Neurodiversity in the workplace
Most modern workplaces are diverse. Employees usually come from a wide range of backgrounds, with different skill sets and personal experiences. They often bring these experiences and perspectives to the workplace. Harnessing a range of perspectives can help your company to come up with creative solutions to problems and spot issues as they emerge more effectively.
As employers learn to work with employees’ individual strengths and weaknesses – possibly as part of a soft HR management style – they can learn more about the neurodiversity in their workplace.
Some characteristics can be associated with different kinds of neurodivergence. However, no one neurodivergent individual is the same, which means that it is useful for employers to ask their employees about their own neurodivergence to find out how best to accommodate their needs while tapping into their strengths.
Certain kinds of neurodivergence spectrums like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been associated historically with certain stereotypes, but our understanding of them is changing and growing over time. People with autism might be stereotyped as being good at maths for instance. While this may be true of some autistic employees, it is not true of everyone and is worth asking them to find out.
Dyslexic candidates or employees might have trouble spelling, but by supplying them with a computer and the right writing applications, they can better demonstrate their writing capabilities at work or during an interview test. They might also be excellent verbal or visual communicators and excel in situations where this type of communication is required.
Often neurodivergent people have an uneven ability profile, which means that they may be more capable than average in some areas while being less capable than average in others. By tapping into these strengths while accommodating weaknesses without prejudice, you can harness the skills of your whole team to the best of their abilities.
Neurodiversity at work and UK legislation
Neurodivergent workers are protected by the Equality Act 2010, as disability is a protected characteristic. Even if a neurodivergent worker does not consider themselves to be disabled, having the diagnostic label of a disability means that the Equality Act protects them. This also means that, as the UK government website states, employers are required to look at making reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates during the recruitment process.
In order to find out how to be accommodating towards neurodivergent candidates and employees, it is a good idea to learn about some of the more common forms of neurodivergence.
Different diagnostic labels and what they mean
Usually, neurodivergent employees have been given a diagnostic label by their doctor or another medical health professional.
Many forms of neurodivergence are fairly common in the UK population. According to the National Autistic Society, one in 100 people in the UK are somewhere on the autism spectrum. In the UK, about 3% to 4% of adults have ADHD, according to NICE. The UK government website says that around 10% of people are dyslexic. A study by GMB found that 5% of people in the UK have dyspraxic traits.
This means that it is highly likely that some people in your workplace are neurodivergent. Below are some examples of spectrum conditions that are considered a form of neurodivergence.
Autism
Autism is a spectrum condition associated with difficulties relating to language processing, sensory processing and communication. Your autistic employees might have trouble working out how to approach social situations at work, or handle issues with clients or customers.
On the flip side, autistic people can have a great memory and are better at handling small details rather than big-picture thinking. They might have a few areas that they are particularly interested in and very knowledgeable about.
Autistic people often prefer routine and structure to learn and work, meaning that they work best when they know that their responsibilities are likely to be the same every day. Some autistic people need a high level of support, while others do not need much support on a day-to-day basis at all.
In order to help accommodate your autistic employees, it is worth asking them about what accommodations they need. Consider offering specific instructions and letting autistic employees know in advance about any changes to work responsibilities or workplace arrangements (such as if you are introducing flexible working schedules).
Some autistic employees might benefit from noise-cancelling headphones to block out over-stimulating sounds. If they have any social difficulties, they might benefit from coaching, counselling or some additional support to help tackle interpersonal relationships in the workplace.
ADHD
ADHD is a condition that affects a person’s behaviour. Although the stereotype of ADHD is that it affects children, it is now thought to affect adults as well. A candidate or employee with ADHD might have difficulty directing their attention towards certain tasks.
Some people with ADHD also struggle with hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour, such as speaking out of turn or fidgeting. They might be more easily distracted and find it hard to complete tasks that they do not find interesting.
However, ADHD does not mean a complete lack of attention; employees with ADHD are often much better at completing urgent tasks. Their ability to work well under pressure means that people with ADHD might be drawn to professions that have less routine. They might respond very well to high-pressure situations that might be too stressful for a neurotypical person. People with ADHD might be drawn to jobs like paramedics, sales representatives, sportspersons or chefs.
When it comes to working on something that interests them a lot, employees with ADHD can demonstrate a huge amount of enthusiasm and drive. Therefore, it is useful for employers to learn how to tap into this.
Some employees with ADHD might benefit from wearing noise-cancelling headphones to block out distractions and finding the right technology to help them stay organised. Employees with ADHD who hold a mostly sedentary office job might also benefit from joining an on-site gym or yoga class to release any excess energy.
Dyslexia
Employees with dyslexia have differences in language processing. Often, dyslexic employees have trouble with reading comprehension and writing. This might include not being able to tell the difference between letters in a word, or confusing words that sound similar to each other. Although dyslexia is known for primarily affecting reading and writing skills, it can also affect the ability to carry out a set of instructions or planning skills.
While people with dyslexia might have language processing difficulties in some areas, they might find other forms of communication much easier. Some dyslexic people might excel at communicating their ideas creatively through images, diagrams, graphs or through giving talks. Dyslexic employees might benefit from colour coding or mind-mapping software to organise their thoughts, or recording meetings rather than taking notes by hand.
Many dyslexic people find that with the right reasonable adjustments, they are able to communicate just as effectively as their non-dyslexic peers. This might include using a computer to write and speech-to-text technology for comprehension.
Being dyslexic does not rule some employees out of being good writers, either. They might primarily have difficulties with spelling, but with a computer demonstrate otherwise good writing abilities. In any case, there are many tools to hand that make having dyslexia a non-issue in the workplace, even when writing is required.
Dyspraxia
Also known as developmental coordination disorder, dyspraxia makes it more difficult for someone to coordinate movements. This can affect typing abilities or coordination when doing physical work. Dyspraxia does not just affect movement; it can also affect a person’s language sequencing skills, as well as their ability to remember the order of certain tasks.
As each person with dyspraxia has a slightly different skills profile, it is good to find out what types of reasonable adjustments they would most benefit from in the workplace. Some people find that dyspraxia affects their day-to-day life a lot, while for others, it might only affect their daily activities a little.
Some people with dyspraxia might succeed much better in other areas that do not involve movement planning and coordination. People with dyspraxia are often creative, original thinkers and good troubleshooters. As dyspraxic employees have had to find solutions to difficulties in their own daily lives, they may show resilience and the ability to find creative solutions to problems that others might not see.
Employees with dyspraxia might benefit from time management and organisational training courses. Some dyspraxic employees may find it easier to use visual aids, such as diagrams or mind maps, to keep track of their thoughts. They might also benefit from working in quieter parts of an office with fewer distractions and using noise-cancelling headphones.
