This year, 16-20 March is Neurodiversity Celebration Week and with news that 13% of UK employers have faced an employment tribunal claim relating to neurodiversity, there is no time like the present for employers to review their employment practices.

Creating neuroinclusive workplace practices during the employee lifecycle is critical from initial recruitment to interviews and onboarding, from ongoing support to leadership and managerial training.

Recruitment

Job applications can be adapted to be neuroinclusive through the removal of jargon and overall simplification. This can be through allowing alternative means of application and by providing clear guidance as to how an application is to be completed.

Face-to-face interviews

Employers can consider providing questions in advance to support neurodiverse applicants with their preparation. Another way to be neuroinclusive is to provide interviewers with training on equality, diversity, inclusion (EDI) to ensure their own unconscious biases are checked and that they have the skills to prevent any biases they may have from influencing their decisions.

Psychometric testing

Any psychometric testing used during recruitment should have neurodivergent accessibility built in. The purpose of these tests must also be communicated to applicants and practice tests should be provided as standard.

Once employment has started

Onboarding

Providing a structured onboarding process for all new starters will allow for a smoother entrance to the workplace. If not already identified, this is another opportunity to show neurodivergent individuals that the workplace is somewhere they can feel comfortable and encourage them to come forward if they need additional support or adjustments.

Neuroinclusive environment design

Offering flexibility in seating and working from home can be invaluable to neurodivergent individuals who can find the traditional office environment unsettling, potentially causing them distress and reducing their productivity.

Policies and benefits

Mental health services are valuable to all individuals, including those who are neurodivergent. Having access to targeted physical and mental health support can help with earlier interventions and potentially reduce recovery time, benefitting the employee and the employer.

Investing in an employee assistance programme (EAP) can therefore be worthwhile. Where adjustments are identified, these should be provided without stigma or penalty and without a formal diagnosis.

Ongoing support

Communication and interaction

Ensuring neurodivergent individuals have more time to process information during meetings, discussions and group work gives them the opportunity to work at their best and should be strongly considered. The same goes for providing instructions in various formats, so that they are fully understood.

Task management assistance

Assistive technologies, such as speech to text tools can be beneficial throughout the employment cycle. Start with ensuring any online recruitment processes are compatible with them and, if needed, provide them during employment for use in areas such as task management.

Leadership and managerial support

From a junior line manager to the head of the business, the impact that managers can have on organisational culture and an individual’s experience of the workplace cannot be overstated.

For neurodivergent staff to thrive at work, they need to have the support of a manager who understands what they need to perform and who is on board with the organisations efforts towards neuroinclusion. This can take the form of regular check-ins to discuss workload and arranging for a buddy or mentor to offer support.

As highlighted by Acas, line managers play a key role in triaging the need for additional support and adjustments of those working underneath them and making the appropriate referrals and implementing relevant organisational practices. For organisational culture to move towards neuroinclusion, senior managers need to align with the change.

Training and development

To be a neuroinclusive workplace, it is essential to train staff on neurodiversity, including what it is and how it can impact people. Workshops where groups work together on neurodiversity can also help the workforce to gain a better understanding of it.

Takeaway

Wherever an organisation is on its path to neuroinclusion, it is always good to take a step back and review if there is more to be done, whether it is needed immediately for the current workforce or for those joining the business in the future.

About the author

Stacie Cheadle, technical writer at Croner

This article was first published on Croner CIPD HR-inform Pro > Feature Articles > How to make your employment practices neuroinclusive

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