‘Neurodiversity’ is a hot topic at the moment and a relatively new term that refers to people who have dyslexia, autism, ADHD, dyspraxia and other neurological conditions. These are ‘spectrum’ conditions, with a wide range of characteristics, but which nevertheless share some common features in terms of how people learn and process information.
Research suggests that having a diverse workforce can provide a business with a significant competitive advantage. However more often when we think of diversity in the workplace we automatically think of gender, race, disability sexualities rarely is the importance of ensuring neurodiversity is addressed.
So, what can you do to help neurodiversity within the workplace? Sometimes it can be the little things that make a difference for example a review of your existing recruitment process …. does it take into consideration the differing needs of applicants? Typical recruitment processes are generally not designed to take into consideration neurodiversity and care should be taken to avoid being discriminatory. Some solutions may be offering multiple application methods, avoiding ambiguous job adverts, ensuring that the selection process gives candidates the chance to demonstrate their abilities in a variety of ways.
Perhaps one of the biggest areas for change is the organisational culture to promote diversity and embrace new ways of working. The adjustments will vary from one neurodiverse candidate to another however do you have a culture that treats each employee as an individual.
That said the potential merits of having a neurodiverse workforce should not be overlooked. Employees and prospective employees who are not neurotypical can bring a critical skill set to any organisation such as creativity and lateral thinking. So is it time to review your HR processes to encourage a neurodiverse talent, is this something you need support with?
Here at Howarths we pride ourselves on providing expert HR and legal advice on all employment law matters including the recruitment and selection process to the SME market and we have significant practical experience in dealing with these processes. In the event that your business requires support in any aspect of the recruitment process then feel free to contact a member of our team on 01274 864999. Further details of all of our services can be found on our website: www.howarths-uk.com
