Accessibility is important.
Part of creating a great culture and ensuring that your workforce is productive, engaged, and happy is accessibility. This extends beyond wheelchair ramps and parking spaces!
Creating accessibility for neurodivergent employees can be viewed as a human resources or health and safety challenge—but also as an asset which adds to the diversity of ideas, perspectives, and strengths of your team. Adapting policies, procedures, signage, and other aspects of job design to suit those whose brains work a little differently is not just a favour to them. It is a benefit to your culture and your bottom line. Let’s explore why and also take a look at DLD, which is a little-recognised disorder that we believe impacts workers and workplaces significantly.
Neurodiversity: what does it mean and what does it require?
The term “neurodiverse” is a broad umbrella, covering the idea that there is no single right way of thinking; no single way of processing or interacting with the world. It refers to the diversity of all people and thinking, but more specifically to neurological conditions including autism, ADHD, and lesser-known others.
Neurodiversity is likely more common than you think. The World Health Organisation estimates that 1 in 100 children have some degree of autism, although it is often undiagnosed or not diagnosed until later in life. This systematic review estimates prevalence of ADHD at 5.29%. Developmental Language Disorder or DLD, which will cover more in-depth later on, has been estimated to affect 1 in 14 children or around 7-8% of kids.
For business owners, HR managers, and others involved in business governance, neurodiversity has implications for the workforce that are both challenging and exciting. Currently, most companies make no provision for differences in thinking. Small changes can make a big difference—these might include flexible hours or work locations (where possible), adjustments to the recruitment process, clear and unambiguous language in internal messaging, and minimising sensory distractions. Each person and case is unique, and the most important course of action is to listen.
Why should companies care?
Neurodiversity in the workplace is nothing new—so why should businesses start making moves to ensure that all people can operate to their best ability?
The answer is simple: it’s not just for the benefit of the employees. A workplace where everyone is equipped to do their best will be more productive and more profitable. And with different ways of thinking comes new solutions, innovative ideas, and disruptive perspectives.
You might be getting tired of the word “inclusion”, but it just means helping people to feel safe, welcome, and well-equipped at work. That’s a win-win situation! A great way to approach accommodating neurodiversity in the workplace is not only considering how you can make adjustments but also how you can deploy neurodiverse workers in a way that will be most effective.
For example, did you know that people with ADHD have periods of hyperfocus? In an environment where an employee is empowered to manage their own time, they can use this to their—and their employer’s—advantage. Given a project or task that piques their interest, they have a unique ability to get things completed and perfected. Autism can come with unique abilities, some very advantageous to a business. From superstar singer Susan Boyle to hugely successful investor and hedge fund manager Michael Burry, many very successful people in different fields have confirmed or suspected autism (or aspergers, which is part of the same spectrum).
This is part of the reason that Emendas recommends carrying out team profiling and performance assessments and using the insights to help clients put people where they will be most effective and engaged. With ability and reasoning tests, role target assessments, personality and behaviour questionnaires, and other tools in the toolbox, we can map out the diverse strengths of your people, ensure they are in the right roles, and create strong teams. This is a key aspect of our HR offering; a way to supercharge your human resources.
A deep dive on DLD
Although developmental language disorders are one of the most common types of neurodiversity, you may not have heard the term before. As we mentioned above. Around 7-8% of kids are estimated to have a DLD in some form—that’s 2 or 3 in every classroom! This study from 2018 showed that developmental language disorders were associated with a higher likelihood of leaving education earlier and working in “non-professional” occupations. And if this kind of disorder can predispose someone to work in a physical labour or production role, imagine what the prevalence of DLD might be on a construction or factory shift. Are we taking this into consideration with our work design and safety messaging? What’s the harm in doing so, compared to the potential benefit?
What does DLD look like?
DLD is a hidden disability, and many people will be undiagnosed. It disrupts a person’s ability to speak and understand language, but often to a degree that may be imperceptible to an untrained person. It can occur alongside dyslexia, ADHD, and other conditions. Here are some common signs:
- Difficulty answering questions.
- Difficulty following instructions.
- Mixing up words or word order.
- Struggling to find the right word to express ideas.
- Not remembering something which was spoken.
- Low self esteem and social confidence.
- Language comprehension is worse when tired.
- Being quiet and unwilling to participate in large groups.
On the flipside, people with DLD are often creative and compassionate with unique ways of thinking about situations.
What does the research say about DLD in a New Zealand workplace context?
Emma, Emendas cofounder, says:
“If ~7% of every school class has DLD, for example, in Auckland, this could well translate to an exceptionally high percentage of those with the condition entering the workforce.
Very few safety practices and employment processes in these organisations have this in mind. Any efforts are often not based on any true understanding. Because DLD can cause communication issues, those with the condition, diagnosed or undiagnosed, can find that jobs outside of physical or production roles are not easy to access. Often, the recruitment processes for a CEO and a labouring role are all too similar, involving CV applications, formal interviews, and the necessity for verbal language competence. The whole shebang can be unnecessarily intimidating, stiff, and —like exams—tailored to those with certain skills and confidence in verbal and written communication. That’s a requirement for some roles, but certainly not all.
There is limited research in this area, but we would be SO interested in working to research and develop better solutions in this area. How would we even go about this? Construction for one has a huge suicide rate—and while they are addressing this at the pointy end, how can we look deeper and find the root cause? We use root cause analysis methods in health and safety all the time—and this is surely one of the most major H&S issues we face.”
So if DLD is common in workforces around New Zealand, how can it be accommodated?
Many of the accessibility issues affecting those with DLD relate to communication of instructions. These can be mitigated to some degree with:
- Use of subtitles and illustrations.
- Keeping briefings brief! Allowing pauses for people to take in what has been said.
- Taking advantage of mixed media i.e. images and videos in addition to text.
- Use of summaries and fact sheets to condense wordy explanations.
- Different avenues for workers to express their strengths, feedback, ideas—not just verbal interviews on the spot.
- The provision of quiet spaces and use of headphones or similar (when safe) in busy or noisy spaces.
The effects of DLD are often misunderstood as personality traits (shyness or introversion) or a lack of capability (employees are capable but having trouble expressing their expertise or following unclear instructions). This can cause issues right from the interview process. The traditional verbal interview style can disclude perfectly capable prospects who have trouble expressing themselves. And interviewing in a way that doesn’t actually test the required skills is a waste of resources for an employer. Changing your systems in this area can streamline your hiring process and get the right people in the right roles. Some interviews create exam-like conditions geared around quick smart responses and thinking on the spot—but how helpful is it to test these skills when they aren't required? And equally, if someone responds excellently under pressure and uncertainty a structured and routine role may become onerous or boring, increasing the likelihood of employee turnover.
Making workplaces accessible to those with DLD—and all neurodiverse people—starts with knowledge and understanding.
We believe in inclusivity and accessibility in workplaces—not just for the benefit of employees, but of businesses too. Neurodiversity can be a tricky thing to identify and accommodate, but it’s well worth the effort to do so.