Neurodivergence: The elephant in the office

According to the Neurodiversity at Work study:

In short, the majority of neurodivergent people believe disclosing their disability at work will either make things worse, or not help at all. To many, it could seem like a risk that may not pay off, rather than a route to improved wellbeing and better job satisfaction.

Why disclosure feels like a risk

These concerns are not unfounded. Research from The Institute of Leadership & Management found that:

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  Half of leaders and managers would be uncomfortable employing or line managing someone who is neurodivergent – with ADHD and Tourette syndrome being the most marginalised conditions.
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  More than 50% of the autistic individuals surveyed felt that people in their workplaces behaved in a way that excluded neurodivergent colleagues.
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  Only 27% of respondents were certain that appropriate references were included in their diversity and inclusion policies.

Lack of trust in “Reasonable adjustments”

The main legal benefit to disclosing neurodivergence at work is to protect individuals from discrimination and give them entitlement to ‘reasonable adjustments’.

The trouble with reasonable adjustments is the lack of clarity around the word reasonable. It is subjective, and subjectivity is influenced by personal feelings, tastes, or opinions. Therefore, a person with open or unconscious bias could quite easily discriminate (either intentionally or unintentionally) against a neurodivergent individual when asked to make reasonable adjustments.

Hidden or systemic barriers

And because of sneaky systemic behaviours, like a lack of flexibility around reasonable adjustments, poor communication, dismissive attitudes, and inconsistent support, workplace discrimination can sometimes be hard to spot if you’re not being directly affected by it.

Your workplace should have a culture where employees can raise concerns and have them dealt with, without fear of repercussions. Not only is this the law, it makes sense from an employee retention perspective as well.

How employers can encourage neurodiversity disclosure

It may now be clearer why some people choose to blend in and keep their neurodivergence under wraps. You can’t force people to disclose their neurodivergence, and they won’t if they think a disclosure would affect their job or the way they are perceived. Would you?

Creating a psychologically safe workplace culture

To encourage your employees to disclose their neurodivergences, you need to create a workplace culture where people feel safe to discuss their neurodivergence and unmask.

You can’t reap the benefits of neurodivergent strengths like creativity, innovation, hyperfocus, different ways of thinking and spotting new connections and patterns without being willing to support people in the areas they find more difficult.

A journey to psychological safety: steps for employers

Start by:

• Checking your unconscious bias. Encourage everyone to practice self-analysis and explore their inner prejudices. My Critical Friend sessions – where you can ask me anything – are a great way to do this.
• Reframing it: If someone tells you they have additional needs, don’t think of it as more work for you to accommodate them. They are giving you an insight into how they do their best work for you.
• Encouraging self-disclosure. With up to 20% of the population being neurodivergent, if you don’t already have similar numbers of neurodiversity in your teams, the chances are that some people are holding back from disclosing. Having leaders speak out about their neurodivergences is both affirming and encouraging for other team members and new recruits to do the same.
• Educating and raising awareness. We’re often fearful of the things we don’t understand. Education and training fosters inclusion by giving teams a chance to find common ground, break down stereotypes and develop empathy and respect for others. My tailored Neuroinclusion training & workshops are a great way to get together and do just that.
• Understanding that neurodiversity is not one-size-fits all. Everyone has different needs. A reasonable adjustment that works for one person might not work at all for someone else. Truly neuroinclusive environments don’t generalise or assume – they support everyone individually.

Conclusion: Build trust first, so disclosure follows

Productivity is not linear. We all have ebbs and flows of productivity as we navigate our way through life. If we’re stressed, tired, hungry, grieving, on holiday or have caring responsibilities, we adapt to our needs to get back on track. We accommodate for these productivity shortfalls through management techniques, early nights, hearty meals, processing time to process or adjustments to our routine.

Why should neurodivergence be treated any differently? We all have needs, and we all have different ways of working. Focusing on everyone’s needs as individuals and not on “neurodivergent needs” could be the key to understanding and implementing impactful solutions.

Under the Equality Act 2010, an employee doesn’t need a diagnosis to be considered disabled: they should be offered support regardless of whether or not they have a formal diagnosis.

About the Author

Ruth Bartlett is a Neuroinclusive Communications Specialist and founder of Wordsted. She combines her background in communication and community support with her neurodivergent lived experience to help organisations and teams bridge the gap between systems, processes, and their neurodivergent consumers and employees.