“An epidemic of autism and ADHD diagnoses!”

This is what some recent news articles have proclaimed. Whilst it’s true that the rate of diagnosis for neurodivergent conditions such as autism and ADHD have increased, this is not because they have become more prevalent, but rather research and understanding around neurodivergence, and crucially how it affects people differently, has vastly improved. This, in turn, has led to an uptake of people seeking a diagnosis in later life. People who may have silently struggled, felt incompetent or less than; people seeking validation and support.

Within the workplace it is the latter two, validation and support, which seem to necessitate having a label before they can be given. But why is this? Why does somebody need to provide medical proof as evidence for why they may be experiencing challenges at work? Why is it not until somebody has their (very) long-awaited label that support can be put in place, and in some cases reluctantly, or even begrudgingly?

Because our working practices and environments have not evolved to accommodate the diversity that we are now seeing in our modern workforce. In many cases, these traditional practices are even excluding a rich variety of talent from even entering the workforce in the first place. What we really need is a shift, if not an overhaul, in culture. Let’s remove the need for a label and focus on the human being behind it.

‘Why change everything to benefit a few?’ you may ask. The answer is that it doesn’t benefit a few. Neuroinclusive workplaces benefit everyone.

The 2024 CIPD ‘Neuroinclusion at work report’ found that organisations who had implemented work on neuroinclusion reported a significantly positive impact of this on employee engagement, employee wellbeing, employee retention, and employee performance – not just of neurodivergent employees, but all employees.

So neuroinclusive culture and practices lead to happier, more productive employees who want to stay in the organisation. Seems like a no-brainer! Imagine a workforce where everyone is supported to reach their potential and work to their strengths. Imagine the buzz of productivity, innovation and success. Imagine the positive effect of this on your revenue and profit margins. Imagine being a company that people aspire to work for, attracting a diverse pool of minds and talent. Imagine the competitive edge.

So how can we go beyond the label and make neuroinclusive workplaces the default, and not just an aspiration? It has to start at the top. Without authentic buy in and commitment from senior leadership, any neuroinclusion strategy will struggle. You need to make the business case – do your research and provide evidence of the missed opportunities and benefits that will occur if your organisation doesn’t embrace neuroinclusion. Make sure you highlight the returns on investment of implementing a neuroinclusion initiative.

Once you have the backing from leadership, execute specific training for managers that will equip them with the neuroinclusive tools and strategies to manage their teams successfully. Autism Unlimited can design and deliver bespoke training packages which are completely tailored to your organisation’s needs.

Finally, cascade awareness training for your whole workforce and celebrate the diversity of what it means to be human. Culture change doesn’t happen overnight, and we might not get it right all the time, but trying and getting it wrong is a lot better than not trying at all. If you invite feedback and are open to it, then you have the resources you need to make neuroinclusion a success in your organisation – the neurodivergent employees who are already there. They may not have shared their label with you, but if you listen to their insights then they may not even need to share it at all.