Inclusive Minds: Thriving With Workplace Neurodiversity 🧠💡

Understanding Neurodiversity

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Neurodiversity, a term created by autism advocate Judy Singer in 1998, refers to the various ways people think, learn, and process information. It emphasizes that neurological differences are natural variations of the human brain. These differences are not deficits but part of the human experience, offering unique strengths.

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The National Symposium on Neurodiversity includes “Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Tourette Syndrome, and others” under the umbrella of neurodiversity. However, neurodivergence includes conditions like Bipolar Disorder, Epilepsy, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Schizophrenia, and more.

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The term neurodiversity follows the social model of disability, which avoids locating problems in the individual and calls upon society to be more inclusive and accommodating of a wider variety of minds. Through this model, people who are neurodivergent often only become disabled when organizations create policies, processes, cultures, and programs with only neurotypical people in mind. They don’t make accommodations and only value neurotypical people on teams.

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It’s important to understand that not all neurodivergent people consider themselves disabled. The neurodiversity paradigm encourages us to consider the concept of the “normal” brain as contingent on unique cultural and societal factors, rather than an absolute standard. Indeed, brain differences are beneficial and not recognizing this fact can impose limitations on people in workplaces, schools, and society as a whole. It is good for people to learn, think, communicate, and express themselves in various ways.

⁣Neurodivergent individuals may have cognitive differences that challenge traditional societal structures. However, when supported, they can provide valuable perspectives, creativity, and innovation.

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Workplace Barriers for Neurodivergent Individuals

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Workplaces can unintentionally exclude neurodivergent individuals by operating on assumptions of "professionalism" rooted in neurotypical norms. This can result in misunderstandings, discrimination, or a lack of accommodations for neurodivergent employees. Common challenges include the following.

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Stereotypes and Bias

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‍Neurotypical people frequently misunderstand neurodivergent needs and experiences due to a lack of knowledge. These misunderstandings are perpetuated by media and cultural depictions that often misrepresent neurodivergent individuals, reinforcing harmful stereotypes.‍

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Gender and Identity Biases

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‍Research has shown that men are far more likely to be perceived and diagnosed with a neurodivergent condition. This is because data on conditions like Autism or ADHD on people who are socialized as boys and men have influenced diagnostic criteria and the perceptions of diagnostic professionals when evaluating someone for a neurocognitive condition. This means that people who are socialized as girls and women are often diagnosed later in life and are more likely to be questioned on the validity of their experiences. Specific evidence also indicates that transgender and non-binary people are more likely to be neurodivergent than the general population. When we acknowledge people's multi-layered, intersecting identities, we can understand the compounding impacts of inequity.

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Workplace Practices

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‍Workplaces create additional barriers for neurodivergent professionals by failing to identify when they develop processes and practices centred around neurotypical experiences. Misconceptions about professionalism are rooted in ableist thinking that can exclude neurodivergent team members from being considered strong team members. As examples, neurodivergent individuals may struggle with traditional interview processes, communication styles, or rigid job expectations that don’t account for different cognitive styles.

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What Can We Do?

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It takes intentional awareness of common neurotypical assumptions to identify exclusive systems and potential alternatives that promote greater equity and inclusivity for neurodivergent and neurotypical people.

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Here are some actionable tips and tools to consider in your workplace.

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Evolve Your Hiring Processes

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Neurodivergent professionals often experience less favourable interview assessments that do not reflect their skillset or aptitude because of bias and pre-existing barriers. Research has highlighted how adults with cognitive and/or developmental disabilities have an 85% unemployment rate. To intentionally address these disparities, it is important that we evolve our Human Resource (HR) processes with neurodivergent perspectives and experiences in mind.

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When developing HR Recruitment processes, you can consider the following things.

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‍Update Job Ads With Inclusive Language: Make your job ads inclusive. Implement inclusive language practices by being mindful of the language exclusive to neurodivergent professionals. Avoid using colloquialisms, idioms, figurative language, and jargon that all candidates may not understand. Or, take a “both…and” approach and define or explain them in plain, literal language as well.‍
Provide Multiple Interview Formats: Offer options like project-based assessments, virtual interviews, or “working” interviews to assess skills more accurately.‍
Structure Interviews with a Strengths-Based Approach: Structure your interviews to align with a strength-based approach, where every interview is tailored to the applicant’s strengths and needs. Consider offering interview questions ahead of the interview to reduce anxiety, providing breaks within the interview, and/or offering interviews virtually or in person. ‍
Educate Recruiters: Ensure hiring teams understand neurodivergent needs and can avoid biased judgments (e.g., valuing eye contact). Train your recruiters to identify common biases and non-inclusive behaviour toward neurodivergent candidates that can happen in the recruitment process and how to mitigate them. ‍
Gather Feedback: Create feedback mechanisms to improve the candidate experience.

