Neuro-inclusivity at work

Liz Smith, Free2BMe founder and director

My experiences in workplaces as a neurodivergent person, now a director of my own organisation, have been mixed over the years. Like many neurodivergent people, have found working within large organisations in particular very challenging.

Given the increased spotlight on equality, diversity and inclusion in workplaces in recent years, we might think that things are getting better out there in the world of work for neurodivergent people. But a 2022 study by O2 on the experiences of neurodivergent employees in the workplace makes for difficult reading. As reported by HR Review, O2 surveyed 250 business leaders, and found that 64% “had little to no understanding of how cognitive difference can make communication difficult” for neurodivergent employees. Of the 1,115 employees surveyed, 54% felt that they needed more flexibility and accommodation at work. People Management estimate under-employment among neurodivergent adults in the UK to be 30-40%.

So what can be done? Here are 3 ways employers could consider making positive changes towards neuro-inclusivity.

1) Does your application process create unnecessary barriers?

The O2 study found that 52% of dyslexics felt discriminated against in hiring. Some application formats are not compatible with the speech-to-text and text reader software that many dyslexic and other neurodivergent people use to assist with written communication. Compatibility with these programs could be a starting point. Online application forms also often do not allow dyslexic people to use a spelling checker.

I also cannot count the number of jobs I’ve applied for that ask me to send a CV and then send me a long application form in which I am asked for the exact same information, just in a different format. Please, don’t do this. It’s a huge barrier for those of us with ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia in particular. In fact, it’s a barrier for just about everybody. Make the process clear up front, and don’t create duplication of work.

2) Define terms like “flexible working”

Many neurodivergent people, particularly autistic people, have a higher need for information, predictability and certainty. I remember going for one job interview where they mentioned “flexible working”, but in practice, that didn’t actually mean very much. The only “flexibility” was that employees got to choose when they took their lunch break. I also remember another one where they said I could work flexibly, and I said the hours I’d prefer to work - all seemed fine, but then when I actually started, they said that I would have to submit a flexible working request and until that was approved, which could take up to 12 weeks, I would have to work standard hours.

Employers, I understand you have processes, but this kind of thing does NOT work well for us. I needed to know up front that the working pattern I had requested was subject to an additional process for approval. I felt duped, there was no trust from the start, and that employer relationship did not last.

If the nature of the job is that the schedule can’t be flexible, or that employees must be on site and there is no home working, then be transparent about it from the start.

3) Meaningful training and understanding

And I don’t mean tokenistic awareness training - I mean training that is led by lived experience and actually does some straight talking about things like communication differences, the double empathy problem, and how these can impact things like how you give an employee instructions, feedback, and check their understanding and how you receive someone else’s mode of communication.

Autistic communication, for example, is often more direct. Autistic people often won’t do as much of the “social glue” stuff - the “I hope you’re well” or remembering to ask about someone’s weekend, because the autistic employee is likely focused on the task in hand, or gaining the information to do the job right. In my first jobs after graduating, I often used to get feedback in work about asking too many questions, which made authority figures feel like I was questioning their authority or decisions. I thought that by asking those clarifying questions, I was showing that I cared about what they were asking me to do and wanted to understand the task well so I got it right for them. I was utterly bemused by the idea that doing that could possibly be seen as undermining. I also remember getting shouted at by a boss for pointing out a contradiction in a workplace computer use policy in a meeting. I thought I was being helpful, because in my mind, the wording meant that people could be unclear about the rules and then might break them, which would be bad for the company. But my boss saw this as me being a “smart aleck” and trying to make him look stupid.

Autistic employees can be huge assets to organisations - autistic people will often notice the small details others overlook, for example - but it requires the willingness to develop mutual understanding of different communication styles and needs in the workplace, to be able to talk about it when it goes wrong, and work from a base of mutual respect and co-operation.

Free2BMe offers training, consultancy and support to employers, as well as counselling and coaching, including Access to Work coaching, focused on the needs of neurodivergent employees, delivered by neurodivergent practitioners. Why not find out more about what we offer? Go to https://www.free2bmetherapyservices.com/training-consultancy or email our training and consultancy director, Darren Monsiegneur, at training@free2bmetherapyservices.com