On 20 February 2024, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) published a guide on neuroinclusion at work. With Neurodiversity Celebration Week on the horizon (18-24 March 2024), the timely guidance spotlights the need for inclusive practices to accommodate and assist employees with neurodiversity. In this blog, we provide an overview of the meaning and importance of neurodiversity and highlight some of the key recommendations of the CIPD guide, as well as some from the government’s recently published Buckland Review.
What is neurodiversity?
The CIPD guide defines “neurodiversity” as the natural variation in human brain functioning. Individuals who possess one or more neurodiverse traits (e.g. autism, dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD) are often referred to as “neurodivergent”.
The CIPD guide highlights that despite the growing focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and the health and happiness of employees, the concept of neurodiversity is frequently neglected. This may result in the disregard of potential talent pools, the inability to fully harness individuals’ productivity in the workplace and negative impacts on the wellbeing of employees.
How to create a neuroinclusive workplace?
The CIPD guide offers employers various recommendations on how to create a neuroinclusive workplace with an emphasis on embracing flexibility in office design, work schedules and locations.
Fostering a culture of psychological safety is also recommended so that employees feel able to seek support for their individual needs. Managers should be equipped to engage in open dialogues with neurodivergent staff and encourage all employees to request workplace adjustments.
Raising awareness about neurodiversity through training, celebrating differences and valuing diversity are also identified as key steps in developing a neuroinclusive culture. This should be implemented at all levels and stages, including hiring and promotion practices. This may involve neuroinclusive interview training, alternative assessment methods and varied career progression routes.
Seven principles for creating a neuroinclusive organisation
The CIPD guide lays out seven key principles for creating a neuroinclusive organisation:
- Understand where you are now and commit to a long-term plan of action.
- Focus on creating an open and supportive culture where people feel comfortable talking about neurodiversity.
- Proactively consider neurodiversity in all people management interactions.
- Allow individual employers to be masters of their own journey.
- Embrace flexible working to enable everyone to thrive.
- Practise ongoing attention to wellbeing.
- Empower neurodivergent voices.
The Buckland Review
The Buckland Review of Autism Employment was published by the government on 28 February 2024.
It focuses on addressing the autism employment gap and assisting employers in recruiting and retaining autistic people. It specifically highlights that the primary barrier to employment for autistic individuals is rooted in a lack of employer awareness and negative stereotypes. It also highlights that application and interview processes are rarely adapted to suit the needs of autistic people.
The report sets out several recommendations for employers to support autistic staff, including:
- Collaboration and role modelling: Employers can partner with the Disability Confident Business Leaders Group and experienced Disability Confident firms should serve as role models in successfully employing autistic individuals and effecting cultural change. The CIPD can also support with this.
- Resource development and accessibility: Collaborate with autism charities to create industry-specific “autism design guides” and coordinate with software and adaptive technology providers to develop and promote IT solutions tailored to the needs of autistic individuals.
- Support and skills advancement: Establish employee resource groups and support networks, encourage mentorship programmes and buddy systems, and work with autism charities, CIPD and training organisations to develop strength-based training programmes that address skill mismatches and strategies for job role adaptation.
Key takeaways
There is undoubtedly a strong business case for the adoption of neuroinclusive workplaces. An important and recurring theme in the CIPD guide is that neuroinclusion is not a tick-box exercise or a one-off event. Rather, it requires a sustained dedication to integrating neuroinclusivity into every aspect of an employer’s operations. In most cases, the adjustments needed are small changes to the way work is organised, yet they can have a substantial impact for neurodiverse staff. With Neurodiversity Celebration week fast approaching, this provides a timely opportunity for employers to learn about the benefits of neurodiversity and consider what they can do to support their neurodiverse employees and improve on existing practices.
