Nowadays we speak a lot about managing diversity at the place of work. It started with giving women all the avenues possible to develop their career and seeking to break the proverbial glass ceiling. Then we included persons with disability in the diversity equation and it is now accepted that we help such persons to lead an independent life and provide them with suitable job opportunities. Then we started to focus on managing diversity arising from a multi-ethnic workforce.
Since we have started to give more importance to mental health issues at the workplace, we have started to touch upon the topic of neurodiversity. We still do not know how to approach a complex topic such as neurodiversity in the workplace, especially since society in general does not recognise such a need. Throughout my career, I’ve noticed how the traditional education system often fails to cater effectively for neurodivergent individuals.
We need to think outside the box and destroy the stereotypes we have created. There are probably many ways on how to approach it, as we have discovered when learning how to deal with gender diversity and other forms of diversity.
Neurodivergent individuals are often very wrongly encouraged to mask their true selves during recruitment interviews as they are likely to be discriminated against. This unfortunate reality can obscure their true potential and enthusiasm for their work. Additionally, these individuals often find themselves at a disadvantage in areas like communication, a fundamental skill that is crucial in today’s competitive work environments. Yet this does not diminish their ability to excel in their chosen fields.
To maximise the potential of our workforce, we need to embrace neurodiversity at the workplace by recognising and valuing the unique strengths and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring
One stumbling block is the excessive importance we attach to formal qualifications. In this country we have the very mistaken, and quite sad, attitude that a person who has not graduated from university is to be considered a second-rate citizen. I can vouch I have heard such a statement from persons who consider themselves to be prominent educationalists in this country.
As technological and other developments occur, we have started to question whether formal qualifications are essential for success in each and every profession. Increased training does lead to better business performance, but this does not necessarily have to be in academic topics.
A very simple example will illustrate the point. For someone to learn how to motivate and engage their staff, one does not need to know the theories of motivation.
Setting the right example to staff does not require a formal qualification. Moreover, factors such as passion, creativity and dedication are just as important for success, irrespective of one’s qualifications. Our approach has often helped to create a mismatch between the true abilities of neurodivergent individuals and the qualifications they are able to obtain.
Another stumbling block is that we do not understand and appreciate that neurodivergent individuals are more affected by factors like noise, difficulties in interaction and social pressure at the workplace. These environmental factors can hinder their performance in traditional settings, yet do not necessarily reflect their true potential in more accommodating environments.
To maximise the potential of our workforce, we need to embrace neurodiversity at the workplace by recognising and valuing the unique strengths and perspectives that neurodivergent individuals bring. This includes their creativity, their thinking skills, meticulous attention to detail and intense focus on subjects they are passionate about. These are qualities that employers wish their graduate employees to have, but which, unfortunately, many of them do not have.
As employers, we need to create supportive environments that cater for different needs. As a society, we need to break down the barriers that have long hindered the full potential of neurodivergent individuals, starting off from schooling. We speak of attracting talent and there is talent out there that is being ignored because they do not fit into our stereotype of talent.
We ignore the fact that talent is considered as such because it is not average, and it is not a stereotype. By doing so, we would be addressing another diversity issue that has long been ignored.