How to manage your neurodiverse staff when they're working remotely

These are challenging times for all of us, and good luck to you if your staff are now working from home.

This article is to help you manage your staff who have conditions like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia and possibly associated mental health conditions.

Context: I work with and for a wide variety of neurodiverse people, and I have ADHD and autism myself. I've been working from home for 15 years.

1. You might not know who has a neurodiverse condition

This is very common. There are so many high-functioning autistics and people with inattentive ADHD out there, along with dyslexics with amazing coping skills, that you might not know who amongst your staff has one of these conditions.

They may be hiding it.

Or they may not even know they have it.

Both of those things are quite common, particularly amongst women and people over the age of 40. By the way, if you suspect someone has one of these conditions, even if they haven't disclosed it, you are probably right.

So when enabling people to work remotely, bear in mind you don't know who needs what. The most important thing is to keep your channels of communication open (see below), and ensure a positive attitude to accommodating individual needs. This makes it easier for people to talk to you about what they need. However...

2. They might not know what they need

If someone is undiagnosed, newly diagnosed, or unaware of their condition, they might not have any idea about what they need to remain productive while working remotely.

In fact, even if they are fully aware of their condition or conditions, they still might not know what they need. Especially if remote working is new to them. I speak from experience as I'm often not quite sure what I need until I start doing something.

Also, these are unprecedented times and none of us are quite sure how it will affect us day-to-day. That goes for our mood (people with ADHD can fluctuate a lot, and many neurodiverse people have mental health conditions), but also the practical side of things. Autistic people, for example, tend to dislike changes in routine, but on the other hand, are creative problem-solvers. So while they might look like they're coping fine, they might be really stressed or anxious.

As a manager, it will help your staff if you can be on the lookout for things that might help them, and offer tools or adjustments before they're asked for. As an example, if you see them on Slack but they're not really joining in the conversation, or they're asking questions that have been answered, or they are coming across as angry, that's a red flag. They might be having trouble reading it (if they're dyslexic) or they might not understand the tone (if they're autistic). They might be anxious or distracted, or just simply having trouble following the conversation.

What you can do is phone them after the conversation to make sure they have followed it and know what is being asked of them (and others). Voice communication is often better for neurodiverse people. If you're concerned about coming across as patronising, you can frame it as seeking clarification for yourself.

3. Some will thrive and some will struggle

Both neurodiverse and neurotypical people never quite know how they are going to react in any given situation.

Some people will take to working from home like a duck to water. If they don't have to do video conferencing, they will be relieved that they don't have to wear their public face – both literally and metaphorically! That means they don't have the pressure of looking a certain way and if they're working alone, they don't have to act in a certain way either. They might enjoy the increased autonomy, familiar surroundings, and added flexibility. They are relieved they don't have to come into work and have to talk to their least-favourite co-worker. You may notice they become more productive.

Other employees will really struggle to adapt to remote working. You probably can already guess who they are – the extroverts who thrive on being around other people. The loneliness can really get to those employees who are isolated at home, especially if they live alone. Those who resist change (like lots of autistic) might find it hard to adjust.

Your neurodiverse employees may well worry about how they are going to perform. If someone has ADHD, for example, they might rightly be concerned about how they are going to be productive when they don't have the structure or discipline that a normal workplace provides. A dyslexic might worry about how much more communication they have to do that's written. And someone with dyspraxia might not have the set-up at home that they do at work, so could struggle with something as minor as only having a trackpad and not a mouse.

There's also something very basic as well. Lots of people like to separate work and home, particularly those who guard their privacy very closely (I'm thinking of those with mental illnesses, amongst others). They might be very resistant to video conferencing for this reason. They might even worry that they can't sleep if they're working in the same space.

What you decide to do about all of these will depend on the individual circumstances. But being aware of the things that might be going on – especially the unspoken ones – will help you approach and tackle them.

4. Communicate in lots of different ways

So, now you've got a bit of background as to the challenges you and your staff might face, let's look at some ways of dealing with these.

First of all, communication is key. If your staff are able to communicate with you as honestly and openly as they can, you are already on the way to making this easier for everyone.

Start by telling them what you want and need from them. This will depend on your business and how you're adapting. Lots of companies now are changing what they offer, or giving free or discounted services to others to help them through. It's unlikely you'll carry on as before – you'll be prioritising different tasks and moving other projects to the back burner. You may well be looking at cutting costs as well, without losing any staff.

If your neurodiverse staff are clear about what is going on with the company, what plans you've got and what the priorities are, they will feel more secure.

Secondly, make sure they can all communicate with you, in the best way they can. For dyslexics and autistics, this might be by voice – over the phone or by video conferencing. Others might prefer to communicate via text, Slack or another written medium. Make sure they all know that the different options are open to them.

