Building a truly inclusive workplace means understanding the diverse ways our brains work. How can you support your neurodivergent employees and strengthen your business in the process?
What is neurodiversity?
You are familiar with the term ‘neurodiversity’, but understanding it and creating a truly neuro-inclusive workplace are very different.
Neurodiversity is the natural variation in how we think, learn, and process information. Conditions commonly associated with neurodivergence include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and others. However, every neurodivergent person experiences their condition differently, and many have co-occurring traits.
What is the law?
Many forms of neurodivergence may fall within the definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010. This means neurodivergent employees can have the right:
- not to be subjected to discrimination
- to reasonable adjustments
- to work in an environment free from harassment.
Importantly, an employee does not need a formal diagnosis to be protected. If an employer knows, or ought reasonably to know, that an employee is disabled, the duty to accommodate is triggered. Ignoring this can be costly, as tribunal claims citing disability discrimination are consistently among the most expensive and reputationally damaging.
What is the impact at work?
Neurodivergent employees can bring strengths:
- Autistic employees may have outstanding attention to detail.
- Those with ADHD can excel in high-energy, fast-paced environments.
- Dyslexic employees often demonstrate strong oral communication and creativity.
However, they may also face challenges in traditional work environments, such as:
- Struggling with noisy, open-plan offices.
- Difficulty processing written instructions.
- Different social communication styles.
- Struggling with rigid time-based performance expectations.
The concept of masking, where a neurodivergent person suppresses their natural behaviours to fit in, is a significant issue. Masking can lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and ultimately, attrition. Creating a workplace where employees do not feel the need to mask is humane and makes good business sense.
What can you do?
Employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled person, but what does that look like in practice?
Simple steps can include:
- offering flexible start times or remote working options
- providing noise-cancelling headphones or quiet spaces
- allowing candidates to preview interview questions
- offering alternatives to traditional written assessments
- communicating clearly, avoiding jargon and ambiguity.
In performance management, the focus should be on support before escalation. Exploring adjustments early can avoid formal capability or conduct processes and improve performance and retention.
Recruitment and onboarding: the missed opportunity
Recruitment practices are often unintentionally exclusionary. Over-reliance on formal interviews, vague job descriptions, and unconscious bias in assessing communication styles can all disproportionately disadvantage neurodivergent applicants.
Consider:
- stating openly that reasonable adjustments are available
- making job adverts clear about essential versus desirable skills
- offering work trials or task-based assessments as alternatives to interviews
- training interviewers to focus on skills, not social performance.
Embedding neuro-inclusion at the hiring stage widens your talent pool and sends a powerful message about your workplace culture.
Building a neuro-inclusive culture
Policies and individual accommodations matter. But culture is what makes or breaks true inclusion.
Consider:
- including neurodiversity in your equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategy
- providing managers with training on neurodiversity and reasonable adjustments
- setting up staff networks or forums for neurodivergent employees
- celebrating awareness events such as Neurodiversity Celebration Week
- ensuring senior leaders champion neurodiversity, setting the tone from the top.
Importantly, allow employees to choose whether to disclose. An environment where people feel safe to be themselves is an environment where they can perform at their best.
What should you do?
Review
Review your recruitment and performance processes.
Check
Check your policies for neuro-inclusive language.
Train
Provide training for managers.
Celebrate
Celebrate neurodiversity openly and listen to your employees.
Is it worth it?
Creating a neuro-inclusive workplace is not about ticking compliance boxes. It is about:
- retaining talented people who might otherwise leave owing to unmet needs
- reducing the risk of discrimination claims
- driving innovation by embracing different ways of thinking
- demonstrating leadership in modern, responsible business practices.
Employers who lead on this issue will gain a competitive advantage in recruitment, reputation, and resilience.
Help
If you would like support in auditing your policies, training your teams, or responding to a neurodivergent employee’s disclosure, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
