10 Ways to Embrace Neurodiverse Employees for Workplace Inclusivity

Neurodiversity is the new orange, as it should be! It’s time that we not only begin to accept our differences but also embrace them. As human beings, each of us is capable of bringing something novel to the table, be it an innovative idea or a project management technique. 

Neurodiverse teams are 30% times more productive than others. It provides more reason to encourage differently-abled individuals to come together and work under the same roof.  Before jumping into the way to adopt it, let’s briefly preview what neurodiversity is.

Neurodiversity & Inclusivity In The Workplace 

The term means that neurological and behavioural differences are simply considered to be a variation within the span of normalcy. 

A neurodiverse workplace may consist of a team of people with autism, ADHD, Tourette syndrome, dyslexia, and several other such conditions. And once your team has such extensive diversification the employees are sure to feel included since they’re not being made to comply with a certain standard. 

In an inclusive working space, they can be who they are and get recognition for their skills as well as capabilities. 

Having discussed that, below are a few effective ways you can welcome neurodiverse employees to your workplace. 

1. Create a Comfortable Workplace Environment 

To understand this better, let’s take the example of an individual with autism. He may generally prefer keeping his headphones on to adjust to auditory overstimulation or have a hypersensitivity to light. However, when he’s given an ideal working environment, the results tend to speak for themselves. 

So, if you can manage to create an environment that allows them to work at their full potential, the higher-than-usual IQ of neurodivergent individuals is sure to surprise you. An effective way to go about this would be to facilitate remote working, allow accessories that help them adapt, and, lastly, take feedback regarding any required changes. 

2. Provide Training To Management & Colleagues 

For those of us who aren’t familiar with neurodiversity and its competitive advantage, the change can be difficult to adjust to right away. For this reason, proper training and workshops for understanding neurodiversity can bring a boost to organisational operations and can help foster room for acceptance like no other. 

3. Update your job description 

In order to build a diversified team, it is important that people coming from all neurological backgrounds feel accepted and needed. And an ideal way to do so is to use inclusive language in your job description. Prefer to stitch in words of neurodiverse and neurodiversity to make such people comfortable at applying for jobs. 

Unfortunately, neuro-diversified individuals have often lived the life of a wallflower, and they’re used to it. So, you want to let them know right from the beginning that your organisation welcomes neurodiversity. Due to this, even after joining, they would have a piece of mind that they are welcomed here. 

4. Make Room For Different Styles of Communication 

Verbal communication doesn’t necessarily come easy for individuals struggling with conditions like bipolar, Tourette syndrome, or OCD. This may be because they prefer to keep to themselves or because they’ve been made to believe that what they have to say isn’t important. 

So to break the communication barrier, you may allow the employees to provide feedback in a written form, with the help of visual aids, or on a one-to-one basis. In this manner, they will realise that they’re more than their differences and that their feedback is appreciated. 

5. Say No To Ambiguous Instructions 

For the entire team to stay on the same page, the instructions must be completely understood. And for that to happen, clarity of instructions, as well as simplification of their medium as far as possible, would be a great aid. 

If possible, provide project instructions in more than one way; written, visual, and auditory. This way, you’ll be facilitating neurodiverse employees to enjoy the same level of engagement as every other member of your organisation. 

6. Provide Specialised Resources 

The individual growth of employees is what eventually leads to the rise in productivity and efficiency of an entire organisation. So, to support and facilitate neurodiverse employee growth as well as mental well-being, offer support groups and counselling benefits. 

7. Offer Precise Recognition and Feedback 

Feedback is an essential prerequisite on the journey of excellence of any company. Not too different, feedback & positive reinforcement is also a necessary component for the boost in productivity levels of an employee, particularly neurodiverse employees. 

It will help them establish ground as well as feel more confident in their capability to showcase the necessary skills. Ensure that the feedback discusses the positive aspects of their work before offering any constructive criticism. 

8. Celebrate The Diversity Of Your Employees

Celebrating diversity automatically infers that there is acceptance for it which is, in itself, a great deal of encouragement. On top of this, promoting awareness days like ADHD, Autism, and Dyslexia Awareness days will be an aid for other employees to step in their shoes and reduce any stigmatisation there may be. These measures will also help neurodiverse people to be more comfortable at work which will ultimately increase their efficiency.

9. Voice The Success Stories 

All of us need a pat on the back every once in a while. For your neurodiverse employees, success stories could play that role. Publish the success stories related to neurodiversity, even if they’re not directly associated with your field of work. 

They could be regulated throughout the workplace with the help of newsletters, social media, or other popular channels of communication. 

10. Use a Well – Integrated All In One Software 

For people with ADHD, using multiple web pages or software to ensure a smooth workflow can be a chore. A much better alternative would be to use a single software that can handle and keep track of an employee’s tasks. 

On that note, EmployeeConnect may be the solution that you’re looking for. It is an HR management software that will centralise all your employee’s data, let you leverage the power of an integrated workflow, and even create personalised employee journeys. 

Bottom Line

To conclude, embracing neurodiversity is not only the right strategy to adopt if you’re aiming for inclusivity, but it is also a proven strategy! It will unlock several levels of productivity for your organisation, and coupled with software like EmployeeConnect, you’re sure to be unbeatable. 

Save time and start with a free demo now!