The implementation of various policies remains unmonitored, revealing a symbolic nature, as they only bring about temporary first-order changes in the current state
Post Date – 12:30 AM, Wednesday – 5/10/23
By Kashish Srivastava, Moitrayee Das
When you look closely at a jigsaw puzzle, you’ll notice that while each piece is unique in shape, size, and other characteristics, they all fit together to form a coherent picture. This is the philosophy behind neurodiversity in the workplace. Over the past decade, many organizations have stepped up diversity and inclusion efforts to make their work cultures more equitable. While gender and ability inclusion remains a topic of concern, most organizations remain blissfully unaware of and uninclusive of neurodiverse populations, likely due to a lack of understanding of what it is!
What is neurodiversity
Neurodiversity refers to neurologically atypical functions including, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, dyscalculia, and tic disorders. Individuals with these conditions have differences in social skills, learning, attention, emotion, etc., and are often labeled as unsuitable for “cognitively demanding” occupations. However, this assumption ignores the fact that neurodifferentiated individuals have varying levels of function and that most can maintain a full-time job with simple accommodations.
In fact, they may even have advantages over neurotypical individuals (those with “normal” neural abilities) in areas such as creativity, detail orientation, thinking outside the box, hyperfocus, etc. If utilized properly, these can lead not only to their professional growth and increased self-awareness, but also to higher productivity in their organisation.
Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are not just a social or ethical issue, but a tool capable of dramatic organizational change. Organizations with diverse teams generate 19% more revenue (Economic Times, 2022), and have a stronger sense of belonging, unique ideas and problem-solving skills, and the ability to improve the overall performance of employees. Aware of this, various policies have been implemented to ensure its practice.
India today ranks high in diversity and inclusion awareness. Since Sebi made it mandatory for all listed companies to have at least one female director, we have seen an 8% increase in the number of female directors (The Economic Times, 2022). Today, nearly 90% of Indian workers believe that diversity and inclusion are important, yet only 3% remember being trained to implement it (People Matters, 2023). Currently, the only law protecting neurodifferentiation is the Disability Rights Act 2016, which promotes respect, dignity and autonomy for persons with disabilities, including neurodifferentiation.
However, the implementation of these various policies remained unmonitored and therefore unsuccessful. This reveals the superficial and symbolic nature of these policies, as they bring about only temporary first-order changes in the current state. Discrimination, abuse and unequal opportunities are pervasive issues for many populations.
Reason for exclusion
Why is there a negligible proportion of neurodivergent employees in the modern workforce? Most of the time, this is because people feel that accommodating them is an additional task and expense, and the cost of resource investment is not proportional to the outcome. Pervasive stereotypes also play a role.
Let’s say an important client presentation needs to take place in an organization. Who do you think is most likely to be selected: an autistic employee or a neurotic employee? Typically, the former are rejected as they may not have the appropriate communication skills, delivery or technical knowledge. However, this rationale is stereotyped in nature and ignores the role of individuality and case-specificity in typical conditions of the optic nerve. Each condition manifests itself differently in different people, so this generalization is not accurate. In addition, rejected neurodivergent employees may outshine others for creative delivery and innovative problem-solving. But as an employer, you first need to give them a chance to prove themselves before letting your stereotypes and misconceptions get the better of you.
This assumption is rooted in misinformation and ignorance, and leads to the creation of a power hierarchy between neurodivergent employees and their neurotypical counterparts. Such an environment fosters hostility and is counterproductive to organizational goals. It can also lead to a diminished sense of self and self-esteem in neurodivergent employees, which can further reduce their motivation. Research shows that these misconceptions are responsible for workplace isolation, unfair treatment, harassment, absenteeism, low performance, quitting, and even exacerbated psychological conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Not just mentality is to blame, but the formal hiring process in place. Because of its emphasis on communication, sociability, verbal fluency, clarity, and ability to read social cues, the selection process gives neurotypicals a default edge. For example, taking more than a few seconds to answer an interview question might be seen as a lack of comprehension or expression. However, comprehension, reasoning, and subsequent response formulation, combined with situational stress, may take longer for neural divergence. These biases are especially prevalent in selecting employees for positions of authority due to the rigidity and generalist needs of these roles.
fairness and inclusion
The most fundamental step towards neurodiversity inclusion in an organization is the provision of moderation resources such as light dimmers, headphones, noise-free cabins, speech-to-text, reading-aloud tools, and more. Policy changes could be implemented to make prescribed procedural changes for individualized instruction, recruitment, additional training, and frequent breaks in special rest areas. Furthermore, authoritative roles seeking generalists can be removed and replaced with specialized managerial roles, allowing for practice that is highly focused on specific skills. Not only will this absorb inclusivity, but it will also lead to higher productivity.
Remote working can also be facilitated as it allows for greater personalization of the environment. Using chat and email features can allow people with social anxiety to take control and make communication effective. Revisiting presentations and recordings may help resolve attention/attention deficits. It also becomes easier to manage fatigue or burnout. This solution is especially beneficial for organizations that lack the resources to accommodate their neurodivergent employees in the office.
Most importantly, regular learning and awareness workshops must be held to educate the entire workforce on how to take simple steps to adapt to neurologically divided colleagues and subsequently foster empathy, collaboration, and an enhanced sense of belonging to the organization. Optimistically, the organizational integration of neurally divided employees can lead to the dissolution of misinformation and stigma, which translates into their social integration. Great things happen when people get the chance!
