Moving the dial on inclusion | The power of a neurodivergent workforce

Although great strides have been made around diversity and inclusion, shockingly, 22% of people with autism in the UK are unemployed, compared to a national unemployment figure of just 3.7%.

This highlights that there’s still a long way to go for employers to properly support neurodiversity in the workplace. And, perhaps equally importantly, it suggests that employers aren’t fully aware of the benefits of a neurodivergent workforce.

Part of the problem may be that employers don’t fully understand neurodiversity; many people think it solely refers to autism, whereas in fact neurodiverse conditions can include ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), dyslexia and dyspraxia, to name but a few. But with Google search trends on ‘what does neurodivergent mean’, now up 180% in the past 30 days, and ‘neurodiversity in business’ up 100% in the past 90 days, it is clear that this topic is definitely on people’s radar.

Business benefits

What’s more, far from being a box-ticking exercise on a D&I form, hiring a neurodivergent workforce offers strongly positive business benefits. According to Deloitte Insights, creating space for and hiring neurodivergent thinkers can improve functioning around creativity, problem-solving, and innovation, helping to give your organisation a competitive edge. As neurodivergent individuals often see the world differently to neurotypical people, they may therefore offer enhanced and diverse perceptions that fuel engaging, creative ideas. Research also suggests that companies who hire neurodiverse workers into some roles can be 30% more productive than those who don’t.