How to support neurodivergent employees in the workplace

With research showing that around one in seven of the UK population is neurodivergent there is a very good chance that someone in your organisation will have ADHD, Autism, Asperger’s, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or Dyscalculia. The characteristics of these conditions bring a variety of strengths to the workplace and allow neurodivergent employees to use their unique qualities to excel in specific areas and provide new perspectives to old challenges.

Whilst there are tasks and roles that neurodivergent people are well suited to, there are others that may not be right for them or environments that don't play to their strengths. Workplaces and work patterns are generally designed by neurotypical people so often will not provide ways of working that allows neurodiverse people to perform well.

Supporting neurodivergent employees in the workplace involves creating an environment where they can thrive. Here are some of the ways to achieve this:

1. Education and Awareness: Educate employees about neurodivergence to foster understanding and reduce stigma. Training sessions or workshops can help raise awareness about different neurodivergent conditions and how they may manifest in the workplace.

2. Flexible Work Arrangements: Offer flexibility in work hours, breaks, and workspaces to accommodate individual needs. Some neurodivergent employees may benefit from remote work options or adjustable schedules to manage sensory sensitivities or other challenges.

3. Clear Communication: Provide clear and concise instructions and be prepared to offer additional support or clarification when needed. Neurodivergent individuals may interpret information differently, so it's essential to communicate in a way that everyone can understand.

4. Accommodations and Support Services: Work with neurodivergent employees to identify accommodations that can help them perform to their best. This might include assistive technologies, quiet work areas, or access to support groups or counselling services.

5. Structured Feedback and Evaluation: Offer regular feedback and structured performance evaluations. Providing specific feedback and setting clear expectations can help neurodivergent employees understand their strengths and areas for improvement.

6. Sensory Considerations: Be mindful of sensory sensitivities and make adjustments to the work environment as needed. This could involve reducing noise levels, providing noise-cancelling headphones, or allowing for breaks in quiet spaces.

7. Promote Diversity and Inclusion: Foster a culture of acceptance and celebration of diversity in the workplace. Encourage neurodivergent employees to contribute their unique perspectives and talents to projects and decision-making processes.

8. Mentorship and Peer Support: Pair neurodivergent employees with mentors or peer support groups to provide guidance and encouragement. Having a support network can help individuals navigate challenges and build confidence in their abilities.

9. Continuous Learning and Development: Offer opportunities for professional development and skills training to help neurodivergent employees advance in their careers. Tailor training programs to accommodate different learning styles and preferences.

10. Regular Check-ins and Supportive Management: Schedule regular check-ins with neurodivergent employees to discuss their progress, address any concerns, and provide ongoing support. Managers should be approachable and empathetic, creating a safe space for open communication.

By implementing these strategies, employers can create a more inclusive and supportive workplace where neurodivergent employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.

Are we really supporting neurodivergence in the workplace?

It is thought that around one in seven of the UK population are neurodivergent with conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Aspergers, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia or Dyscalculia. These conditions share some common features in the way people learn and process information and increasingly, it has been shown that these characteristics bring a variety of strengths to the workplace.

Research from Birkbeck College however has found that neurodivergent employees face significant barriers when disclosing their neurodivergence to their employer and further research from O2 revealed that 81% of neurodivergent employees felt their employer could provide them with more support. At the same time, employers said they experienced barriers in making adjustments for neurodivergent employees with 69% of those surveyed saying that a lack of disclosure is an issue. So, employees don’t feel safe enough to disclose, but without them stating their needs, employers don’t know how to support them.

The key is greater awareness from both sides. Aspects of good neurodivergent support and management are applicable to all employees - clear instructions, ensuring staff are not overloaded and providing a working environment that is free of distractions - but specific knowledge about neurodivergence should be shared. Only then will employers and employees be able to understand, be able to accommodate their co-workers and provide support if and where it’s needed. Strengths-based management that focuses on enabling people to do what they can and love to do (whilst avoiding the things they can’t) can align these abilities to what the organisation is trying to achieve and get the best from all employees.

There are great benefits for organisations having employees who think differently. Creativity, lateral thinking, a different perspective and the development of highly specialised skills enables companies to be more innovative, spot new solutions and make better decisions. Ultimately though, neurodivergence in the workplace is about helping everyone thrive and seeing everyone as talent - no matter how their brain works.

Controlling our emotional states

Keywords 

Resilience – Neurodiversity – Neuroplascity – Creativity – Brain - Emotions

In this episode of Resilience Unravelled Chris Marshall, a behavioural scientist who specialises in decision making and foresight. discusses the relationship between stress and pessimism.

