Your Assumptions Hurt: How workplace practices are set up for neurotipicals
This blog post is the based on the talk that I gave at Sydney Tech Leaders on the 17th May 2018 the slides from my talk can are available on Speaker Deck.
In this blog post, I will cover a basic definition of neurodiversity and some of the statistics around neurodiversity and disability in Australia. I will then discuss some of the skills associated with different neurodiverse conditions. The main content of this post will be around the assumptions that are made that increase the barrier to entry for neurodiverse people in the workplace and make it more difficult for them to contribute productively. I will make some suggestions on how you can change and adapt your work practices to make them more inclusive, and I will conclude by providing you with some simple, actionable next steps and some available resources.
I want to start by sharing a little bit about myself. At 11 I was identified as having dyslexia by an educational psychologist, bipolar when I was 20 and six weeks ago ADHD. However I am more than just these labels I also love to travel, I am an aspiring entrepreneur, a proud sausage dog mum, a feminist an avid knitter. The reason that I share this with you is that people are mu, and we often try to put them in one category, but that way of thinking is problematic and often leads to more exclusion.
So what is neurodiversity? Neurodiversity is “The range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits, regarded as part of normal variation in the human population” as defined by the English Oxford Dictionary; this includes diagnosis such as Autism, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Turrets and Dyslexia among others.
So how standard are these conditions? Well, 10% of the global population can be considered neurodivergent in some way in Australia that accounts for over 2.4 million people. 45% of people in Australia who identify as having a disability live at or below the poverty line. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked Australia 27th out of 27 countries for relative poverty risk for people with a disability in 2011. Every 7 hours a child is diagnosed with Autism spectrum disorder in Australia and every 2 hrs, a child will be diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
So what are some of the skills that come with these conditions? Well, people who are on the Autism spectrum demonstrate an above average ability to understand complex systems and perceive patterns. People with, however, have strengths related to visual processing such as the ability to identify diffused or hidden images think MC Escher. People with ADHD have been shown to be better at multi-tasking, problem-solving and dealing with uncertainty due to a high level of adaptability. So what then prevent people with these valuable skills set from participating in the workforce?
1st Assumption: Uniform hiring processes create an equal playing field when hiring
Many companies create a consistent hiring process that they apply to all applicants regardless to try and achieve equality. The problem is equality doesn’t take into account the differences in the human population it would be like having a one size fit’s all bike, and we know that this doesn’t work due the variations of bikes available.
So how can you go about creating a more equitable hiring process? The easiest thing you can start to do is to review your employer branding. Ensure you communicate that you are open to and supportive of neurodiverse applicants, there are multiple ways to do this, but some suggestions show the policies that you have in place that support existing staff who are neurodiverse and include a diversity statement in your job description that encourages people of diverse backgrounds to apply.
Next examine your job descriptions themselves. It is very common for job ads to consist of a long list of required skills across a diverse skill set. Think about the core skills that are required to be successful in this role and then you can add some additional skills under the nice to haves. Following this process will allow you to attract candidates with really strong specialty skills that often occur in neurodiverse talent.
It is also important to consider how you conduct candidate screening and the effect that that could have on neurodiverse talent progressing through your talent pipeline. Candidates who frequently change jobs or have gaps in employment history could do so because of there neurodiversity.
signs of neurodiverse behaviour such as being very literal and struggling with non-verbal communication and eye contact. Similarly, issues can also occur with traditional testing methods used to asses candidates skills for a role. Slower reading speeds and difficulty process non-verbal information, as well as anxiety and distractions in a new environment, can contribute to poor performance. Companies such as Westpac have set up specific recruitment channels for people on the Autism Spectrum to offer alternative pathways to employment within the business.
2nd Assumption: That your workspace or ways of working does not decrease the productivity of your employees
Open plan offices can be challenging to work in especially for people who have a sensitivity to noise or who are susceptible to distractions. Think about designing or setting up your offices to offer a variety of different seating options thus allowing staff to work in quiet spaces.
It is also not uncommon for neurodiverse people to suffer from sensitivity to light, this can be problematic in spaces with fluorescent lighting. Flickering lights can be distracting and in some cases cause issues with those who may have photosensitive epilepsy. Again variation in brightness in your office or dimmer switches can help with this. If you aren’t able to adapt your office environment, then consider moving toward a remote friendly policy and allowing staff to work from home.
3rd Assumption: Your company culture and rewards programs are set up to benefit everyone
Social events can often cause anxiety for neurotypical people so when thinking about how your company celebrates success consider the inclusivity of that event. The simplest thing to start out with is not to make social events mandatory or for participation in these events to be criteria for promotion or performance. Create space outside of the typical pub lunch that might isolate people who are uncomfortable in noisy venues or crowds. Hold events at different times during the week, move away from Fridays when people can already have social fatigue if this skill is challenging for them.
With a rewards program instead of trying to get a one size fits all option consider providing variations for different personalities, donations to charities, or cash bonuses and simple ideas but stay away from traditional approaches such as wine or movie vouchers.
Consider how you structure your companywide feedback, not everyone is comfortable being congratulated in front of a crowd and being the centre of attention. Allow staff to communicate how they would like to be given feedback and offer some suggestions for existing practices this way your communication is more likely to be productive.
A great way to improve inclusivity in your organisation is to offer flex time. Not just changing starting and finishing hours but allowing people to work part-time as well. Great for attracting and retaining talent policies like this allow people to schedule in Dr’s appointments and family responsibilities around work and increases productivity and engagement.
To summarise it’s important to remember that not everyone who is neurodiverse will demonstrate these traits. It is also common for people to go undiagnosed into adulthood.. I have provided links below to some recommended reading
