Creating mentorship opportunities and support networks helps maintain momentum whilst fostering a culture of understanding and acceptance. This comprehensive measurement approach enables businesses to validate their investment while identifying opportunities for ongoing improvement and development. Our subject matter experts regularly review and update content to reflect current best practices, enabling companies to build genuinely inclusive cultures that promote high performance. This evaluation examines how current hiring processes may impact neurodivergent candidates. This inclusive approach promotes innovation through diverse problem-solving methods, enhanced pattern recognition capabilities, and unique analytical skills.
These may include making physical changes to the work environment or providing extra training. Workplace Needs Assessments are designed to provide an overview of any challenges employees might face at work, as a result of neurodiversity or disability. In this post, we’ll explain why a workplace needs assessment is important and offer further details on the assessment process. Under the Equality Act, employers have to make “reasonable adjustments” to support employees with disabilities or neurodiverse conditions.
Employers should listen to the worker when discussing reasonable adjustments and make suggestions where appropriate. This means that adjustments that suit one neurodivergent person might not help someone else with the same condition. Even if they do not have a diagnosis, workers might have neurodivergent characteristics. The environments within which individuals with these neurovariations learn, work and live can either facilitate or inhibit their growth and development. Discover webinars, guides, and real stories to help you build a more neuroinclusive workplace.
During this time, she has worked with individuals from all walks of life and a wide variety of organisations from SMEs through to international corporations. A workplace needs assessment is focused on one employee, and how their workplace can adjust to accommodate their neurodiversity. Through us, employees can also pursue a diagnosis with our trusted partners, and seek training and mentoring, but a workplace needs assessment can be pursued independently of these services.
Delivered by our mental health specialists with lived experience, the sessions help teams develop awareness, confidence, and communication strategies that support every employee to thrive. Our comprehensive Neurodiversity Workplace Assessment provides employers and employees with a clear, evidence-based understanding of how neurodivergent traits can affect performance, wellbeing, and workplace integration. She carries out numerous diagnostic assessments each year including assessments for Dyspraxia/DCD and ADHD for those over the age of 18 for work and education purposes.
These all have the benefit of focusing on the applicant’s ability to perform the job role. The reality of neurodiversity, then, means that every interaction at work takes place between people with different brains – yet, typically, very few organisations are thinking about neurodiversity or neuroinclusion. Managing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety disorders and more can be very complex in the workplace but is necessary to promote inclusiveness and support employees. Discover SHL’s Neurodiversity Research program insights to learn how the unique strengths of neurodivergent people can be applied within a variety of roles. Employers should recognise the potential risks to neurodivergent workers and undertake a risk assessment to ensure that all employees can work safely. Assess the physical workspace to make sure it’s accessible and welcoming to neurodivergent employees.
Neurodiversity is the way we think, move, act, communicate and process information. This paper is not intended as guidance from Acas about how to manage neurodiversity at work. If using a screening assessment, review it for barriers and consider if you can adjust any aspects to be more inclusive.
Those that are newly diagnosed, or aren’t sure what adjustments might work best for them, may also need external support to identify their needs and explore options, such as a workplace assessment or coaching. Access to Work may be able to provide support and funding for this, as well as private specialists. In this guide, we'll explore what neurodiversity is, why it matters, and how employers can create more inclusive and supportive workplaces for all.
Included in the act’s protection is the obligation on employers to make reasonable adjustments to enable those with disabilities, including neurodivergent ones, to do their jobs effectively and comfortably. Any employee is eligible for a private workplace needs assessment and can get in contact with Exceptional Individuals if their employer agrees to fund it. Employees with a neurodivergent condition often get in touch in collaboration with their employer when they find they are facing barriers at work due to their neurodivergence. You do not have to prepare anything, but it is recommended that you are in a safe and quiet space.
Invite anybody who might want to contribute with their own experiences or time to making the organisation neuroinclusive and with specific activities. Organisations should consider designing jobs and alternative career paths for such technical specialists to ensure they feel valued and can benefit from progression if the management route is not the right one for them. Make it easy for people to see Neurodiversity Assessment what the core skills for the role are, otherwise an applicant may read the role description as if all the requirements are essential and not apply despite excelling at the core skills. Ensuring role descriptions are as clear and concise as possible, avoiding jargon, will also benefit all applicants. Neurodivergent - while all brains are different, some people with broadly similar ways of thinking, communicating and processing information can have a sense of shared identity and experience.
At OH One, we recognise that neurodiversity is not a challenge to be fixed — it’s a strength to be understood and supported. In the workplace, Dr Moeller encouraged neurotypical peers to adopt an empathetic approach when engaging and working with their neurodivergent colleagues. Neurodivergent employees should be offered development and training opportunities in multiple formats to suit a range of learning styles and preferences. “Some individuals may read job descriptions very literally and, in turn, avoid applying for a role if they don’t meet all the listed criteria,” Dr Moeller said. Dr Moeller noted companies like EY have successfully appointed neurodiversity champions and executive sponsors to increase awareness and motivate broader change throughout the organisation.