Chris has a wealth of life experience and a unique perspective. As a High Functioning Autistic (HFA), Chris has always seen the world a little differently. But this different perspective has fuelled his curiosity and led him on a series of adventures – from ski racing to behavioural science to global macro strategy – to becoming a Master Distiller and owning an international award-winning distillery. 

Chris is now director of the Fast Paced Complex Environments (FPCE) Institute, which brings together a wide range of fields to address some of the most complex challenges facing society today and he uses his unique perspective to offer fresh insights and new ways of thinking about the world around us.

In this podcast Chris discusses neurodiversity, the diversity in both brain wiring and thoughts and talks about how it has been seen as a disorder or disease in the past, but now it's being seen as a real source of creativity and different thinking. He also talks about his work in foresight, where he looks at trends and megatrends driving change globally. He believes that if we can harness humanity's natural abilities to be innovative, adaptable, and creative, we can overcome all obstacles ahead of us.

Main topics

• How stress can elevate pessimistic viewpoints due to neuroplascity effects on our brain circuits

• Why becoming aware of our emotional state is important for controlling it.

• How emotions are just signals representing ease of thinking about a specific concept and not necessarily positive or negative.

Timestamps

1: Introductions (00:02 - 00:45)
2: Discussion on Chris’s research on behavioural science, risk-taking, and foresight (00:45 - 07:52)
3: The relationship between creativity, innovation, adaptability, and resilience (07:52 - 11:37)
4: The role of self-inflicted stress and pressure in creativity (11:37 - 14:34)
5: The importance of understanding the wider context and the uncertain and unsettling landscape of change (14:34 - 23:08)
6: Human history's ability to be innovative, adaptable, and creative (23:08 - 24:27)
7: Chris Marshall’s book, Decoding Change, and how to find more information about it (24:27 - 29:16)
8: Conclusion and final remarks (29:16 - 29:42)

Action items

• Find out more about Chris at Fast Paced Complex Environments (FPCE) Institute or https://www.theuncertaintyscientist.com/ or https://www.chrismarshall.uk/

• Chris’s book is "Decoding Change"

You can listen to the podcast in full and find out further information here. Our upcoming guest list is also available along with our previous blogs.
Find out more about our innovative Resilience and Burnout solutions.  

Why neurodiversity is good for your business

It is suggested that around one in seven of the UK population are neurodiverse, the term used to describe someone who thinks differently though conditions such as ADHD, autism, Asperger syndrome, dyslexia, dyspraxia or dyscalculia.  These “spectrum” conditions have a wide range of characteristics, but share some common features in the way people learn and process information. Increasingly , it has been shown that these characteristics can bring a variety of strengths to the workplace, such as problem solving, pattern identification and enhanced visual spatial thinking.

In the workplace neurodiverse people can use their unique qualities to excel in specific areas and provide new perspectives to old challenges. For example, people with autism tend to be logical and data-driven and do not fall into confirmation biases easily. People with dyslexia are often inventive and creative with around 20 per cent of the UK’s entrepreneurs being dyslexic, including Richard Branson, Lord Sugar and Jamie Oliver.

Whilst there are tasks and roles that neurodiverse people are well suited to, there are others that may not be right for them or environments that don't play to their strengths. Workplaces and work patterns are generally designed by neurotypical people and the ways of working that help neurodiverse people perform may be seen as out of place. Bright office lights or computer screens, noisy open-plan offices, and a lack of personal organisation could prove very difficult but are relatively easily adjusted. Strengths-based management that focuses on enabling people to do what they can do and love to do (whilst avoiding the things they can’t do) and aligns these abilities to what the organisation is trying to achieve, can also help get the best from neurodiverse employees.

Aspects of good support and management are equally applicable to all employees - giving clear instructions, ensuring staff are not overloaded and providing a working environment that is free of distractions - but specific knowledge about neurodiversity should also be shared. Teams can then understand and accommodate co-workers and provide help where needed. Neurodiverse staff also won’t necessarily pick up on any ‘unwritten rules’ of your company, so HR departments and line managers should be aware of each member of the team’s strengths and weakness to alleviate any workplace issues.

Provided ways of minimising any areas of weakness can be put in place, there are great benefits for employers having employees who think differently. Creativity, lateral thinking, bringing a different perspective, the development of highly specialised skills and the consistency in tasks once mastered are all skills that allow companies to be more innovative, spot solutions others may have missed and make better decisions as a result. Ultimately though, neurodiversity in the workplace is about helping everyone thrive and seeing everyone as talent no matter how their brain works.