Neurodiversity as an asset:how can ND employees bring more value to your workplace
By Eeva Holtta
The Neurodiverse (ND) workforce has gained more attention and recognition in recent years. Some of the world's leading companies such as Microsoft, EY, and JPMorgan Chase & Co have introduced programs to encourage applications from people with different neurodiversities and provided specialised training (mostly for technology-related roles). Yet, a wide range of highly valued traits commonly associated with neurodivergent employees, such as attention to detail, long-term memory, creativity, and logical thinking, continue to be overlooked by employers outside of these fields. In this post, I’m going to cover what I see as some of the most translatable skills and strengths among people with neurodiversity.
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to cover a range of conditions, such as ADHD, autism, dyscalculia, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and learning disabilities. It’s estimated that around 10-20% of the population is neurodivergent (Doyle, 2020).
Overlooking the ‘untapped potential’
Much attention has been paid to the challenges neurodivergent individuals face at work but it’s only in recent years that more awareness has been given to the unique strengths they bring to the workplace.
According to CENSUS data published by The Office for National Statistics (ONS), only one in five autistic adults were employed in any type of work in 2021. However, those who can work can provide a great benefit to their employer if the role matches their interests, skills, and personalities. For example, matching autistic employees with their special interests can enhance performance and lead to better outcomes, according to scholars (Goldfarb, Gal & Golan, 2019; Morris et al., 2015).
McDowall et al. (2023) found that the greatest strengths of neurodiverse employees were reported to be hyperfocus, creativity, and innovative thinking. By hiring and supporting neurodivergent employees, organisations can unlock a wealth of previously overlooked potential.
Here are five strengths associated with neurodiversity that employers can look out for;
Attention to detail
According to a Swiss-American composer, Marclay Christian, “Art is in the details”. An exceptional focus on details can be a very beneficial trait and a real asset when used to recognise patterns and rules that govern systems (McDowall et al., 2023). Research has shown that ND employees’ attention to detail can be higher in repetitive tasks when compared to neurotypical colleagues (Scott et al., 2017; Bury et al., 2020).
Hyperfocus
Many people with neurodiversity can enter the flow state known as hyperfocus. This unique ability to completely absorb oneself in a task and tune out everything else is the key to excellent performance (Ashinoff and Abu-Akel, 2019). People who can achieve this intense state of concentration are often fueled by a topic they find particularly interesting. Assigning compelling tasks to neurodiverse employees benefits both the organisation and the individual. After all, gaining more knowledge and practical skills on topics like programming, data science, or graphic design benefits the employee’s professional development while enhancing productivity and quality for the organisation as a whole.
Creativity and innovation
Research suggests that neurodiverse employees’ creativity and innovative thinking may benefit a group setting (Axbey et al., 2023). This “outside the box” thinking leads to new ideas, inspires creative problem-solving, and drives innovation within an organisation.
Memory
Autistic adults can have an exceptional long-term memory for their special interest areas (SIAs). In addition to detailed learning around specific topics, unique abilities such as "unusual memory for faces and names" and "exceptional rote memory" can be utilised in several different fields, from accounting to museum tour services. Autistic employees whose work aligns with their SIAs can also find their jobs more meaningful, increasing their overall job satisfaction (Bross et al., 2022).
Tolerance for repetitive tasks
Repetitive tasks may seem dull for many neurotypical people. However, another hidden strength associated with certain neurodiverse employees is a tolerance for repetitive tasks. For instance, finding and fixing bugs in code or entering data into Excel, may be the reason why technical and science fields attract neurodiverse employees (Morris et al., 2015; Turner et al., 2023).
The current state of neurodiversity in the workforce
A recent review by Birkbeck University of London has provided insight into the current state of neurodiversity at workplaces: Out of 985 participants, which mostly consisted of individuals with ADHD and autism, only 29.9% of employees reported having adjustments to work. Acknowledging neurodiversity seemed to be a weak point for many companies; out of all the companies that had a policy for equality, diversity, and inclusion (92.1%), less than ¼ of these companies reported having a clear focus on neurodiversity (McDowall, Doyle, and Kiseleva, 2023).
Research has shown that employees may hesitate and choose not to disclose their diagnosis due to stigma in the workplace (Osscarsson et al, 2022). Therefore, appropriate workplace adjustments for neurodiverse employees could greatly benefit those who haven’t disclosed their neurodiversity, as well as those who are affected yet undiagnosed (later-in-life, adult diagnoses are very common under the neurodiversity umbrella) (Morris et al., 2015)).
Overall, neurodiversity can enrich the workplace in many ways, yet many employers are not aware of the strengths neurodivergent employees bring to the right role. There is still work to be done to educate and guide workplaces regarding suitable adjustments for neurodiverse people.
Eeva Holtta
About the author
Eeva has a bachelor's in Psychology and a master's in Health Psychology. She has experience supporting adults with ASD, ADHD, learning disabilities and a variety of mental health difficulties.
Eeva is passionate about changing the world to become more neurodiversity-friendly and has unique insight on autism in women and bilingual minorities. Eeva grew up in Finland and moved to Scotland 8 years ago.
References
Axbey, H., Beckmann, N., Fletcher-Watson, S., Tullo, A., & Crompton, C. J. (2023). Innovation through neurodiversity: Diversity is beneficial. Autism, 13623613231158685.Bury, S. M., Hedley, D., Uljarevic, M., & Gal, E. (2020) The autism advantage at work: A critical and systematic review of current evidence. Research In Developmental Disabilities, 105 (103750) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103750Bross, L. A., Huffman, J. M., and Hagiwara, M. (2022). 'Examining the Special Interest Areas of Autistic Adults with a Focus on Their Employment and Mental Health Outcomes. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 57 (3), 289-305, DOI: 10.3233/JVR-221218Doyle, N. (2020). Neurodiversity at work: A biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults. British Medical Bulletin, 135(1), 108–125. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldaa021Goldfarb, Y. Gal, E., Golan, O. (2019). A Conflict of Interests: The Complex Role of Special Interests in Employment Success of Adults with ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(9), 3915-3923. doi: 10.1007/s10803-019-04098-7McDowall, A., Doyle, N., & Kiseleva, M. (2023). Neurodiversity at Work 2023. Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK.
Morris, M. R., Begel, A. & Wiedermann, B. (2015). Understanding the Challenges Faced by Neurodiverse Software Engineering Employees: Towards a More Inclusive and Productive Technical Workforce. In Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '15). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 173–184. https://doi.org/10.1145/2700648.2809841