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We’re entering into a new era of working: not only do many of us have more say on where we work and how we do it, we’re also seeing many more different groups of people come into our teams so that they’re more diverse, more representative and stronger at every level. This is fantastic news for neurodivergent people, who have for a long time perhaps found it more difficult than neurotypical colleagues to get into the roles they love – but we’re also seeing a gap begin to emerge when it comes to supporting neurodivergent workers long-term.
Neurodiverse hiring is a great idea in principle, but issues begin to arise when we stop there. So our application process is accessible and we’re taking stock of how to support neurodivergent candidates in interviews and test tasks; that’s amazing progress even based on where we were with this kind of inclusivity ten years ago – but what about when we’ve made the offer and they’re starting in their new role?
Neurodivergent colleagues might need (and are entitled to) some manner of workplace support. Needing support like this is fairly prevalent in neurodivergent individuals who struggle with reading, such as those of us who have dyslexia – and we need the structures in place in our workplaces that facilitate that support to know what they can and should be offering.
That’s why training for management, C-Suite and HR professionals is so vitally important in 2022. As we begin to see our workforces change and neurodiverse teams develop, it means that far more professionals with dyslexia will be joining our calls, sitting next to us, working on our documents, creating things for us and assigning us projects – and it’s somewhat of an undiscovered country for many of us. Perhaps your workplace has had rudimentary measures in place to support with reading for a while; perhaps you’ve even gone as far as to invest in assistive tech that can change the working experience – but what we need in 2022 is a holistic understanding of just where support, sensitivity and guidance slot into the working relationships we foster every day.
This means we need to go beyond assigning a new marketer with dyslexia some screen-reader tech for when he comes to look over research; or requesting a text-to-speech scanning device for a new workshop manager to use when signing off her materials invoices. We need to create a more developed understanding of their needs too, and not just support at the point of reading contact.
This means thinking about colleagues on a mental health level. Many dyslexic employees find that the world of work can have an impact on their emotional wellbeing even when they’re well-supported, and we need to make sure that we have systems in place and we’re not applying a one-size-fits all kind of mental health support to neurotypical and neurodivergent workers. We also need to make sure that we’re creating pathways and considering dyslexic experiences when we’re thinking about promotions and progression too – many standard progression systems and criteria might not align with how dyslexic employees work and what they excel in, so it’s important to make sure that these systems cater for everybody, not just those who approach their KPIs in the most ‘usual’ way.
It’s a brilliant new landscape that’s emerging- yet it can be a complex one to immediately familiarise yourself with if you’re in a decision-making role. That’s why it’s so important to remember that that are hundreds of expert agencies and individuals whose understanding of how to support dyslexic and other neurodivergent colleagues out there, offering training and knowledge-sharing for bsuinesses. This kind of support can ensure that the neurodiverse teams we’re creating will stand the test of time and colleagues can succeed and progress just as easily as their neurotypical peers – and that we’re not accidentally creating a system that isolates or inconveniences neurodivergent talent.
Targeted dyslexia and neurodiversity training for management, C-Suite and HR- as well as in the long term, every employee- can change the neurodivergent working experience for the better. When we learn, we create something better, and we’re far better placed to offer our support. And this in turn means happier teams with better retention, and a more accessible and inclusive working future for all of us in every role.
