How to Support Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Establishing your commitment to inclusivity

As many businesses start to discuss and promote their equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts, ensuring that neurodiversity, in all forms, is included is essential. Customers and candidates now look to businesses as a morale entity and so having these commitments is necessary for all workers to feel comfortable and free to work within your space without judgement.

Setting guidance 

Neurodivergence looks different for everyone, and finding a way of working will depend on the individual. However, ensuring that you’re setting the right guidance in place for a job role is essential. Cutting out ambiguity is key; from rules around safety, to work processes and approaching decisions around deadlines can be helpful to reduce confusion and anxiety. It is important to remain clear and concise with your communications and offer further clarity for difficult processes.

Create breakaway spaces

Work environments can be particularly overstimulating – especially in louder environments such as warehouse, manufacturing, and construction sites. Offering breakaway spaces for individuals to claim some respite from the noise, lights, and busy atmosphere can help your neurodivergent workforces. These can be quiet spaces for individuals to work without added distractions or time to decompress. It is important that workplaces prioritise wellbeing, including taking breaks.

Recruiters can work with employers to establish neurodivergent-friendly workspaces and gather feedback from candidates on their requirements for making breaks effective.

Equipping line managers

Whether your workers are onsite or offsite, line managers need to be equipped to manage the diverse needs of neurodivergent workforces. Ensuring that your line managers are trained in, and have a thorough understanding of, neurodivergence means that they can better manage, lead meetings, talk about performance, and more. Whether it is adjusting communication style or ensuring thoughtful scheduling, your managers should be equipped with the skills and understanding to provide a comfortable and confident workplace for all. 

Make reasonable adjustments 

Adjustments might be necessary to support and encourage a neurodiverse workforce. Individuals with autism may have their own needs that can be accommodated even in busy and unpredictable working environments. Some workers may benefit from fixed work hours, a personal workstation, or additional breaks. Recruiters can work with your business to highlight individual requirements and offer reasonable suggestions for how to meet them. 

Improve policies

When it comes to supporting your neurodivergent workforce, you need to have the policies and standards in place. Anti-harassment and -bullying policies are necessary for the protection of all workers but ensuring that specific procedures are in place to protect your neurodivergent workforce can give candidates confidence in your commitment to diversity and inclusion. These standards and policies should be regularly reviewed and updated. 

Begin the conversation 

Open conversations around autism and other neurodiverse conditions foster empathy and enable colleagues to better support each other. Your business can deliver training to help raise awareness in the workplace and provide information on services and resources your neurodivergent workforce can access. 

By working with a trusted recruitment partner, your business can better understand the challenges that neurodivergent people face in the workplace and deliver approaches which improve the comfort, productivity, and wellbeing of all employees. 

Looking to strengthen your EDI policies and improve your workplace for a neurodivergent workforce? Contact a Blue Arrow specialist today.