How To Be More Neuro-inclusive In The Workplace

By Helen Wada with Laura Nielsen

According to studies, it is estimated that about 15–20 per cent of the world’s population is neurodiverse.

Neurodiversity is a term often associated with diagnoses including (but not limited to) autism, ADHD, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyslexia and dyspraxia. Believe it or not, we are all diverse. We think differently and – particularly in the workplace – experience things differently.

But we are not all neurodivergent, and this is where understanding more about differences in experience can help us become inclusive allies to those in the neurominorities.

Which is why, on my latest podcast episode, I sat down with Laura Nielsen, founder of Senvisible, registered occupational psychologist, senior coach practitioner and neuro-inclusion advocate.

As leaders, there’s an increasing need for us to create a neuro-inclusive workspace. To support and make adaptations for people who may be neurodiverse or people who may just think a little differently to others around them.

In this blog, we’ll explore Laura’s perspective on what a neuro-inclusive workplace means, and how we can foster an environment where every team member thrives.

Diversity in the workplace

To Laura, being human at work means understanding the uniqueness of experience and being appreciative of how differently people interact with the workplace. Once we’re able to recognise and acknowledge our different neurological makeups, we can optimise performance and improve the collective experience of everyone across the business.

One thing that strikes me, however, is the barriers people face with accessing a diagnosis, such as the extreme waiting times or the fact that many women are overlooked and not diagnosed. This means that there are a lot of neurodiverse people at work who have no idea why they function the way they do and are forced to “mask” for fear of being perceived differently.

Laura: “For the older generations in our workforce, myself included, when we were at school, no language existed around autism and ADHD. There were probably really dysfunctional judgments and dysfunctional responses being applied at that time. People that had different needs were too often not being supported, and may (sometimes) have even been punished or criticised for things that were outside of their control.

This has contributed to a stigma around neurodivergence and led to people in the workplace today who have a total fear of being discovered for what it is that they hold inside. So, they work extremely hard at covering up day to day because they don't want to be perceived as being different.” 

On the other side of the divide, there are also people who have been diagnosed and have clear insights about how they work, how they process things and what they need to be successful in the workplace.

The question is, how can you provide a supportive environment, regardless of what side of the divide your team members belong to?

As Laura points out, it all boils down to one thing: open conversations.

The power of open conversations

Laura: “There's a saying that when you've met one autistic person, you've met ONLY one (not all) autistic person(s), because every autistic person is unique in their profile and presentation. The same is true of ADHD and any other neurodivergent conditions.

So, the best way to understand how to support and how to set someone up for success is to be able to have that conversation with them. However, because there’s a lot of negative stigma and possibly shame that clouds the idea of talking about neurodivergence, it's not an easy conversation to set up. Not everybody is ready.”

How to have these conversations at work

While Laura raises an interesting point of people not being ready to approach conversations surrounding neurodiversity, there is a lesson to be learned here. In fact, it has been a consistent theme throughout some of my previous podcasts and blogs.

Whether it’s the topic of neurodiversity or introversion, there is something to be said about taking the time to get to know the people you work with and understand how they like to work. 

Essentially, this means putting your coaching hat on to help the person in front of you find their way forward. How can you help them identify the areas they struggle the most with? Are there any strategies they could leverage to overcome these struggles and optimise their performance?

Laura points out two things we must do as leaders to set the stage for more empathetic, results-driven conversations around neurodiversity at work.

Laura: “The first would be the idea of holding complete belief in the potential of the person that you're working with, and the second is reserving judgment.

By doing these two things, you're able to see the person in front of you. You're able to look at them as brimming with potential. This way, you don’t get caught up in judging or making assumptions about surface-level behaviours because, at the root, that person is most likely well-intended, full of potential, but experiencing a challenge that is not obvious to you.

Once you have established a safe space for conversation, it is a privilege to assist your client or employee in finding ways to knock down their barriers and realise their potential. That can be as simple as finding an environment that works for them, such as reducing background noise or getting access to software that helps them read documents faster, thus removing a huge amount of energy drain.”

Fostering inclusion in the workplace

I’ll be the first to admit that avoiding judgement can be difficult, seeing as we all have our natural biases. But when you really take the time to pause, focus on the person in front of you, and believe that they can be successful, you’ll see much better results. 

In addition to the two factors Laura raised, we can also start to approach these conversations holistically by becoming a champion of inclusion. Here’s what this entails:

1. Being a curious leader

At the core of it all, being a champion of inclusion means embodying a curious, compassionate mindset. Curiosity is a word that pops up in many coaching conversations and that’s because it can truly make a difference in the workplace.

Laura sums it up brilliantly:

Laura: “A manager can make or break a workplace experience. We have managers who lean into those curious conversations. For instance, when a deadline is missed, rather than jumping to conclusions about the situation, they’re curious as to what's going on with the other person and they make the right inquiries. Those managers can absolutely make a huge amount of difference for an employee.

On the other hand, you have managers who are obviously less curious, and that can lead to workplace stress because it's impossible to work in an environment where you're not only misunderstood, but perhaps labelled as a poor performer as well.”

2. Clear the path

As leaders or managers, it's our job to “clear the path”. This can look different for every single person. For someone who’s missing a deadline or not completing work, for instance, it may be something as simple as needing the instructions or tasks to be broken down into a few bullet points.

That’s why it’s highly important to begin every coaching relationship with a simple question: What would make this interaction most accessible for you?

3. Show up with authenticity

When I talk with some of my clients about how to build better client and stakeholder relationships, I always say that the strongest bonds are formed by taking the time to understand who the person in front of you is and sharing a little bit of yourself as well. What are your interests? What do you care about?

The authenticity and the vulnerability that you bring to those conversations fosters a deeper connection which can be powerful with customers and your team.

4. Leave your assumptions at the door

This is closely linked to our earlier point of getting rid of any judgement. To truly create a neuro-inclusive workplace and become a champion of inclusion, we must always ask ONE question: “What am I assuming?”

Laura: “We’re all primed to make judgments and pre-assessments of other people. But if we just slow down, challenge some of those assumptions, and let the other person narrate their real experience or intentions, we'll get closer to building a culture of inclusion.”

So, what assumptions are you making about other people in the workplace? How can you begin to challenge these assumptions today?

I’ll leave you with these questions.

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For more information about Laura and the work she does, head over to LinkedIn.

Human Wise releases new episodes bi-weekly and is available on all major podcast platforms.