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Create Inclusive Workplaces

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It is one thing to hire neurodivergent team members and another to build an organizational culture that enables neurodivergent team members to thrive and effectively leverage their unique strengths. Here are some things to note.

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Update Policies: Anti-discrimination policies should explicitly include neurodivergence. Review onboarding and training processes to emphasize inclusivity. Create resources that inform your team members about workplace culture, working agreements, and organizational values to maintain. Don’t assume someone is deliberately breaking the rules or being rude. Include neurodiversity awareness training in your onboarding and team-building processes.
Create a Supportive Culture: Normalize conversations about accessibility and provide voluntary avenues for employees to share their needs. Share educational resources with your team members that highlight the experiences and perspectives of neurodivergent people. Familiarize all leaders with the Job Accommodations Network (JAN), a database of potential accommodations relevant to different forms of neurodivergence.
Promote Strengths: Recognize and leverage the strengths of neurodivergent employees. For example, individuals with autism may excel in detail-oriented tasks, while those with ADHD may thrive in fast-paced environments.

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Accommodate Neurodivergent Employees

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Providing reasonable accommodations that create a more empowering environment for neurodivergent team members. This may include:

Sensory Accommodations: Offer noise-canceling headphones or quiet spaces for employees sensitive to sound.
Flexible Schedules: Allow for non-traditional work hours or remote options to support different working styles.
Task Structure: Break tasks into clear, incremental instructions, and avoid ambiguity.
Inclusive Language: Use direct and literal communication, avoiding sarcasm or implied meanings.

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Understand the Value of Neurodiversity

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Just because someone is neurodivergent does not mean they do not have unique strengths, abilities, and talents to contribute to the workplace. Neuroplasticity, or the brain's natural ability to adapt and rewire itself, often means when we lose one sense, others improve.

For this reason, it is important to create awareness within your organization about the nuanced experiences and strengths of neurodivergent people.

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People with dyslexia are often better at zooming out to the big picture, spotting things out of place, and have above-average spatial knowledge.
People with autism can have exceptional memory and logical thinking ability and can be incredibly detail-oriented, punctual, and dependable with schedules and routines.
Someone with chronic anxiety is likely better at identifying threats or potential issues internally or in the broader market.
Many tech companies find that people with autism excel in business analytics, software testing, and cybersecurity. Both System Analysis Program Development (SAP) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) report examples of neurodivergent employees’ participating in teams that generated significant innovations.

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None of this is meant to negate the hardships of managing neurodivergent differences, especially in a frequently ableist world. Still, it does challenge the tendency of our culture to equate neurodivergence with a deficit. We also caution organizations around siloing neurodivergent candidates into particular roles and responsibilities based on stereotypes around their strengths rather than their actual aspirations and skill sets.

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However, like other forms of diversity in the workplace, neurodiversity can make teams more competitive, productive, profitable, communicative, and ultimately successful.

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Times of Significance

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There are many times of significance dedicated to promoting understanding, reducing stigma, and advocating for the rights of neurodivergent individuals that workplaces may want to note and observe. They include but are not limited to:

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Conclusion

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Neurodivergent individuals bring a wide range of talents, perspectives, and strengths to the table. Embracing neurodiversity in the workplace—by evolving hiring processes, fostering inclusive cultures, and providing necessary accommodations—creates environments where all employees can succeed.

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By recognizing the value of different cognitive styles and creating inclusive spaces, organizations position themselves for innovation, collaboration, and success.

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Important Note

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This resource is not meant to be a static guide, but rather a compilation and reflection of our learnings to date. Everything changes - from technologies and innovations to social norms, cultures, languages, and more. We’ll continue to update this resource with your feedback; email us at hello@feminuity.org with suggestions.

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About the Author(s)

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The Feminuity team.

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Give Credit Where Credit’s Due

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If you wish to reference this work, please use the following citation:

Feminuity. (2024). "Inclusive Minds: Thriving With Workplace Neurodiversity"