Neurodiversity in the Workforce: Kevin Webb Of Mitsubishi Electric US On Why It’s Important To Include Neurodiverse Employees & How To Make Your Workplace More Neuro-Inclusive

An Interview With Eric Pines

…Clear Messaging: Inform all employees about the disability inclusion initiative and why the company is doing it. Make sure to tell the company’s customers, too!

Research suggests that up to 15–20% of the U.S. population is neurodivergent. There has been a slow but vitally important rise in companies embracing neurodiversity. How can companies support neurodiversity in the workplace? What are some benefits of including neurodiverse employees? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about “Neurodiversity in the Workforce: Companies Including Neurodiverse Employees”. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin R. Webb, MA Sr. Director, Sustainability & Social Impact, Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Sr. Director, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.

Webb directs environmental sustainability and social impact efforts in the Americas region for Mitsubishi Electric. He is also responsible for national grantmaking and corporate employee volunteer programs as Senior Director of the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF). The Foundation’s vision is to empower youth with disabilities to lead productive lives by building a pipeline of talent to help create a more inclusive and sustainable society for all. Webb holds a BA in International Studies and an MA in Public Administration from The Ohio State University.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! You are a successful leader. Which three-character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?

My top three traits are servant leadership, big-picture thinking and turning ideas into action.

Regarding servant leadership, I am a proud Eagle Scout. Two key scouting concepts that I practice to this day are “set the example” and “lead from behind.” To be a strong leader, you first need to listen and learn, set the example you want others to follow, and then set parameters and provide coaching while you let them lead you to the destination.

On big-picture thinking, I constantly seek to understand how all the pieces of an opportunity or problem fit together and make connections to turn a vision into reality. I have an “if there is a will there is a way” attitude that has helped me successfully complete projects and achieve the goals I have set for myself and my team.

Lastly, with turning ideas into action, I can have all the vision in the world, but if I can’t articulate it in a way others can understand and believe in, create a plan that others can follow, then get down to business to do the work to make the vision a reality, it will only ever be a nice idea. One of my strengths is understanding the steps that help translate vision into action.

Can you share a story about one of your greatest work-related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?

My greatest work-related struggle spans my 20-year career in corporate philanthropy.

For many years, corporate philanthropy was seen-as a “nice thing to do.” When I became the director of Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF), I began planting seeds to move philanthropy from simply a “nice thing to do” toward strategic alignment with Mitsubishi Electric’s corporate goals for the betterment of society.

I continually worked to demonstrate the value of positioning philanthropy as a cornerstone of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability efforts. This strategy bore fruit with new corporate donations to the Foundation that enabled us to double the grants we made to the service providers in the people-with-disabilities community. I was able to grow our engagement activities by educating corporate leaders on the benefits of a robust volunteer program to improve employee recruitment, retention and well-being.

In 2022, these efforts helped lead to the establishment of a new Sustainability and Social Impact department that I have the privilege of leading. This department, in-line with corporate strategy, works to help address the most pressing concerns in society, including decarbonization, inclusion and well-being.

While several factors in society led to this change, most notably COVID-19, the seeds I planted helped position Mitsubishi Electric to use the power of its policies, people, products, and philanthropy to help achieve our corporate purpose “to realize a more vibrant and sustainable society.” While many gains have been made, and I’m thankful for all of them, there remains much work to be done both within Mitsubishi Electric to actualize that purpose and in the disabilities community to continue to help those in need become valued contributors to that vibrant and sustainable society.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

One of our greatest strengths as a corporate foundation is that we work to bring grant recipients together to share promising practices in disability employment.

Currently, MEAF is supporting a cohort of grant projects that are preparing and placing neurodiverse individuals in career tech trades. Two of our grantees, Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs® (NBT) and Teaching the Autism Community Trades (TACT), are collaborating to host an Inclusive Manufacturing Summer Camp in Denver this June. The camp introduces students with disabilities to careers in manufacturing. In association with the camp, we are hosting a community discussion titled Empowering Neurodiverse Talent for the Workforce with representatives from the education, business and government sectors, as well as other grant partners to share their experiences.

This fall, we will convene with NBT, TACT and other grant partners at the Association for Career Technical Education (ACTE) CareerTech VISION Conference in Phoenix to exhibit and present about how to effectively include neurodiverse individuals in career tech education to prepare them for the workforce.

