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Neuro-inclusive companies have a competitive advantage, but this isn’t news to them. As the Harvard Business Review reports, companies with neurodivergent or otherwise disabled staff experience lower absenteeism and longer tenure. They also consistently attract top talent, with 92% of millennials more likely to work for an inclusive company.
Harvard Health Publishing defines neurodiversity as: “Neurodiversity describes the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways; there is no one ‘right’ way of thinking, learning and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.” In other words, neurodivergence looks different for everyone.
So what can businesses do to make their workplaces more welcoming to neurodivergent employees?
Moving Past Misconceptions
The term neurodiversity is applied to a range of diagnoses, from ADHD and autism to dyslexia and OCD. However, each of these diagnoses share common characteristics. In the case of autism, people experience sensory issues and challenges in picking up social cues. They may prefer alternative mediums for communication, thrive with a set schedule and routine, and require concrete feedback as they may not pick up on less direct indicators of job performance. Sensory overload is also a reality for many, which makes the availability of a quiet space to decompress a necessity.
Views around workplace differences, like autism, have shifted in recent years. A key misunderstanding has been “focusing on the deficits and assuming the autistic person won't be able to do certain things, so they aren’t hired or given opportunities in the first place,” said Dan Jones, autistic author, coach and speaker. Less than 10% of autistic adults are diagnosed, he continued, and people shouldn’t mistake coping mechanisms, like masking, for a lack of need for support.
Those companies that do recruit, retain and increasingly identify and accommodate these invisible challenges experience a number of benefits.
“Employees with autism boost company profitability, innovation and morale,” said Josh Cobbs, director of employment initiatives at Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks strives to create an inclusive world through advocacy, services, supports, research and innovation, and advances in care for autistic individuals and their families.
Chet Hurwitz, board chair at Ventures ATL, said that managers are surprised to discover that employees with autism may be “easier to manage” than their neurotypical colleagues. Ventures ATL is a nonprofit that provides meaningful and sustainable employment to qualified adults with autism or other developmental differences.
“For many, once their needs are understood and met, they can acclimate to their work environment and job, just like every other employee,” said Cobbs. “In fact, studies have shown autistic employees tend to be loyal, long-term employees, innovative and detail-oriented.”
Related Article: Does Your DEI Program Include Neurodiversity?
Using Technology to Build a More Inclusive Workplace
Technology plays a part in improving the working lives of autistic employees.
At Ventures ATL, the company directs its employees’ “exceptional focus and literal approach to information processing” to perform in data management roles, noting they are “exceptionally adept in this capacity.”
Autism Speaks takes an external approach, offering a Workplace Inclusion Now (WIN) program that helps employers implement technical considerations, including:
- Augmentative and alternative communication devices, from simple word boards to speech-generating devices.
- Social skills apps on mobile devices.
- Organization and planning apps and software that organize tasks, create schedules and offer help that’s often available in existing Microsoft and Google Workspace packages.
When introducing new technologies or solutions for autistic employees, Jones stresses the importance of including those employees in the decision-making process. “What you don't want is a company deciding it knows the struggles autistic people face and deciding 'this seems low sensory' or 'this seems intuitive'.”
Related Article: Digital Workplaces Still Have Work to Do With Accessibility
Getting to the Root of Productive Teamwork
Much like Autism Speaks and Ventures ATL, Ultranauts is reframing the perception of neurodivergence as a negative by fostering an environment where all employees can thrive. Its mission is to showcase how the company’s fully remote, predominantly neurodivergent employees consistently outperform on competitive benchmarks. The company uses an organized, technological approach to help their employees perform exceptionally well.
At Ultranauts, we see both internal and external technological supports in action. CEO Rajesh Anandan’s team has developed a series of internal frameworks that were precursors to two developments aimed at improving the workplace for everyone: Biodex and Team X.
Ultranauts recently released Biodex to the public for free. Biodex captures individual work styles, preferences and potential barriers to productivity to build a user manual for each individual on a team.
“The tool gathers about 60 user inputs, including their feedback preferences, information processing styles and other work-related traits. It then applies machine learning to predict an additional 15 traits,” said Anandan. “It creates a comprehensive user profile simplified into a Biodex."
This shareable document highlights 10 essential things to know about the teammate. It allows others to understand how to collaborate effectively and better align their working methods to accommodate individual needs, resulting in more cohesive and productive teamwork.
Team X builds on the Biodex concept by analyzing an entire team's collective work styles and preferences to identify potential performance barriers.
The focus on individual's needs and preferences reveals the unique makeup of each team in the process. It predicts what obstacles might hinder team performance and provides concrete, actionable recommendations for improving team cohesion and productivity.
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Both tools enable more efficient collaboration without requiring individuals to disclose diagnoses or rely on stereotypes. They focus instead on actionable insights tailored to the real, diverse needs of individuals and teams. While this kind of preparation might seem excessive to some, the results speak for themselves.
“We tell our corporate clients that while we might invest an extra 10% of effort on the front end of an assignment to make sure that there is clarity on expectations, processes and deliverables, this enhanced focus will ultimately produce a better and more efficient outcome on the back end,” said Ventures ATL’s Hurwitz. Clients' initial skepticism disappears when they see the results.
The lessons here are intuitive, but rarely practiced: Of course teams are more effective when they understand each other’s working strengths and preferences. Naturally, assigning people to tasks they’re optimally suited for is intelligent planning. And yes, knowing how to use and find things in the software you work with makes sense. It all does.
But there’s a caveat, cautions Jones. “A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Autistic employees have unique needs, and what works for one person might not work for another. Companies should be willing to make individual adjustments and recognize the hidden costs of masking and camouflaging, as these can lead to burnout.”
Identifying and including neurodiverse colleagues’ unique talents offers excellent potential and inspires positive change across the workplace. However, it’s up to companies to take deliberate action to create more welcoming and inclusive workplaces.
Related Podcast: Google's John Abel on How Companies Can Support Neurodivergent Employees
