Employers have long known that a diverse workforce is an innovative and productive one. Numerous studies have linked greater diversity and inclusion with better innovation and problem-solving, bigger talent pools and higher revenues. Consequently, the rate of employment for registered disabled workers in the U.S. is trending upward, from 21% in 2022 compared to 19% in 2021. However, when you compare this to the 65% of non-disabled individuals employed over the same period, you can see there’s room for improvement.
Let’s explore how training professionals can help train and support neurodiverse employees at work.
Increasing the Hiring Pool
While it’s great to see more focus on opening our workplaces to differently abled individuals, too many are still falling through the cracks because of our non-inclusive hiring and performance practices. One area where employers can focus in 2024 is in creating more neurodivergent-friendly hiring and work practices.
Recent research suggests that an estimated 15-20% of the world’s population exhibits some form of neurodivergence (and this number only covers those with a diagnosis; some may have self-diagnosed or be masking their condition — more on this later). Training can help by raising hiring managers’ and other stakeholders’ awareness about the importance and benefits of hiring neurodiverse individuals.
Neurodiversity on the DEIB Agenda
Traditionally, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) practices have overlooked neurodivergent workers. Indeed, it wasn’t until the late ‘90s that the term “neurodiversity” was coined to describe the different brain connections and diversity of thought that neurodiverse individuals can offer. This is around 30 years after the first reported diversity and inclusion practices started. So, there is a lot of catching up to do, and we’re making strides. But we can always be faster and more effective, especially for the 80% of neurodiverse workers who can’t find employment.
Barriers to Getting Hired
For many neurodiverse individuals, even getting through the hiring process can be a monumental task. The traditional interview focuses on social prompts like eye contact, small talk, and quippy answers, along with a hiring manager’s gut instinct and team/workplace cultural fit. All of these pose barriers to neurodiverse talent. One way to circumnavigate this for all candidates is to introduce skill assessments or other forms of validation that provide tangible data on someone’s ability to perform a role — prioritizing performance. This can also reduce potential bias in hiring managers, such as gut instinct or even unconscious bias toward someone’s academic or socioeconomic background. (Training professionals should also train hiring managers on inclusive hiring practices.)
In other words, interviewing becomes much less about the connections or charisma that someone displays and more about the skills data they can prove they have. Not only does this open more doors for neurodiverse talent but also candidates from non-traditional academic backgrounds, like those who are trained via apprenticeships, gig positions and people who have taken a career break.
The Role of Manager Training
Training can also help broaden managers’ minds to talent who don’t display or connect with typical social cues. Susanne Bruyère, a professor of disability studies at Cornell University, explains that hiring managers may overlook talent who don’t fit traditional molds, and applicants may be screened out due to unpredictable or unusual behaviors. One solution is providing training sessions that explain how neurodivergent individuals may experience and see the world. Training professionals should also coach managers on effective inclusive interview techniques and give them a safe space to practice these skills — combining theoretical knowledge of DIEB best practices with real-world application.
For example, when Dell wanted to increase the neurodiverse candidates it attracted and employed, the leadership team created a hiring process that enabled all candidates to showcase their technical skills. Managers were also trained to better support candidates in the interview process and beyond, coaching their new hires. Consequently, retention rates for neurodiverse hires are higher than the industry average, and recent hires have uncovered new automation processes that are improving Dell’s efficiency and innovation.
After the Interview
Of course, hiring is only the first milestone for employers and employees to hit. After that, employers need to provide career development opportunities that encourage employees to remain with the organization and do their best work. Masking — or the process of hiding some of their neurodiverse traits to better fit in with their colleagues — is common among neurodiverse individuals. Unfortunately, this takes a lot of mental effort and can impact productivity, mental health and stress levels significantly.
Creating a safe work environment for everyone (because not all employees may openly disclose or be aware of their neurodiversity) is essential as it will prevent burnout and other mental health struggles. In practice, this involves meeting workers where they are each day and giving them autonomy over how and where they do their work. For example, headphones can help with sensory overload, along with the option to work from home. Quiet spaces in the office can give further options for those who want to be in the workplace but who cannot effectively work in open-plan areas. Training can help by reiterating these best practices for neurodiversity inclusion to key stakeholders and business leaders.
Ongoing Skills Development
Everyone wants to continue to develop their careers in line with their passions and interests. In some workplaces, it’s not easy to understand the route to promotion or to have the opportunity to work on stretch assignments. Make such opportunities more transparent via clearly planned and regularly communicated career journeys or an internal jobs board. This can increase engagement across your workforce and break down potential biases so that opportunities don’t automatically go to employees who know a specific manager or are the loudest people in the room.
Your learning and development (L&D) strategy can also be tweaked to be more inclusive of people with different learning preferences. Including hands-on learning elements such as simulations, stretch assignments, and challenge assessments, can reinforce theoretical learning and engage individuals who don’t learn well through reading, watching, or listening.
This openness can begin with onboarding, to show a new hire that you are committed to their long-term career growth and skills development. Mapping out their next steps in their role, whether that’s a specific training program or meeting certain performance goals, can provide a focus for the first months and years at your company. It also removes uncertainty and ambiguity, which can be uncomfortable for neurodiverse candidates to navigate.
Resources to Get Started
Taking the first steps in becoming more neuroinclusive can feel daunting, but there are many resources and organizations that you can partner with and use to enhance your knowledge of neurodiversity. Specialisterne is a non-profit organization that focuses on integrating neurodiverse people into the workplace, while the Neurodiversity@Work Employer Roundtable provides valuable resources for employers and individuals alike. Local community colleges often have neurodiverse students who are actively looking for work experience opportunities, and there is a growing number of workplace neurodiversity influencers who speak about their lived experiences.
Making a small change or two to your training and business practices this year will make a huge difference to the neurodiverse people trying to enter work. It also makes a better work environment for all, because hiring based on skills, offering diverse learning opportunities, and having a coaching culture are practices that cultivate the best from everyone, of all neuro and physical diversities.
