There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in neurodiversity – or human beings. To be neurodivergent means to have a brain that diverges from neuronormative standards, with a different operating system to ‘most’.

Just as Apple and Google come with their own unique features, so do people. The unique strengths and challenges that accompany neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and autism will be unique to the individual, further influenced by factors such as cultural background, upbringing, and access to resources.

However, it can be difficult for well-intentioned organisations to provide understanding and support at an individual level, especially given the complexities involved in neurodiversity such as medical diagnosis and waitlists for assessments.

Without pre-existing training, employers may not know how to respond to an influx in awareness and advocacy, especially given the 400% increase in adults seeking an ADHD assessment since 2020.

Companies may instead opt for initiatives that may do more harm than good. As legal safeguards are involved to protect people with disabilities, this blanket approach can result in employment tribunal claims, as seen by an increase of 30% in such claims relating to neurodevelopmental conditions in one year.

On the flip side, companies who can provide psychological safety and harness these strengths within the workplace, can keep up with our increasingly fast-paced world and thrive.

Here’s where companies are going wrong and how to get it right:

Understanding neurodiversity

Neurodiversity initiatives are often fragmented within organisations, despite often being well-intentioned. It can be very difficult to practically ‘check boxes’ and quantify SMART goals around intangible concepts such as belonging, or personally sensitive decisions such as disclosure of a disability.

One-off training events on specific neurodevelopmental conditions may raise confusion for individuals without this being connected to wider organisational strategies or support. Neurodivergence isn’t limited to one medical condition; training should reflect the underlying human values of empathy and connection, as opposed to focusing on diagnostic criteria and medicalising differences.

For example, neuro-affirmative training can equip employees with valuable skills such as emotional intelligence, spotting their own neuro-bias and handling sensitive conversations with confidence.

Ensuring that this training has leadership support and organisational backing is important, such as adequate resources.

Supporting neurodiversity

Although everybody may be neurodiverse, it’s important for employers to understand their legal obligations in relation to disability and reasonable adjustments. As employment tribunal awards are uncapped for disability discrimination, it’s worth investing in quality training to ensure that everybody understands their legal responsibilities.

For example, this could look like mandatory disability training is implemented for managers and HR, to ensure they understand reasonable adjustments at an individual level, avoiding discrimination within the workplace.

Employers should also have reasonable adjustment policies setting out how individuals can access support, and how decisions should be made. This ensures that everybody within an organisation is literally on the same page, with the same understanding and expectations of disclosure.

These legal safeguards apply regardless of formal medical diagnosis, and the duty is on employers to pro-actively make adjustments as may be needed – not the individual. This means that creating a neuro-affirming, psychologically safe environment at work is vital to ensure people feel safe enough to seek support – or even know it’s available in the first place.

For this, employers should recognise the need for flexibility and adaptability. Attempts to force all employees to work from an office 5 days per week, for example, may be inaccessible to a range of people, particularly those who are disabled.

Instead of battling this, resulting in presenteeism and conflict, employers can recognise the importance of making working environments work for everybody. Trust and compassion will see loyalty and productivity in return.

Harnessing neurodiversity

Although conditions like ADHD have been scientifically linked to strengths such as innovative thinking, creativity, authenticity and the ability to hyper-focus, neurodivergence is not necessarily a ‘superpower’.

With the right support in place to ensure that neurodivergent individuals can access the same opportunities as their colleagues in ‘levelling the playing field’, they can also use their strengths.

Neurodivergent individuals may have more ‘spiky’ profiles than neurotypical people, with their strengths and challenges more pronounced. Enabling all employees to work within their ‘zone of genius’ means they are able to utilise their unique strengths, regardless of medical diagnosis, and reach their full potential.

This doesn’t apply to certain stages such as a diagnosis, disclosure, or recruitment. Neurodivergence affects the way a person thinks, so employers must factor this in throughout the employee lifecycle, including for performance and promotion opportunities.

Featuring leaders at the top of organisations who are open about their neurodivergence empowers others to do the same. For example, Executive Director of the Law Society of Scotland, Paul Mosson, recently shared his experiences of ADHD with his colleagues, normalising discussions around neurodivergence at work.

Ultimately, our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses. Neurodivergent individuals may need support in some areas, whilst excelling at others. They may be thriving one day, but struggle the next.

Recognising and trusting this is key for employers to provide safe environments where everybody is accepted as they are – we’re only human.

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.