Data Systems Analyst at Girling Health Care of New York / PhD Student in Global Leadership at Indiana Tech / If Autism is on a spectrum, then so are our talents!
The Legal Neurodiversity Network is advocating for a holistic approach to neurodiversity inclusion. I believe organizations can become a lot more neuroinclusive not only by taking what's said in the piece to heart, but also by redoing the entire process for everyone in a way that has zero known costs. The steps are: 1. A more holistic approach to hiring that considers all of a person's abilities, rather than just giving someone a low-level position because they are neurodivergent. The fish are starting to stink! (IYKYK) 2. Mentoring from day 1, with senior employees being matched with new hires. This gives the new people a chance to learn about the job, the company, who's who in the workplace, and eventually... 3. ...Find out about new opportunities or possible promotions, or perhaps training for a different role. It's a win/win for organizations and new hires since it shows that the company respects everyone, values their skills and the roles they do, and will likely lead the employee to either stay at the firm, or if they leave, do so without a bitter taste in their mouth. #changethenarrative #neuroinclusion #neuroinclusiveemployment #employment #holistic
Thought for the day: a holistic approach to #neurodiversityinclusion ! A March 2023 piece of research focused on organisations in the US and UK found that 51% of neurodivergent employees are thinking about quitting or have left their job because they do not feel their employer is doing enough to support their needs. This number is even higher, 55%, for workers in the critical 25-34 age bracket: https://lnkd.in/ewD44YSy ⚠ While making your hiring process more inclusive is of course very important, if you're only focused on that part of the process you risk recruiting more neurodivergent talent only to let them down once they begin work. ⚠ We know that disclosure remains limited, for a number of reasons - common estimates are that only 4% of people with 'hidden disabilities' choose this path currently. If your approach is only to provide accommodations to those who specifically request them, this is likely omitting a significant proportion of your affected workplace. And that's not even considering the people who may not (yet) know they are neurodivergent. ⚠ Nor is this a tiny minority. The baseline estimate of prevalence for at least one neurodivergent condition in the UK is between 15-20% of the population. In legal services, we believe it may well be a higher proportion than that. ⚠ Intersectional benefits. Many of the inclusive practices that work for neurodivergent talent also benefit other historically marginalised groups. In a competitive and nuanced market for talent, neurodivergent talent retention *is* talent retention! What does a neuro-inclusive working environment that truly supports the retention and advancement of neurodivergent talent look like? In brief: 1️⃣ Place: neuro-inclusive office layout, equipment and provision of assistive technology 2️⃣ Processes: a well-communicated and comprehensive adjustments programme; a commitment to flexible working; and closely examining performance management and career progression frameworks to ensure these are fully neuro-inclusive 3️⃣ People: training and awareness on neurodiversity, especially for managers, and accompanying tools to encourage neuro-inclusive team and communication dynamics; neurodiversity considerations embedded in coaching, mentoring and well-being provision We hope to be releasing a publication soon with more concrete ideas on improving #retention and #careerprogression for #neurodivergent #talentdevelopment in #legalservices. If you want to be part of the developing conversation about how we can all make this better across our industry, join us!