Tips for Supporting Neurodiverse Employees in the Workplace
Neurodiversity is a term that recognises that not all brains work the same – however managing and supporting a neurodivergent employee
Whether an employee has been diagnosed as neurodivergent or is in the process of getting a diagnosis, you need to understand how you can help them thrive at work.
The key driver behind supporting any employee in the workplace, is effective conversations between managers and employees
1.Establishing needs and challenges through clear communication ?
It’s really important to make the point here that before making any assumptions, you need to ask the right questions. Some individuals may be happy to share they are neurodivergent,?however others could be less inclined to share this information.
The one-to-one between a manager and employee is the most valuable tool a manager has?to facilitate open, honest communication, helping to uncover what?an employee most needs?in-order for them to thrive at work. ?
It’s also critical that these one-to-one conversations are taking place regularly. Our needs and challenges change overtime, so to keep up, you need to be facilitating regular conversations to support these ongoing changes.
2. Outlining clear deliverables and parameters to performance?
We recently conducted a piece of research which found that when an agenda is used in one-to-one conversations between managers and employees, there is a 15% uplift in clarity around deliverable actions. When preparing for a one-to-one, empower your team members by encouraging an employee-led agenda ahead of time to ensure you’re having the most effective conversation. ?
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Furthermore, every employee is different so don’t assume that what’s obvious for one, is for another. For example, when discussing long-term objectives, some employees might find it useful to define checklists with their manager, outlining next steps and milestones.
3. Creating an environment that fosters trust and open communication ?
Every employee deserves to work in an environment that enables them to perform at their best – and this will look and feel different for everyone you manage. For some individuals, noisy, crowded spaces can negatively impact their productivity. Find out what you can do to create an environment that allows people to work at their best – this could look like more time working from home or dedicated quiet spaces.?
When it comes to how an employee is feeling towards their environment, as managers it’s our job to instigate these conversations and ask the questions to find out how to support wellbeing. Encourage honest responses to reach a solution together, helping to create a culture where people know that they can talk to their manager - your regular one-to-one is a great time to achieve this.
4. A manager as a coach ?
According to Gartner, workers who report to managers who coach are 40% more engaged than their co-workers and are more likely to be high performers. Every employee can benefit from coaching; however, it’s important that the approach is customised to an individual's needs. ?
All individuals are motivated and driven by varying factors and wellbeing is impacted by different circumstances for different people. These will naturally influence the types of conversations you have with your team members – embrace it! One size does not fit all. ?
By building coaching techniques into your one-to-one meetings, you can set goals and identify boundaries that ensure everyone can perform at their best.