"Are you reaping the business benefits of
neurodiversity?"
Glasgow is Scotland's most diverse city, and this diversity
breeds creativity, innovation and productivity, which will
ultimately drive the city's economic success.
More than
50% of Glasgow's population is female. Around
12% are from ethnic minorities, and it's estimated 15% of the
population are neurodivergent.
With such a diverse talent pool, are we truly harnessing this
opportunity in our tech, finance and business sectors?
What is neurodiversity?
"Neurodiversity refers to the different ways the brain can
work and interpret information. It highlights that people naturally
think about things differently." ACAS
Most people are neurotypical, meaning the brain functions and
processes information in a conventional way. Some are
neurodivergent, when the brain thinks and processes information in
alternative ways. This includes individuals with a neurodiverse
condition such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia,
Autism or ADHD (to name a few).
How can neurodiversity benefit your
business?
Aside from the hugely obvious skills gap we face and the need to
widen talent pipelines, neurodiversity brings vast business
benefits:
- Diverse businesses are proven to be highly creative. They draw
on a wider breadth of viewpoints, leading to better products and
services, more likely to meet the needs of the population as a
whole.
- Neurodiverse businesses are also shown to be more productive,
resulting from increased motivation and staff retention.
- Neurodivergent profiles often exhibit highly desirable meta
skills such as integrity, problem solving, strategic thinking,
attention to detail, pattern spotting and creativity.
So, what can you do about it as an employer?
There are a number of things we should be doing to help support
neurodiversity:
Raise awareness and educate everyone. We all need to understand
and appreciate neuro-differences, if we are to embrace
neurodiversity effectively. That means educating everyone in your
workforce, not just managers.
Reviewing your recruitment practices can uncover opportunities
to become more inclusive. Use of terminology in job ads, where you
advertise and interview processes often create unnecessary
barriers. Adjustments such as allowing cameras off, offering
questions in advance, providing skills-based assessment rather than
competencies-based questions and allowing individuals to bring a
buddy to interview, are all good examples.
Reasonable adjustments and support should also be implemented in
the workplace. Quiet spaces, noise reduction headphones, assistive
technology features such as dictation and screen readers, flexible
working and fixed-desks in a hot desk environment are all examples
that can make the world of difference to a neurodivergent
employee.
Personalisation is key. Take time to ask and understand what
would be most helpful for neurodivergent interviewees and
employees. If you don't ask then you won't know; you could be
setting someone up to fail by using traditional practices and a
one-size fits all approach.
The power of partnerships
Employers often tell me they don't know where to start and they
are nervous they'll get things wrong. Working with a third sector
partner who understands neurodiversity (or disability more widely)
can really help to build employer capacity and support confidence
in taking the right action. You can find out more about some of
these organisations
here
Taking action
Understanding and embracing neurodiversity is crucial if we are
to leverage our city's diverse talent pool.
The business, finance and technology sectors in Glasgow are
perfectly placed to reap the benefits of neurodiversity. We have
employers doing some fantastic work. Big businesses like JPMorgan
and Barclays are taking big steps to create inclusive recruitment
and workplace environments. And we have some amazing
start-ups and SMEs putting diversity and inclusion at the heart of
business operations, such as Present Pal and Akari.
But we need to do more. We need to make these trailblazing
examples the norm for our sector! Are you doing what you should to
support neurodiversity in your business?
Further information can be found
here.
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