With neurodiversity on the rise, employers face a choice: continue handling accommodations case by case, or make them universal. The second approach isn’t just more inclusive — it’s better for business, says author and coach Leanne Maskell.
Workplace culture is something that can’t easily be measured, quantified or boxed into SMART goals. It’s the shared values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that define the organization’s environment and how employees interact — all of whom are neurodiverse.
Everybody thinks differently from another, although perhaps many or even most will be able to meet neuronormative structures better than others, such as the expectation to work in an office. Neurodivergent people are those whose brain functioning is wired differently to most (whatever that means), making it harder for them to meet these standards.
As a result, they may have a disability safeguarded by law, necessitating reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce the disadvantage they may experience due to things like ADHD or autism.
However, instead of making this the exception, employers can treat this as an opportunity to improve working culture for everyone. If one person needs an adjustment, such as having interview questions provided in advance, it’s likely that others will benefit from such a practice being normalized.
This prevents neurodivergent employees from being ostracized and resented when accessing the support they are legally entitled to, while supporting all other employees who may not know they are neurodivergent or feel comfortable speaking up. The need for this has never been greater; in the UK, for example, the ADHD Foundation has seen a 400% increase since 2020 in adults seeking their services.
This is a legally sensible move for employers, as well as a practical one. A person doesn’t need a formal medical diagnosis of a health condition to be protected by disability laws, which place a duty on employers to proactively anticipate and implement accommodations where necessary. Instead of delving into whether a condition meets the legal criteria of a disability with occupational health assessments, employers can simply adapt to the changing requirements of a diverse workforce, benefitting everybody.
Difference is not bad — diversity is what makes an organization thrive. Imagine a team of Usain Bolts, who all have exactly the same ability to reach the finish line, in exactly the same way. There’d be no opportunities for innovation, creativity, learning or growth. By changing the expectations employees are held to, employers can change the culture at an individual level.
Here are some actionable steps to put this into practice:
Train employees on interpersonal skills
Instead of focusing training on specific conditions, or concepts such as neurodiversity at a general level, with optional attendance, employers can provide training that genuinely appeals to everybody. Practical skills on things like navigating difficult conversations, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, constructive feedback and active listening can help to facilitate acceptance within the workplace. We have a natural bias to prefer people who agree with us, but this isn’t the reality of most workplaces. Teaching people the skills to communicate and collaborate effectively is key to productivity and belonging.
Implement disability policies and training
This kind of training should be differentiated from interpersonal skills. It’s important for employees, particularly managers and HR, to understand their legal obligations when it comes to disabilities at work. This is crucially important to ensure people with disabilities are properly supported. Essentially, it’s the concept of trust, but check. Backing up skills training with knowledge around reasonable adjustments, discrimination and harassment is absolutely vital to create safe workplaces for everybody.
Having policies in place ensures that everybody is on the same page and understands the consequences of disclosure. Without such a policy in place, it can be difficult to navigate disability disclosures for employers, such as if an employee discloses to HR but doesn’t want their manager to know. In the UK, disability discrimination awards are uncapped in employment tribunals, so taking precautions makes sense for employers and employees alike. This training should be mandatory and provided upon onboarding of new employees, avoiding common challenges such as those who may need it most opting not to attend.
Create systemic change
Employers can facilitate change on an organizational level by assessing their current workplace culture. Tracking data like the number of conflicts of grievances and reasons behind them can identify changes that will benefit everybody.
For example, if there are multiple conflicts or a clear resistance around an expectation to work from the office, employers should take a practical approach and assess whether this is truly necessary. Forcing people to do things they don’t want to do won’t end well for everybody, resulting in presenteeism and disengagement. The pandemic demonstrated how hybrid working can work in practice, invalidating claims that such a culture is necessary for teamwork.
Instead of fear about everybody else wanting the same or not being fair to others, (which, regardless, is not relevant from a legal perspective), employers can flip the narrative to adapt the working environment to work for everybody. In our fast-paced world, adaptability and flexibility are key for organizations to thrive.
Leanne Maskell is an ADDCA-qualified ADHD coach and the founder and director of coach training company ADHD Works, helping individuals and organizations like Disney, Microsoft and Yahoo harness ADHD in the workplace. Leanne worked as a legal policy adviser for The Law Society working on immigration, mental health and disability legislation for Covid-19 and Brexit policies and has delivered talks to the World Health Organization on improving global access to diagnosis and support for those with ADHD. She is the author of “ADHD: An A to Z,” “The Model Manifesto” and “ADHD Works At Work.”
