Growing Talent we cover the elements contained in this feature as part of our participants' journey into work.
Collaborative transformation for businesses, their teams & individuals – ADHD, Neurodivergence, global pro-active mental health – see QR codes for more detail on how I can help you!
Precedents…………. Do they dent confidence in the workplace? @BenMachell’s piece on office etiquette caught my eye yesterday. Humorous, but with a potential sting in the tail for all workplaces! We’ve all worked in environments where Ben’s examples have been present. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone into a corporate toilet only to hear a phone call taking place in a cubicle interspersed with the noises of bodily functions – you get the picture. Or the times my personal space has been invaded with over the shoulder peeks at my screen – not a good idea considering my specialist areas of mental health and wellbeing! Ben’s opening piece on the recent precedent set at an Employment Tribunal illustrates how workplaces can be landmines of offence without critical thinking. Nadine, a recruitment manager, won a case of unfair dismissal after greeting her boss three times only to be deliberately ignored each time. The ET Judge ruled this was unreasonable and likely to undermine trust and confidence. Of course we don’t know the whole context of this case. One glaring thought hit me, what if one of the parties was neurodivergent? The Hyperactivity part of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is misleading. There are multiple different types of ADHD and the impact will be unique to each individual. Consider someone who experiences ‘Hyperactivity’. This isn’t visible on the outside, it’s often the chaos of multiple racing thoughts on the inside. While speaking with someone who is ADHD and experiences hyperactivity, they can look as if ‘they have zoned out’ when in reality, their impulsive brain is chasing down a thought they’ve just had. Would they be at risk of a challenge at ET if they didn’t respond to greetings? Do we automatically jump to ‘someone has offended us’? Or do we challenge that thought and check with them first to make sure our thought is fact and not just our thought? What do you think?