Neurodiversity Week - The importance of building an inclusive workforce

Neurodiversity Week aims to transform how neurodivergent individuals are perceived by businesses and educational settings.

As part of our input to Neurodiversity Week 2024, we are highlighting the importance of building an inclusive workforce and how you can attract, encourage and support neurodiverse job seekers. ?

Firstly, what is neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity is a term that describes the differences in the way people’s brains work.

It’s often used as an umbrella term for neurodifferences such as ADHD, dyslexia, autism, dyspraxia, Tourette syndrome, dyscalculia and Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

Why is neurodiversity important in the workplace?

Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t just a legal and moral obligation, it’s good for your business too.

As mentioned above, the term describes the differences in the way people process information. In the workplace, having different perspectives, strengths and opinions leads to a more well-informed approach to decision-making.

Neurodivergent individuals can often possess skills which are vital to development and the future economy, such as:

• Creativity
• Energy and hyperfocus
• Attention to detail
• Problem-solving
• New perspectives
• Visual thinking

By embracing everyone as an individual, with their unique strengths and qualities, people will feel supported, and more comfortable at work. Research shows that employees perform better when they feel they can be themselves, leading to a more productive and happier workforce.

Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurotypical difference, so by embracing neurodiversity in recruitment, you are tapping into a wider talent pool.

This leads us to…

Adopting an inclusive approach to recruiting

To be seen by neurodivergent job seekers and encourage them to consider you as a future employer, you need to consider the following:

Celebrate and showcase neurodiversity

With an estimated 70% of job seekers researching a company before applying for a position, are you making the most of your website and social media channels? Here are a few ways you can make your stance on an inclusive workforce more visible:

• Openly share your policies on inclusivity and neurodiversity. If you don’t have one, it’s time to put them in place.
• Showcase some of your neurodivergent team members in a Q&A or case study (with permission of course).
• Raise awareness and celebrate National days and events linked to neurodiversity.
• Talk about some of the workplace adjustments you can put in place.
• Share your content regularly and in a range of different formats for example: written text, videos, icons and images).

Communicate clearly

Ensure that your job adverts are clear and concise. Where possible, avoid jargon and overly complex language. Clearly outline what the job involves, make sure you include the duties and qualifications.

If possible, indicate what the application process looks like, so that applicants are aware of their next steps.

Offer support

Make it easy for applicants to ask for support throughout the application process.

If a job seeker reaches out, talk about the entire process and ask how you can best support them. By asking them directly, you’re not making any assumptions about which elements they may need additional support with.

Adjustments could range from:

• Providing additional time to complete the interview.
• Sharing interview questions in advance.
• Changing or removing the need for additional assessments.
• Offering the use of assistive technology.
• Changing the format of the interview (e.g. virtual, telephone, in-person).
• Giving very precise, detailed information about what they can expect on arrival (e.g. what sign to look for, who will be collecting them for the interview).
• Swapping out the interview process entirely and offering a work trial.

Engage and network

Reach out to local organisations or groups who support neurodiverse people with accessing work.

Several groups offer specific programmes, such as the ‘Autism at Work Programme’, which provides employers with support in creating accessible job opportunities. This could be in the form of paid internships, paid roles and apprenticeships.

Seek advice

It’s ok if you need additional training or to seek advice, this means that you are willing to learn and want to ensure that you are getting things right.

Equipping your staff with the right support to be inclusive throughout shows your commitment to growing and developing a diverse workforce.

For example, training your hiring managers in how to support a neurodiverse individual at the interview stage.

Whilst some individuals may not feel the need for adjustments, it’s important that you are aware of other factors to take into account.

Such as:

• Understanding that the individual may not be able to make eye contact or in some cases, may make prolonged eye contact.
• Giving additional prompting on some answers to get the candidate to share more information.
• Avoid asking hypothetical questions
• Providing a calming, quiet location for the candidate to wait.
• Timekeeping – if you have said the interview is taking place at a certain time then stick to that and try to avoid unnecessary delays.
• Asking very specific questions relating to their experience.?

The Neurodiversity Week website has a range of useful resources that employers can download free of charge.

By implementing these strategies and doing your research, you can create a more inclusive environment which encourages neurodivergent individuals to apply. By continuing to demonstrate your inclusivity, you’ll soon position yourself as an employer of choice.

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