, however, there’s still a lot to learn.

Larger organisations, with teams across several sites or in various countries, are struggling to translate this new understanding into policies, training for managers, or reasonable adjustments in the workplace. They lack the agility of smaller businesses to respond to these new policies, and there might be different awareness or expectations in those different countries. They may therefore find themselves at a disadvantage.

And smaller businesses might not have anyone within the team who has a good understanding of the various neurodivergent conditions, let alone what to do when someone discloses their condition!

Working in collaboration with the right people

While most HR directors, leaders, and those with relevant accreditations are able to provide the basic support for employees, understanding the right pathway to real neuro-inclusion lies in specialist training through qualified consultants.

Being neuro-inclusive isn’t about following a check-list, it’s about understanding the challenges being faced by your neurodiverse colleagues from their point of view, recognising how this impacts their performance or ways of working and providing real solutions that enable them to work more productively. Often, these are minor adjustments such as:

• Reviewing your recruitment process – clearly explain which skills and experiences are essential, and which are considered as “desirable”. You might offer different methods of submitting their application, think about how you conduct your selection process, or perhaps remove industry-specific jargon to make job descriptions easier to understand.
• Providing detailed training and support to managers – make sure leaders and managers understand your neurodiversity policy and encourage collaboration between colleagues. Offer clear guidance and support through a range of resources, and encourage them to regularly review their team’s workloads.
• Raising everyone’s awareness of neurodiversity – include a neurodiversity unit in mandatory staff training, run awareness days, and encourage the freedom to share their neurodivergent status at various opportunities, from their induction to their one to ones with their line manager.
• Offering support tailored to each individual – without the need for them to have a formal diagnosis of their neurodivergent condition(s). This could involve measures such as providing noise cancelling headphones as standard practice, or making quiet working areas available within your office space.
• Having a clear neurodiversity policy – this needs to clearly outline the expectations, understanding, and the support available to employees who are neurodivergent, with or without a formal diagnosis. This is something I can support businesses with, making sure they are inclusive, compliant, and able to implement the policy effectively.

How can I help you?

I have worked for more than 20 years in HR and DEI in global organisations, ensuring that my HR and DEI “tools” provided business-focused solutions. I’ve been specialising in neuro-inclusion for several years, and am a trained coach. As an experienced trainer, I can support your leadership team and managers on this unique and important journey, by delivering development and training programmes tailored specifically to fit your organisation. I’m also accredited to identify the appropriate reasonable adjustments for someone, through a Neurodiversity Workplace Needs Assessment.

If you’d like to know more, please contact us.