How Workplace Neurodiversity Can Benefit Your Company

Neurodiversity is a core component of a successful society and the key driver for innovation, growth, and industry disruption. Companies have always relied on brains that think differently to propel the work and mission of their organizations. More and more industries are coming to realize that neurodiversity can play an important role in this kind of leading-edge expansion.

Unfortunately, if businesses are unable to acknowledge and recognize the ways to harness the authentic and unique contributions of their neurodiverse population, their employees' well-being will continue to suffer, and job vacancies, turnover, and damaged corporate reputations will be the result.

Luckily, things are beginning to change. Companies are becoming increasingly aware of the social and business benefits that a neurodiverse workforce can bring to an organization. For instance, in one study, Hewlett Packard Enterprise's neurodiverse testing teams were reported to be 30 percent more productive than others.

In another report, James Mahoney, executive director and head of Autism at Work at Chase, says, “Employees on the autism spectrum were as much as 140 percent more productive than their peers.”

 These workplace environments have created psychologically safe spaces for their workers: boosting confidence, productivity, and retention. Their approaches are steeped in neuro-inclusive and wellbeing-centered strategies that systematically amplify their commitment to the wellness, prosperity, and growth of their employees, and in return, they are experiencing significant business profits and gains.

 There’s a common theme in recommended strategies to promote healthy neurodiversity within the workplace- they call for greater awareness, advocacy, training, and company-wide implementation by both employers and employees. As a bonus, these strategies tend to benefit neurotypical individuals as well.

· Psychological Safety: Promote safe spaces to share personal struggles that impact work performance by asking questions, listening, and becoming more curious about the employee. Employees must feel safe (mentally and physically) to make mistakes, take risks, and share their needs for companies to succeed.

· Consider flexibility: When possible, offer workload adjustments or flexible accommodations to complete tasks. Employers who implement effective and proactive arrangements around flexibility are seeing increased productivity for all employees.

· Offer robust healthcare plans that cover appropriate therapy and help remove the stigma of accessing needed resources. However, just offering such services may not be effective; it's important to follow up with your employees, connect them with resources and ask about their experiences (when appropriate) to build trust.

· Train the workforce to better understand leadership practices that support individual strengths, learning styles and self-advocacy.

· Build sustainable cultures of inclusivity and well-being through modeling appropriate behaviors and consistently educating leaders and employees on best practices.

Workplaces must evolve and rise to the challenges of the current times. Cultures of inclusivity and well-being are not a trend that is fading away. Instead, they are the key to unlocking the future of innovation, growth, and achievement for the organization as well as the employee.