From neurodiversity to "neurospreading": major new research highlights the need for more action on inclusion in the tech sector

Many businesses state that they’re doing great work when it comes to EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion), but the truth is that disability is often missing from the conversation, let alone the strategy. So when I got an invitation to attend an event on Tuesday morning focusing on neurodiversity in the workplace, organised by #ChangeTheFace Alliance, I jumped at the opportunity to attend.

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For those who don’t know about the Change the Face Alliance, it’s a tech industry initiative that brings together individuals and entire organisations who want to take action, “to increase diversity and equality in the sector.” It launched in March 2020 and has built a community who want to be a force for positive change.

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Tuesday’s panel discussion was held at the Samsung space near King’s Cross. I use the word space quite deliberately – it’s not an office per se, but rather a showcase of Samsung’s latest tech with a fantastic, open space at the centre for events. Senior representatives from 三星电子 , Vodafone , Colt Technology Services and 诺基亚 took to the stage to discuss the results of the Alliance’s latest research into neurodiversity in the workplace. More than 2,100 employees at these organisations participated in the survey, representing the largest global workplace survey on neurodiversity in the tech sector to date.

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Highlights from the research, which can be found on the Change the Face website, included:

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• Only 43% of neurodiverse respondents disclose their condition at work, meaning that over 50% don’t.

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• Of those who don’t disclose but self-reported as neurodivergent, 53% had not disclosed their condition(s) because they did not see the value in doing so.

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• Nearly half of neurodivergent employees feel impacted by their conditions in the workplace, with a quarter disclosing that they’re impacted every day.

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• Teams with neurodivergence are 30% more productive.

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• Only 9% of those who are neurodivergent ask for an adjustment at work.

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Whilst some of the stats are, sadly, not a surprise, what I found particularly refreshing was that three of the panellists were neurodivergent themselves. Hearing their similar but on-the-other-hand unique personal experiences really brought to life the fact that when it comes to inclusion, you can’t pigeonhole people. Indeed, using blanket labels such as “neurodiverse” can be misleading and divisive, as Kat Grey, VP, Organisation and People Development, Nokia, pointed out. Rather than grouping people into two camps – those who are neurodivergent and those who are neurotypical - she’d like to see the term “neurospread” being used widely by organisations. I like it. It’s accurate - no two people are alike, after all - and it’s truly inclusive.

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As well as sharing the research results, the panellists discussed the many ways that their organisations are removing barriers for neurodivergent employees and creating a more inclusive environment, including having open dialogue at all levels of the business, creating employee resource groups (ERGs), providing the opportunity for neurodivergent employees to share personal stories widely, making assistive technology more broadly available (and generally using the built-in assistive tools and features of devices), providing training for neurotypical colleagues, encouraging allyship and stress-testing existing policies, processes and procedures to see how inclusive they are (or aren’t!)

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Encouragingly, intersectionality came up time and again during the discussion. It’s clear that members of the Change the Face Alliance understand its importance. Yet there are many organisations out there who fail to grasp this point. To be successful, inclusion must be systemic – it needs to become business as usual. Physical and digital spaces, recruitment, programmes, policies and processes must be designed with inclusion embedded from the outset, not bolted on as an afterthought. As Kat said during the discussion, there are so many levers to pull - and tracking progress against all of them is a must.

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All in all, it was an insightful event and a great opportunity to connect with people who really care about inclusion and who are putting hard work, time and budget into make their organisations more inclusive. Of course – there's lots more to do! And I would have liked to have heard how each organisation in the Alliance is ensuring they're accountable for making change happen. Perhaps a topic for another event?

But whether you’re neurodivergent or not (and whether you know it, or not!) I’ll leave you with the words of advice shared by two of the neurodivergent panellists at Tuesday’s event. You can choose which works best for you . . .

Dare to be different! (Benjamin Braun, CMO at Samsung Europe)

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Sink into your difference and enjoy it! (Tim Cook, Cloud Voice Sales Director & Global Strategic Sales, Colt)

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To delve deeper, you can read the full research report.

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