Harnessing neurodiversity in the workplace

On day one of the Flood and Coast 2023 conference a few weeks ago, we led a discussion about harnessing neurodiversity in the workplace. Hear from five of the speakers into the benefits neurodiversity can bring, how neurodifferent abilities can manifest in the workplace and how to support neurodivergent individuals at work.

The session was proudly hosted alongside RSK Group, Binnies, the Environment Agency, JBA Consulting and the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).

Binnies principal flood and coastal consultant Emily Clarke (she/her)

What neurodiversity is (and isn’t) and the benefits of neurodivergence

For decades, workplaces and organisations have been designed around neurotypical thinking. We still have so much to learn, and we won't always get everything right. It's important that we raise awareness of neuro differences, and celebrate every individual’s ability. We have some incredibly difficult challenges to address across the sector and I believe diversity is the answer to help us find the innovations and the solutions that we need.

Neurodiversity is the term that describes the idea that there is naturally occurring variation in the human brain which can impact a series of brain functions such as how we interact with one another or how we process information. Whilst statistics vary, studies suggest that 15 –20% of us show some form of neurodivergence – and that many of us don’t even realise we are neurodivergent.

JBA Consulting assistant environmental analyst and CIEEM EDI engagement officer Lea Nightingale (she/her)

Why we share our stories

Sharing stories and experiences is so important and is how many of us began our journey to understand our neurodivergent abilities and how we have come to accept and celebrate our neurodiversity.

My own neurodivergent abilities began to present during childhood. I really struggled to focus on written tasks and would procrastinate because I was so anxious of ‘getting things wrong’. One of my teachers suggested I visit the school’s Learning Support Team to talk over some of the ‘issues’ I was experiencing and after several tests they concluded that I have dyslexia. As a result, I was then given extra support in class and extra time in my exams – what we would today call reasonable adjustments.

In my early 20s my acquired neurodivergence began to present, which amplified my applied neurodivergent traits. For me this has been the most challenging part of understanding and coping with my neurodiversity. I have Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and when this flares up, it is like a fog descends and all the mechanisms I have put in place to support myself go out the window. Even simple tasks like watching TV or reading a recipe become challenging. It has been fascinating to hear people talk about COVID brain fog because this is exactly what my GAD fog feels like. It’s interesting to see long COVID conditions now being recognised as forms of acquired neurodivergence.

Despite these challenges I see many strengths in my neurodivergence. Neurodivergent individuals can bring out-of-the-box thinking, offering new opportunities and fresh perspectives. Neurodivergent minds can be questioning; some have extraordinary pattern-spotting or problem-solving skills, whilst others have incredible recall for facts, details and memories.

RSK Group’s HR director Zoe Brunswick (she/her)

What companies should be doing in this space and what support is available

Learning from those with lived experiences

Your neurodivergent employees are a great asset in supporting neurodiversity in the workplace. Engage with them and get feedback from them on what you are doing well and what things you can improve on to make the working environment neuro inclusive.

Encourage the formation of employee networks for neurodivergent employees and allies to share experiences and build internal support systems. At RSK we have two networks – one for neurodivergent employees and one for family members who are supporting neurodivergent individuals. Both networks have created safe spaces for employees to share and for some, this has become a real lifeline as they don’t have that support elsewhere.

Be an employer of choice

When looking at your company, can neurodivergent individuals get a sense that they will be supported, does this feature in your employer brand and in the culture and stories shared by your people? Look at the recruitment process at all stages and identify where there may be barriers.

How you advertise roles within your organisation is important. Consider carefully the exact skills needed for the role. For example, good written communication may inadvertently deter neurodivergent applicants – and you need to consider are these essential and do they need to be stated in the job advert? You could be missing out on a diverse pool of applicants with some exceptional skills as a result.

There are many strengths within neurodiversity that lend themselves to roles that require that skillset – creativity, depth of thinking, visual reasoning, hyper focus. Therefore, be explicit in job adverts and state if this would suit an autistic person, for example.

Train your recruitment team & hiring managers - Make sure those involved in recruitment and interviewing are trained appropriately, otherwise they may be inadvertently discounting neurodivergent applicants – if the CV was poorly written or they didn’t make eye contact in an interview.

Not everyone will be able to communicate their needs clearly, which could result in them dropping out of the recruitment process. Be upfront about the support on offer for neurodivergent applicants within your recruitment literature and suggest some adjustments that can be offered to give the applicant the best opportunity, reducing any concern about having to ask for an adjustment.

Where are the barriers to inclusion?