If you have an idea of what they might need, offer this before they ask. For example, if you know that some of them have kids, you can tell your working parents that they can work flexible hours (if you can accommodate this). Then they don't have to ask. If you know your autistic employee can't get to the office, you can volunteer to bring round his noise-cancelling headphones. Your ADHD employee might really need extra oversight, but be unaware of the need, or too embarrassed to ask for it. If you tell them that you'd like to check in at particular times with them, that might help.

I personally find the ADHD checking-in thing to be a tough one to call. On the one hand, we really need that external discipline, and some form of control. On the other hand, we don't want to be made to feel like children, and those of us who aren't really used to having ADHD (the undiagnosed and newly diagnosed) might feel that we “should” be able to get on with the tasks by ourselves. So if you're able to frame your check-ins as care, or needing something from the employee (wanting their feedback on what you're doing, for example), it can help us feel less weird about it all.

5. Pair them up

If your staff are used to working in teams, it's obviously helpful to keep those teams going remotely where you can.

However, you might find that an additional pairing up with someone they don't normally work with might be beneficial. Someone like a “study buddy” with whom they can check in once a day, to have an informal chat about work, or the news, or whatever. A bit like a water cooler chat.

They can also do co-working sessions together, where each works on their own thing without talking, but they're on a video call together. It will help your staff with accountability, apart from anything else. I use an online coworking service, and it's literally changed my life, so I can vouch for how effective it is!

The study buddy can also flag up anything to you that's a concern – not as a snitch, but as a helper (it sometimes is easier for a middle man to make a request that is difficult or embarrassing). They shouldn't break confidentiality unless there's a safe-guarding concern, but they can bring concerns to you if the other person gives them permission.

Some places with neurodiverse staff pair those up with complementary characteristics, like someone with ADHD working with someone with autism. Or you might like to pair your neurodiverse employee with a neurotypical one. They may well choose their own partner if given the option. Back when I worked in a big office, I well remember having work buddies from different departments who I'd go to lunch with or hang out with after work – just people I got on with for whatever reason.

I've talked about pairs here because lots of us like the one-on-one thing, but it doesn't have to be two. You could have a trio or group of four or five if that works better.

6. Introduce flexible hours if you can

This will be a godsend for working parents who now have their kids at home all day, but as with any accommodation, for neurodiverse people or not, you can extend it to everyone and see who it benefits.

Some of your staff will want to stick rigidly to office hours – you might find autistic employees like this.

Others will find they are suddenly more productive as they can adapt to their own circadian rhythms. I know plenty of autistics and people with ADHD who will sleep late and stay up late. Others will benefit from an afternoon nap.

Some of us like to work a split schedule and do different tasks in the early morning and in the evening. For example, I start work at 6:30 before the kids get up, and work on planning during that hour. Daytime hours are now for home school but in normal life, they were for communicating with clients, suppliers, collaborators and so on. Evenings are usually for writing because that is when I find myself most creative.

Your staff might not have found their rhythm yet, if they've previously been constrained to office hours. This might be an opportunity for them! If you think that's likely, and if you're able to accommodate the flexibility, you could suggest they track their tasks and energy and see how well they perform at different times.

7. Keep an eye out for weird stuff

When I do my neurodiversity workshops, there is so much stuff that people aren't aware of. Even neurodiverse people don't always realise a weird thing they do is because of their condition. In fact, I'm still finding out about some of mine!

Here are some examples of the weird stuff, and how to deal with it.

Rejection-sensitive dysphoria

This is a condition that comes with ADHD. It sucks. It's the over-reaction to real or imagined rejection. This can be something as minor as posting something on a Slack channel and not having anyone respond. And it can put them into a proper depressive state for days. Really – I know it sounds weird but I live with this.

Most people have never heard of it and most people with ADHD don't realise it exists either. If they have a diagnosed mental illness (half of us have depression and/or anxiety), they might put it down to that, or they might just be used to it. It doesn't feel like an over-reaction to us, so telling us that isn't going to help.

The best way of dealing with it is talking it through without judgement or giving advice, allowing us to express how we feel about the situation. You can offer to listen yourself if you sense that your ADHD employee is being a bit weird or quiet, or suggest they talk to their study buddy, or they access other support (more details on that below).

Not doing a thing because of a minor obstacle

This is another ADHD thing. It doesn't have a name but everyone with ADHD will tell you this is definitely a thing. It may be that what is preventing the employee doing a task is incredibly minor and very easy for them to do, but the reality is that it's stopping them from getting started.

Lots of people with ADHD and autism have difficulty initiating a task anyway. Even if it's something we want to do, even if it's something we're excited about. ADHD people struggle with taking steps, and often the first step seems insurmountable.

