Why Neurodivergent People May Struggle to Return to the Office

I hated working at home for many years.

I preferred to keep my home and work lives as separate as possible.

At home, things became muddled, and distractions were everywhere.

As much as anything, going to the office every day was my routine.

But then along came covid.

After two weeks of balancing a computer on my lap while sitting on the sofa, it became clear that I would not soon return to the office.

Like many others, I converted a spare bedroom into a home office.

This changed everything.

For the first time, I could control my work environment entirely and was spared the stress and exhaustion of commuting.

I did some of the best years of work in my life without seeing anyone from the office face to face.

I know that many other neurodivergent and disabled employees felt the same.

Which brings us to today.

The return to office drive is on in a big way.

The arguments for this seem tenuous, but I accept that in-person contact is essential for some.

I have no objections to travelling for work when it is necessary.

An in-person meeting has been the right solution to the problem a few times in my career.

I have learnt much from visiting sites related to my work and seeing how things happen.

But enforced workplace attendance “just because” can be a particular issue for some neurodivergent people.

Here are some of the reasons for this.

The Environment Does Not Work For Us

I realised how much the workplace environment held me back when I established my home office.

I had known for some time that I struggled with noise and hearing many voices simultaneously.

But suddenly, I realised how productive I could be when I had some peace!

For others, the issue at work may be bright lighting or smells from nearby kitchens and canteens.

The drive to make office spaces more and more open plan is making life increasingly difficult for those of us with sensory issues.

In the past, many open-plan offices were still subdivided into reasonably small spaces, which made things more manageable.

But what I have seen described as “state of the art” environments often seem to be as open as a warehouse, with bank after bank of desks mixed in with meeting spaces immediately adjacent to them.

White is the colour of choice, not just for the walls, but also for the furniture, and almost every other surface.

Kitchens are wide open to the rest of the floor, so nothing as ridiculous as a door can interrupt the ongoing festival of spontaneous collaboration while allowing smells to permeate half the floor.

If I had to design a space that was the least suitable for me, a modern office would not be far off.

Many of us are legally entitled to reasonable adjustments that are impossible to deliver in the brave new world of openness.

And all the time I struggle in the office, I know I have a nice, quiet space at home, which is ideal for my needs sitting empty while I get considerably less work done.

Face to Face is Not the Only Way to Communicate

Like many other neurodivergent people, I prefer to communicate in writing wherever possible.

It gives me time to think about what has been said to me, to refer back to it, and to consider my response carefully.

I have a record of the conversation afterwards.

I struggle to take in the information I hear – I need to see it.

But most of all, communicating in writing removes the great mystery of non-verbal communication from the equation.

I have never understood tone of voice or body language and struggle maintaining eye contact.

None of this applies to an email!

If it must be a verbal conversation, I prefer an in-person call, ideally with my camera off, to face to face.

This at least eliminates many non-verbal elements (though I have been accused of an inappropriate tone on calls!)

At home, the in-person chat is not an option by default.

Putting the Mask Back to Work

I cannot be my true self in the workplace.

I am criticised for working in bursts rather than at a steady rate, for looking bored, and for being odd.

The only way to combat this is to pretend to be an excellent little corporate employee.

To put on a mask and play a role.

This is exhausting, and I know from experience that it damages my mental health.

But it is the only way for me to feel remotely safe in the workplace.

Office Day Anxiety

Then there is the worry.

Will I find somewhere to sit, and if so, can I get any work done there?

Will I be next to someone who spends the entire day shouting into their headset on calls?

Will I end up sitting with people who want to engage me in small talk or spend much of the day discussing reality TV around me?

Will I be able to practice the routines that I depend on to manage my life in a very confusing neurotypical world?

Even when everything goes as well as possible, I am exhausted and stressed from the worry.

Somebody Tell Me Why!

I know employers have the right to insist that we attend a workplace.

But like many neurodivergent people, I have an inquiring mind and a fierce sense of justice.

I like to understand why things are done, and it helps me to accept decisions when I know the reasoning behind them.

It just doesn't make sense to me to make people move from an environment where they can work well to one where they struggle.

By all means, let those who want to spend the day collaborating in person do so.

I will even join them for a specific purpose when required.

But please recognise that we are all different.

The genie is out of the bottle.

Many of us have learned from experience how much better our work and lives can be when we are allowed to work at home part or all of the time.

We are happy to collaborate, but there are many different ways.

There is also the irony of many people attending the office and spending all day with headphones on because their collaborators are in different places anyway!

I know the public reasons for requiring workplace attendance, and I have suspicions about possible other reasons.

But this blanket approach is simply not compatible with the great commitments to diversity and inclusion that we also hear about often.

Treating everybody the same is not the way to treat people fairly.

Employees know the working style and environment that works best for them.

If you do not trust us to work properly when out of your sight, that is a much bigger problem that needs to be addressed.

It is obvious when managers do not trust those they manage, which is incredibly demoralising.

As always, these blanket edicts impact the most those who are different from the majority.

I hope that somebody will listen one day soon.

I do not want to avoid work by staying home – I want to work harder and smarter.

Surely that is a good thing?