3 in 10 neurodivergent staff hide their condition from their manager – what can leaders do to become ‘neuro-affirmative’ managers?
Contrary to popular belief, neurodivergence at work isn’t just a ‘HR’ thing. It’s a ‘human’ thing, affecting how a person thinks, functions, and interacts with others.
Being neurodivergent means thinking differently to ‘most’ people, and is commonly associated with conditions like Dyslexia, ADHD and Autism. The medical model literally stigmatises these differences as ‘disabilities’ or ‘disorders’, which is why they can also be disabilities protected by the Equality Act 2010.
This means that employers, and especially managers, have a legal duty to ensure disabled people are not discriminated against at work.
However, this doesn’t always translate to reality. 1 in 5 neurodivergent people have experienced harassment or discrimination at work, which could arise from situations such as a refusal to make reasonable adjustments.
The potential benefits of disclosing neurodivergence to a manager may be outweighed by the risks. As an ADHD Coach, I regularly work with people who choose not to share their neurodivergence with their managers, and for good reason.
Just like neurodivergent individuals aren’t trained to have these vulnerable conversations at work, neither are managers. If it happens at all, neurodiversity training in the workplace is often fragmented, such as with optional attendance, or occurring as a one-off initiative without wider organisational backing.
With the added potential legal implications, including personal liability for acts of discrimination for managers, these conversations can understandably be extremely anxiety provoking and vulnerable for everybody involved.
As a result, they can easily go wrong. Once you’ve disclosed your neurodivergence at work, you can’t take it back. There’s no clear guide on what should happen next, especially if the individual isn’t sure what support could help them or their employer disagrees, resulting in potential misunderstandings and conflict.
However, without this disclosure, neurodivergent employees may struggle in silence, without the support they need to do their jobs as their colleagues are able to.
This can see easily avoidable challenges escalating, with neurodivergence only being disclosed when there’s an unavoidable, obvious ‘problem’, such as with performance or burnout.
With a 30% increase in employment tribunal cases relating to disability discrimination, this can be extremely expensive, stressful and time consuming for employers.
In contrast, early and open conversations about neurodivergence can result in huge benefits for everybody. Managers have the opportunity to gain a greater understanding of how to motivate and support their employees effectively, including unlocking the extraordinary strengths that accompany neurodivergence.
One crucial element is needed for this to happen: trust. This looks like managers becoming ‘neuro-affirmative’, where they can create psychological safety for neurodivergent employees to be themselves at work.
Here’s some tips on how leaders can become neuro-affirmative managers:
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Pro-actively seek out and share support and policies
As 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent, and 24% of the UK’s working-age population have a disability, it’s highly likely that managers will interact with disabled workers at some point in their careers.
This has increased following the pandemic, with the number of adults seeking an ADHD assessment rising by 400% since 2020, and ever-growing NHS waiting lists. A formal medical diagnosis is not required for duties under the Equality Act to apply.
Every employer should have a disability or neurodiversity policy in place, detailing the process for disclosure and what should happen next. Managers can seek these out (and request them, if not in place already), ensuring they understand how to respond appropriately, with confidence and assurance.
They can also pro-actively share this information with everybody they manage, facilitating psychological safety.
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Seek out specialist education and training
As a manager, it’s strongly advisable to seek out expertise training on neurodiversity and disability. Whilst you can’t control whether an employee discloses (or even knows about) their neurodivergence, you can learn how to best support people who think differently.
Whilst neurodiversity can be intimidatingly complex and broad, there are various courses that can skills applicable to anybody. For example, the ADHD Works’ Neuro-Affirmative programme provides education on specific neurodivergent conditions, disability law, communication styles, safeguarding, and operating differences in individuals, regardless of formal diagnosis.
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Provide reassurance, kindness, and vulnerability
The best thing managers can do to be neuro-affirmative is simple: don’t be afraid to show kindness and vulnerability.
By providing reassurance to those you manage that they are valued, especially for their unique ways of working, you can help them to build confidence in ‘bringing their whole selves to work’.
This can manifest in small ways, such as by providing context for ad hoc meetings like, ‘quick chat – good thing!’.
You don’t need to have all (or any!) of the answers. Simply expressing a desire to listen, learn, and support employee’s lived experiences and how these may show up at work can foster safe environments for people to share.
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Provide options and flexibility
The underlying foundation of neurodivergence is difference, so accept that people may interact and communicate differently to you. This can apply in a range of situations, from the format an individual feels comfortable disclosing a disability, to who they may wish to involve.
If you’ve met 1 neurodivergent person, you’ve met 1 neurodivergent person. True inclusivity comes from honest conversations focused on collaboration and compromise, no matter how uncomfortable they may feel.
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Advocate for yourself and others
As the manager of a neurodivergent employee, you may experience stigma and pressure from others. Just like being neurodivergent can be difficult in an invalidating environment, so can being a neuro-affirmative manager.
This may look like recording reasonable adjustments clearly and communicating these against external pressure, such as for certain targets to be met.
It can be difficult to navigate such pressure without breaching confidentiality, so ensure that you seek support from HR where needed to protect yourself and those you manage.
By being a neuro-affirmative manager, you are part of the systemic change needed for the benefits of inclusion to become a reality. Inclusion is not the same as intention, but this doesn’t happen overnight.
About the author
Leanne Maskell is an ADHD coach who has advised organisations like Disney and Microsoft and is the author of ADHD Works at Work and ADHD an A-Z. She believes we must move away from treating inclusion as a formal checklist, and instead teach everyone to understand, respect and support those who think/work/behave differently.
