Why productivity is so important in the inclusion conversation

“In dealing with autism, I'm certainly not saying we should lose sight of the need to work on deficits. But the focus on deficits is so intense and so automatic that people lose sight of the strengths.”

Temple Grandin

The statistics on neurodiverse productivity are ridiculous.

Harvard Business Review reports that neurodiverse workers are 30% more productive than our peers. JP Morgan Chase at first put it at 50%, then said their autistic workers' programme was showing a productivity level of 90% above non-autistic employees, which rose to a staggering 140% when autistics were matched to projects they love.

It's no surprise of course that diverse workplaces generate more revenue - we've known this for some time. And that diversity is across gender, race, LGBTQIA+ and other areas, not just neurodiversity. But I still find the statistics on just how productive neurodiverse people are amazing - even though it's something I see in myself and the people I work with all the time.

It's not just speed we're talking about either. Neurodiverse people have a raft of skills that enable them - and the organisations they work for - to achieve exceptional levels of productivity. These vary from person to person and condition to condition but some skills you might see include:

• Attention to detail
• Big picture thinking
• Ability to learn quickly
• Problem-solving
• Creativity
• Generating ideas
• Resilience
• Ability to remain calm under pressure
• Visualisation
• Communication in various different forms

There are other qualities that make neurodiverse individuals hugely beneficial to the workplace. We tend to be empathetic, loyal and able to work under our own steam. In the right environment, we thrive! In fact, Neurodiversity in the Workplace reports that when they hire people through a specific skills-based neurodiversity programme, they see a retention rate of 98% over 5 years.

There are lots of factors that feed into neurodiverse people making a workplace more productive, from exceptional skills and outstanding talents, to the ripple effect of inclusion benefiting the entire workplace.

But why is this such an important part of the inclusion conversation?

For three reasons.

Reason 1: Inclusion for productivity reasons is realistic

Everyone has intrinsic value and we shouldn't just be judged on how productive we are.

What I'm stating here doesn't deny that. I'm talking about a specific topic, which is the world of work.

As you may know, my job is providing training and consultancy to companies on neurodiversity. I teach them what our strengths and challenges are, how to be a good ally, and how to recruit neurodiverse talent.

So I see the business case for inclusion every day.

Of course, we should be inclusive to everyone - it's the right thing to do, regardless of how productive we might be. But realistically, no-one pays me for my work unless they think they're going to get something out of it. Every business I speak to has costs, and very few can afford to put money into something where they're not going to see a return.

So we need to be realistic, and promote the business case for inclusion. We are more productive - significantly more productive - and it's convincing others of that which will make the difference to all neurodiverse people.

Which leads me onto my next point.

Reason 2: You will benefit from this approach

Neurodiverse people are more likely to be unemployed, more likely to have mental health issues and more likely to be in prison.

Getting more neurodiverse people into work is important to address these inequalities. And convincing the people who hold the purse-strings that neurodiverse inclusion equals rocketing rates of productivity is key to this.

Whether you're neurodiverse or not, you will benefit from more neurodiverse people being in the workplace. Systemic inclusion is a concept where you remove barriers to make it easier for marginalised people to access something. Removing these barriers makes it easier for everyone else too.

Take a job ad, for example. The majority on LinkedIn are far too long and full of waffle. If you cut a job description by half, and make it twice as clear, that's an action you might take to encourage dyslexic people to apply. But then you might encourage those with ADHD to apply too - because the shorter description is better for their smaller attention span. Autistics are now applying too because they can understand it. But now you've got others interested - busy people who might be looking at your job ad in their lunch hour, those reading on their phone, and so on.

By implementing systemic inclusion, you'll be attracting people who want to work for a company that demonstrates inclusion through action rather than just words - which is the majority of job-seekers. You've gone beyond box-ticking and empty words, and actually shown that you're willing to listen, learn, and to make changes.

Being "nice" is fine as far as it goes, but in business it's not enough to make the long-term, positive changes that we need. In fact, it's actually kind of patronising. I don't want you to be nice to me because you think I'm somehow "less" than you. I want you to want to work with me because I'm very good at what I do.

Approaching inclusion from a productivity point of view means we move away from the "poor unfortunates" attitude to neurodiverse people, and towards one where we're valued for our characteristics.

Reason 3: Inclusion for productivity reasons means we achieve great things

This, in my opinion, is the most important reason that we should talk about productivity when it comes to neurodiverse inclusion.

I think a lot of people still view "productivity" at work quite negatively - that it's part of the cogs of the capitalist machine and being productive means working hard for the same salary, while the higher-ups just get richer and richer.

But productivity can be used to mean anything that you produce. It could be a supportive email that you send to a colleague who appears a bit down. It could be streamlining a process so it doesn't stress everyone who has to use it. It could be making everyone you interact with feel valuable and listened to - rather than just rushing them all the time which is ultimately unproductive.

Productivity can lead to a happier workplace and feelings of self-worth in employees - particularly neurodiverse people. One of our most significant challenges is that we struggle to do things we actually want to do, and we experience guilt and shame along with feeling like we can't do anything. Enabling us to be productive in the workplace goes a long way to addressing that difficulty.

But even when we talk about work, we're not just talking about producing more stuff that people don't need, to make shareholders rich. We're talking about producing things of real value. For example, a blood test that can detect an illness without a biopsy - making treatment quicker. A software tool that helps track criminals and prevents future harm. A guide that enables people to access services that they need. Beautiful art that calms and uplifts people. A video that inspires others.

The things people have produced have literally changed lives. They continue to change lives.

Productivity is vital to the inclusion conversation at work

It's taking a while for a large chunk of the workforce to really understand the benefits of neurodiverse inclusion. Even though the evidence speaks for itself.

But while you focus on trying to be "nice" to neurodiverse people, patting us on the head and doing the bare minimum to be inclusive, you do us a disservice. Focusing on the benefits of neurodiversity - how productive we are as individuals and how productive we can make your workplace - will benefit us, you, and everyone in between.

If you'd like to experience the benefits of neurodiverse inclusion first-hand, have a look at my training courses .