For example, if a task requires a pen and the pen is in the other room, I will footle around on Twitter instead of just going to get the pen. I can get the pen, I'm perfectly capable of moving and I know exactly where the pen is, but that minor inconvenience will stop me. I have a client who has trouble doing a task because the drawer where the papers are kept is a bit stiff. Yes, it's really that minor, but we can't help it.

Even if you understand this to be a thing, your staff member will most likely not realise it or won't admit to it. If you share productivity tools for all your staff, such as microtask worksheets or initiation techniques (contact me if you want some), you can help them without it being awkward.

Not being able to change tasks and doing nothing instead of starting a new one

This overlaps a bit with the last one, but it's seen more in autistics. We have a thing called autistic inertia, which is like an extreme version of you sitting on the sofa watching the next episode of your favourite Netflix series.

I don't know why it happens, but again, it's a thing, it's weird and it seems minor but it can actually be paralysing. It can sometimes involve stimming or unhealthy coping mechanisms (in those with mental illnesses, which is around half of autistics). We know we need to start a new task, but we can't because we feel like we can't move, or we have to carry on fiddling with something, or carrying out a compulsion.

Again, many autistics don't realise this is a thing. I only found out about it recently – I thought I was just lazy. I don't know why it happens.

For autistics and people with ADHD, setting deadlines can really help us manage some of these issues. You can set smaller deadlines within the project, to help stay on track. You can also request that your staff (all of them, not just the neurodiverse ones) track and log their time. A lot of companies do this anyway. Again, it's a fine line between helping your neurodiverse staff manage their time (which, by the way, is incredibly helpful when done right because we do actually want to do this stuff), and micro-managing.

As with all of the advice, having open and honest communication is key to making this work.

Dyslexics taking ages to respond

If you have a dyslexic in your office who has suddenly had to work from home, you might find they are less communicative. This will happen if they have to write more than they are used to.

I am not dyslexic and I didn't realise this was a thing until I started working with dyslexic people, some of whom have immense challenges with reading and writing. It's not just that it can take longer to compose an email or to read information, but some dyslexics will put off any reading and writing task because they hate it, it makes them anxious, or they're embarrassed.

As with the above conditions, an individual might not know they're dyslexic, although this is much less common than with the other conditions – most are diagnosed, even if it is later in life. However, almost every dyslexic I work with has had to deal with bad attitudes from others (mostly being called stupid) and as a result, has some embarrassment and/or fear of judgement around their reading and writing abilities.

If they haven't used a screenreader before, offer to get them one now. If you fear they might be weird about needing one, again, you can extend this offer to all staff (the non-dyslexics won't take you up on it). It makes their lives so much easier if they can hear text rather than read it. You can also offer to get them speech-to-text software if you think it might help – again, proposing it as a productivity tool rather than a dyslexia accommodation if you think that might be better.

Other options are to have the study buddy, a team member, or you offer to proof-read work before it goes out to clients or the general public. You can ask the dyslexic to do something in return so it doesn't look like they need extra help. In fact, this is their time to shine! They're brilliant at big-picture stuff, spatial awareness and creativity, plus they tend to have great insight. Getting them on board with plans for the future will do wonders for your business, and do a great deal for their self-confidence.

8. Provide support that's easy to access

Most of us are feeling a lot of things right now. Many of us are worried – about the future, our families, our communities and our health. We've got concerns about money, job security and our long-term futures. None of us know what's going to happen and many of us struggle a huge amount with this uncertainty.

A lot of autistic people in particular are having trouble coping – we're not very good at changes to routine and some of us aren't very resilient (or feel like we aren't). Providing support at this time can be crucial in keeping your staff going.

Above, we've mentioned you being communicative and offering suggestions, keeping an eye out for things that might be a problem, and helping staff with productivity. We've also talked about study buddies and working in teams. All these things will make a massive difference to your neurodiverse (and normal) staff.

But if you can, offer further emotional support. Sort out a work counsellor if you don't have one already, make sure it's paid for, and give the details to all staff. Put links to mental health services at the bottom of your emails – things like Mind, online CBT, self-help services, mindfulness resources and the Samaritans.

Often, we just need someone to talk to, and many of us don't have someone in our lives who we trust to listen to us without judgement. Providing resources to your staff – even if they choose not to use them right now – will at least make them feel supported and cared for.

Thank you for reading

On behalf of the neurodiverse homeworkers, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to educate yourself about our issues and for making adaptations to make our working lives easier. Whether you do it for yourself, your business or your staff, it will make a real, positive difference to us.

If you want anything else, email me on [email protected] or call me on 0161 4488846. Let's get through this together.