Fantastic. Let’s now shift to our discussion about neurodiversity in the workforce. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to include neurodiverse employees? Can you share a story with us?

MEAF has funded dozens of initiatives over the years that help educate and train neurodiverse people for work. One example is Blue Star Recyclers, a social enterprise in Colorado Springs with a unique mission: recycling electronics to create jobs for people with disabilities. Bill Morris, the founder of Blue Star, tells the story of how he was working at a day program and four young men with autism enjoyed deconstructing computers. He realized that it was a marketable skill, so he established Blue Star and hired these four young men. That was 14 years ago, and Blue Star now employs more than 50 people with disabilities at three locations, who have ethically recycled 3.5 million lbs. of electronics.

Blue Star conducted a longitudinal study and found that their workforce delivers the lowest turnover, absenteeism, and lost-time accident rates in the industry, along with more than 98% work-task team engagement while on the clock.

MEAF has provided funding to Blue Star to share and replicate its success with other employers; the result is called the ADVANCE+ Workforce Inclusion Program. Blue Star, along with partner James Emmett and Company, have trained nine other employers who now employ 50 additional workers.

This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have an inclusive work culture?

One of those ADVANCE+ trained employers is Sipi Asset Recovery in Chicago.

Bob Adams, VP of Finance and Operations at Sipi, described it best when he spoke at a conference about employing neurodiverse workers. Bob said: “About 20% of our workforce has a disability and overall, our culture as a company went to the next level…the ADVANCE+ program brought everybody closer together.”

This is what we have found repeatedly with the projects we have funded. Including people with disabilities in the workforce typically improves overall employee morale and motivation. Employees are happy to know their company takes an inclusive approach to hiring. Also, neurodiverse employees may offer an alternative point of view to problem-solving, usually involving a more straight-forward approach.

We have seen that an inclusive workforce helps lead to changes in policies and procedures that make workplaces more welcoming and efficient. For example, we funded an internship program called Project SEARCH at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center back in 2003. An intern could not read, so they changed the labeling in the stock room from words to pictures. This simple accommodation made it easier for the entire hospital staff. That intern was hired and still works at the hospital today.

Distraction can be another challenge for neurodivergent employees. Offering accommodations (like headphones or sensory rooms) may be necessary for success. We fund Aspiritech Nfp, a social enterprise near Chicago that employees neurodivergent individuals in IT and quality-assurance testing. During COVID-19, Aspiritech took full advantage of the work-from-home model. With our funding, they introduced the Aspiritech Remote Employment Academy (AREA). They are now training and employing neurodivergent individuals that work remotely across the nation. Remote work, employing people where they are comfortable, can help minimize distraction for this workforce.

Most importantly for business, adding neurodiverse individuals as employees can help increase revenue. For example, customers may like that you are support diverse employment. And having a neurodiverse perspective may lead to product innovations that may open new market opportunities to a broader market-base.

Can you share a few examples of ideas that were implemented at your workplace to help include neurodiverse employees? Can you share with us how the work culture was affected as a result?

At Mitsubishi Electric, we are working toward creating more inclusive workplaces every day, but successful disability inclusion is not a program, it’s a journey to create a true culture of belonging.

As an example, Mitsubishi Electric’s factory automation plant in Illinois started hosting disability mentoring days several years ago. Students from the local school district were paired with employee mentors. This provided an opportunity for students to learn about job opportunities and career paths, as well as an opportunity for the company to learn about welcoming and accommodating a neurodiverse workforce. This business unit is now working with a disability inclusion consulting firm to establish recruitment partnerships to fill open positions. With the experiences gained from hosting disability mentoring days, employees with disabilities are seamlessly integrated into the workplace as members of the team. And, it has established a variety of initiatives, from quiet spaces to walking trails to support the well-being of all employees.

What are some of the challenges or obstacles to including neurodivergent employees? What needs to be done to address those obstacles?

Having team members be straight-forward and use the proper verbal cues is generally the biggest challenge for business. Typical employees may ”beat-around-the-bush” and co-workers may use colloquialisms that can be unclear in everyday communications. Neurodivergent employees may not grasp the nuance or may take colloquialisms literally. Neurodiverse employees may also be too straight-forward and tell it like it is, which may not sit well in some corporate cultures. Grasping social cues may prove difficult, which can get neurodiverse employees in trouble with supervisors and customers.

