Making your workplace accessible for neurodivergent employees
I recently spoke to ADHD coach and HR consultant Allie Warren about neurodiversity – and how companies can ensure neurodivergent employees are supported in the workplace.
It was a pleasure to chat with Allie, and he provided some really great insights!
Firstly, what is neurodiversity?
To explain neurodiversity in the simplest way, it’s essentially just the variation of human minds! It’s a way to recognise and celebrate the natural variation in the way that our brains function. It acknowledges difference and diversity rather than suggesting that those with different ways of thinking are not ‘normal’. In essence, there is no one ‘standard’ type of brain.
When we embrace neurodiversity, we acknowledge that we’re all different and advocate for acceptance, understanding and accommodation for all identities, and we don’t view those with neurotypes like ADHD, autism, dyslexia and many more through a deficit or medical model.
Instead, it’s about emphasising the value of a range of cognitive styles and creating environments that are inclusive and supportive of everyone’s different profiles.
What are some typical barriers that neurodivergent people face in the workplace?
I think lack of awareness is one of the biggest barriers. Neurodivergence just isn’t understood as widely as it needs to be. When we think of ADHD, for example, it’s often stereotyped as something that affects young, male children – because this is where the majority of the research into ADHD has stemmed from. But it’s a lifelong neurological condition that affects men and women, and it can present very differently in each person.
In terms of the day-to-day barriers we might see in the workplace, this might include a variety of different factors including:
- Communication differences such as confusing social cues, communicating in a very direct way or being misunderstood.
- The physical environment can be very challenging with sensory sensitivities to lights, sounds and smells.
- Traditional working environments with inflexible working hours or structures can be difficult and are often not inclusive
- Executive function challenges which may present as difficulties with organisation, timekeeping and prioritising tasks can be misinterpreted.
- Managing energy levels can be difficult with expectations to attend long meetings or after-work social events.
What negative effects do these barriers have?
It can be really common for some of the challenges above to be misinterpreted as someone not being good at their job, which is usually not true at all! What’s actually happening is that the working environment is set up to work in one specific way and everyone has to conform to the same working models. Obviously, this isn’t the best way to create an inclusive workplace!
For neurodivergent people who find traditional working environments challenging, this can then lead to things like being passed over for promotion, feeling like you don’t fit in and working harder than everyone else to try and prove yourself.
This can then lead to higher rates of mental health issues, low self-esteem, stress and anxiety and in some cases, serious cases of burnout. Autistic burnout in particular can take months or years to recover from.
What do companies need to do to make their workplaces accessible for neurodivergent people? And to enable them to thrive at work?
Training, training and more training! When we raise awareness and just start talking about neurodiversity more at work, we open the doors to inclusion and can start to provide the accommodations that people need to access work in the best way for them.
And we don’t need to label people or make the process complicated, it can be as simple as asking ‘How do you work best?’ and encouraging people to create what’s right for them.
If people are able to identify their communication preferences, the environment they prefer and the type of tasks where they shine, employers can help them to harness their strengths. And this doesn’t just apply to neurodivergent people, this actually helps everyone to thrive!
It’s not about being perfect, it’s about acknowledging that we’re all different. If we can create a safe space for people to talk, really listen to what they need and provide support or accommodations to help, it means we can all embrace who we are and work in the best way for each of us.
About Allie
After spending over a decade working in people management, Allie now uses her coaching skills and lived experience of ADHD and autism to support businesses to better understand neurodiversity, become more inclusive and find ways of working that supports everyone in their business.
She offers 1:1 ADHD coaching, as well as training for businesses on neurodiveristy.