Is your company inclusive of neuroatypical people?

Neuroatypical people make up a large segment of the population. Are you ready to welcome them?

According to a 2018 report by the Public Health Agency of Canada, autism spectrum disorders affect 1 in 66 young people in Canada, 4 to 5% of adults or children are diagnosed with ADHD, and 15 to 20% of the population has dyslexia. Neuroatypical people (on the autism spectrum, ADHD or dyslexia, for example) are defined as people with atypical neurological behavior or thought patterns.

Some neuroatypical people display talents coveted by companies for tasks such as data analysis, calculations or the implementation of I.T. services. This is due, among other things, to their curiosity, their ability to memorize large quantities of information, to recognize shapes and details, and to reason with almost implacable logic. These ways of doing things and seeing problems are of particular interest to technology companies.

And more and more tech market leaders such as Microsoft and Dell have understood this. To attract these talents, they have set up hiring programs specifically for neuroatypical people. For example, when recruiting, more emphasis is placed on technical tests, as neuroatypical people are often better at solving complex problems thanks to their thinking and analytical skills, rather than their communication skills.

Other companies have gone further and sought to change perceptions. A few years ago, SAP launched an extensive recruitment campaign for people on the autism spectrum, choosing to highlight the benefits they bring to a company. Through a five-part web series, SAP Autism at Work: Accelerating Workforce Inclusion, the software solutions company invited its employees, and other organizations too, to explore how inclusion can improve a company’s culture, connect with an under-represented talent pool and encourage the challenging of preconceived perceptions.

How to create a neurodiverse-friendly work environment

Communication between neuroatypical and neurotypical people is not always easy. Indeed, recent work at the Salveson Mindroom Research Centre, undertaken by Dr Catherine Crompton and Professor Sue Fletcher-Watson, reveals that autistic participants communicate more effectively with each other than with mixed groups of autistic and non-autistic people.

When it comes to recruitment, the vast majority of companies have standardized hiring process formats that are not adapted to neuroatypical people. For example, they may have difficulty maintaining eye contact, which could be perceived as disrespectful by a recruiter. They may also communicate with little nuance, and can be very direct in their answers, which may not go down well when weaknesses, for example, are addressed. What’s more, their self-confidence may have been damaged by negative professional experiences in which they were misunderstood.

To create a welcoming work environment for neuroatypical people, there’s no need to rethink the company 100%. The key is to be flexible and, above all, for the company’s managers to give themselves the means to do so. This last point is often the one that is lacking. Often, accommodations are quite reasonable and serve people other than neuroatypicals.

Solène Métayer, consultant in neurodiversity, shares with us 3 essential tips for better inclusion of neuroatypical people.

Tip 2: Better empathy and listening skills

Beyond flexibility, listening and empathy are essential for the inclusion of neuroatypical people.

For example, one of my character traits linked to my giftedness is that I often play devil’s advocate in discussions. My boss might not understand me and think I’m being insubordinate… When it’s simply a trait of my personality! It’s happened to me at work.

We should all realize that we don’t always think alike. It’s not always easy to grasp, especially for autistic people, for whom the theory of thought (the fact of considering that others don’t think like you do) is deficient. In short, we try to communicate in a benevolent way: explaining our reasoning, naming our discomforts, respecting each other’s limits, and so on.

Tip 3: Open-mindedness and acceptance of others

Finally, open-mindedness and acceptance of others in their authenticity facilitate inclusion.

Neuroatypia is an invisible disability that is sometimes detected very late in a person’s life. Having an inclusive corporate culture means we can adapt to everyone, even when we don’t know the characteristics of our employees. The person in front of us may or may not be neuroatypical. It’s a question of enabling them to be in the best possible conditions to flourish professionally.

By integrating more inclusion into their recruitment processes and workplaces, organizations not only introduce a great deal of richness, but also help to value the entirety of their employees.