Look at all stages of the employee experience and really scrutinise your internal processes and procedures, some things to consider:

• Do you know who is neurodiverse in your workforce? Are employees comfortable enough to share? You could utilise employee networks to align the messaging around this.
• Have you taken into consideration the needs of neurodivergent employees within your offices / site-based environments (sensory needs)?
• It is important that when planning a work event, you think about possible barriers to participation and how these can be overcome – manage expectations by communicating what will be happening at the event to avoid any surprises and if plans do change, keep people updated, provide details of the venue with links to the website, advise on travel options – clear communication reduces uncertainty.
• Are there any role models in senior positions to demonstrate what career progression is possible? Can you implement career coaches/mentors to support with career development?
• For internal communications, think about the language, style and tone and how things might be interpreted – be joined up across your business. We recently had an instance where our team were putting together a communication about understanding nonverbal communication and they had portrayed some of the neurodivergent traits as negative communication and had not thought about how this might have been received.
• How can you support those with caring responsibilities – some employees may be caring for neurodivergent individuals, and this can have a massive impact on their daily lives. What support can you offer – reduced working hours, greater flexibility, an alternative role that better suits remote working - keeping those employees in the workplace will improve loyalty and support their mental health.
• Consider training a few key people who can act as internal advocates to support neurodivergent individuals who may not be able to communicate their needs clearly.

Reasonable adjustments may look like:

• Examples of accommodations which may be helpful to those who are neurodivergent:
• Written instructions and information/visual prompts/checklists
• Larger computer screens so everything is visible (reduced burden on memory)
• Assistive technology (speech to text/text to speech software)
• Visible clocks/timers (caution may be required regarding sound – may be helpful or distracting)
• Noise-cancelling headphones or earplugs
• Providing increased supervision/planning meetings/frequent check-in’s
• Helping to structure tasks and provision of deadlines, allowing short breaks in between tasks to increase focus and concentration
• Providing clear and structured training
• Giving constructive feedback and meeting notes in writing rather than verbally
• Reducing distractions within the work environment, providing quiet spaces
• Being flexible with work times – starting later, making allowances for those with caring responsibilities

Environment Agency senior technical advisor Rai Hastie (they/them)

The importance of networks, how people can access support and support others

Staff networks allow people who face common challenges to come together and provide a mutually supportive environment where adaptations can be shared and explained. The community created by these networks cannot be underestimated as I have seen such improvements in people, their work and working relationships since joining a network.

Networks often act as a critical friend. They can also provide support to managers and colleagues to help them better understand their colleagues, and what they can do to improve the lives of those with neurodiversity.

One of the biggest challenges for me as a newly diagnosed neurodiverse person was knowing what adjustments to my work to ask for and what was reasonable. After spending the first 34 years struggling with these challenges, it was very hard to be able to identify what I needed, to be able to be able to improve my working situation.

I have mentioned diagnosis but it's important to note that a diagnosis is not needed for workplace adjustments to be put in place. All that’s needed is for the person requiring an adjustment to voice this. However, for those without a diagnosis, understanding what adjustments they might need is often harder, so supporting this colleagues becomes essential.

I think the best way that colleagues can support others is by being open to learning, attending events and appreciating the experiences of others is not necessarily the same as their own.

CIWEM company secretary Francesca Brahmbhatt (she/her)

How neurodivergent abilities may present themselves in the workplace and top tips for line managers

I’ve recently discovered that my dyslexia fluctuates depending on my mental wellbeing. In the past 5 months my dyslexia has impacted me and the way that I work. When I have been struggling with my mental health, some days I am unable to read, sometimes even articulate clearly what I want to say and therefore simple work tasks can become difficult.

CIWEM have been flexible in their response to these challenges. Sometimes I just need to sleep or go for a walk and not try and attempt the many emails I have in my inbox. Yes, I’m not as productive as I usually am, however it’s just a phase and it will pass.

If you have colleagues that have disclosed to you that they are neurodivergent and are struggling with their mental wellbeing, try and help with their to-do list and cut down the tasks they need to do. I’m lucky I feel comfortable in my role and my workplace, and I can just park it for now if it’s not a priority.

Top tips for managers:

• Don’t assume someone is neurodivergent

• Create an open relationship with your colleagues to allow them to have more difficult conversations
• If someone informs you that they are neurodivergent, be open and ask questions
• Being neurodivergent doesn’t mean the same rule will apply to all
• Inform yourself on what is available within your workplace to make reasonable adjustments, however not all companies will have a policy therefore try to implement what you can and help to support your colleague by influencing your organisation
• If you are going to give feedback to someone about how they write, make sure it is constructive and explain how it should be done differently next time
• If you have feedback on grammar or spelling, try and introduce tools that could help them
• Neurodiversity is sometimes difficult to articulate, so keep the conversation open and check in

Workplace culture is the make or break for a lot of employees. If all managers took on this approach, I can guarantee we would create better ways of working which would form a great working culture.

To learn more about neurodiversity in the workplace, read CIWEM Fellow Emily Clarke’s recent article: https://www.ciwem.org/news/work-neurodivergence-and-me