What we have done at MEAF is to support pre-employment training programs that prepare young people with disabilities for employment, both job skill and soft skill development. Soft skills include how one conducts oneself during an interview. Yet, even with this training, traditional interviews may present a challenge. Going back to the four young men that Bill Morris worked with, two of them were non-verbal. They never would have passed a traditional interview. Bill observed them “at work” and discovered their talent. A skill-based interview may be more appropriate for neurodiverse employees.

One of the biggest challenges is simple lack of experience. At MEAF, we support a variety of mentoring, internship and work experience programs to help young people gain that experience, as well as to expose employers to neurodiverse talent in the workplace. For example, Exceptional Minds is an academy and studio for artists and animators with autism based in Los Angeles. MEAF supported their three-year academy to prepare neurodivergent participants to work in movie, video and computer-generated animation. As part of the training, they do internships at studios such as Nickelodeon, which has gone on to hire several Exceptional Minds’ graduates, and other Hollywood studios and gaming companies.

How can employers do you and your organization educate your themselves and your teams on the concept of neurodiversity and the needs of neurodivergent employees? Are there any resources, training, or workshops that you have found particularly helpful?

Employer education is critical. You can train young people with disabilities, but if employers are not prepared with a welcoming workplace, the experiment will likely fail.

Developing training for hiring managers and supervisors is part of many of our grant projects. For example, we fund The Uniquely Abled Project®, which sets up Uniquely Abled Academies at community colleges to provide CNC machine operator training programs for people with autism. They developed training videos and materials to teach managers and supervisors how to recruit, train, supervise and retain neurodiverse talent. Organizations like Uniquely Abled offer a wealth of training resources. Partnering with a good organization that trains neurodivergent individuals can help a business be successful, and more importantly, help provide a source of talent.

Other resources we have found very useful is the Disability:IN Neurodiverse @ Work Employer Roundtable and James Emmett and Company, a disability inclusion consulting firm.

This is the main question of our interview. Can you please share five best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people who are neurodivergent?

What I have gleaned over the years, I have learned from others, notably James Emmett, founder of James Emmet and Company, and Erin Riehle, founder of Project SEARCH. The five best practices I can recommend are:

1. Visible Champion(s) with Buy-in: Companies need an executive champion and buy-in at multiple levels of the company for a neurodivergent hiring program to be successful.
2. Focus on the Business Case with the Same Performance Standards: Companies should not implement a disability inclusion program because it is the nice or right thing to do. They should do it because they need talent to fill their open positions, and — while it may seem counterintuitive — they should hold those employees to the same standards as other employees.
3. Clear Messaging: Inform all employees about the disability inclusion initiative and why the company is doing it. Make sure to tell the company’s customers, too!
4. Training and Partnerships: Ensure hiring managers, supervisors and co-workers receive the training they need to provide a flexible, inclusive work environment. A disability inclusion consultant is highly recommended to identify job opportunities and avoid missteps. Partnerships with disability organizations are essential for recruitment and support services.
5. Flexibility and Prepare for Cultural Change: Recruitment, hiring and training systems should be flexible to meet the needs of neurodiverse employees. Proper adaptations and accommodations must be provided for employee well-being. Companies must prepare for a shift in their corporate culture to one of inclusion.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?

My favorite quote is from American Anthropologist Margaret Meade: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

My aunt has an intellectual disability. As I was growing up, I watched my grandparents dedicate their lives to promoting the independence and inclusion of people with disabilities in society. They helped found organizations such as the ARC of Central Ohio, among others. The advocacy of these two citizens helped thousands of people with intellectual disabilities live with dignity and respect.

I have tried to emulate them in my own life by doing my part to make the world a better place.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

That is a high compliment for a simple corporate funder. Thank you.

If I could inspire a movement, I would go back to the quote from Margaret Meade. I would seek to help others realize that they can take whatever they are passionate about and can change the world if they turn that passion into action.

Maybe I am already working toward this movement as this is what I see as my role in philanthropy: understanding one’s vision, providing some funding to help that vision become a reality, and helping them make connections with like-minded citizens to make tomorrow’s world greater than today’s.

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!

About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.

While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.

Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.

Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.