How businesses can support neurodivergent staff and customers

Neurodivergence is something that more and more people and businesses are becoming aware of. And, with an estimated 15% or more of the population being neurodivergent [1], although everyone wants to be supportive, it is not always clear what can be done.

Businesses are already obliged to make reasonable adjustments for staff, and are prohibited from discriminating against staff or potential staff on the basis of their neurodivergence [2].

Approximately 1 in 7 people are neurodivergent and being a supportive employer or supplier is likely to result in happier, healthier, more productive staff and customers - the benefits of this are apparent.

Defining neurodivergence

Neurodivergence is a term which describes people whose brains work differently than that which is considered typical – it includes Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Tourette’s and more.

Some caveats

All neurodivergent people are different, both to neurotypical people, but also to each other - there is no “one size fits all” approach. However, as mentioned above, the rewards of being supportive toward neurodivergent staff and customers will be rewarding in every sense, not only financially, but also in positioning your business as a positive member of the communities you serve.

Let's look at some areas where you can do more to support neurodivergent staff and customers.

Communications

It is too simple to follow the stereotype that neurodivergent people struggle to communicate - if ever you need to remind yourself of this, just observe two neurodivergent people communicating with each other. It is not communication per se that we find tricky, it is communicating with people who make little effort to understand us.

Yes, we may misunderstand you if you are not clear and direct in your communication, but if you have ever spoken with a neurodivergent person and found that they tend to repeat themselves (I certainly do), then you may consider whether they are doing that because they feel you have failed to understand them! We have a tendency to both misunderstand, and to be misunderstood - much of this can be resolved with clear, direct, honest communication.

A common stereotype is that we neurodivergent folk take things literally, or have binary thought patterns (black and white, yes and no, ones and zeroes). Most stereotypes have a grain of truth, but many are also lazy generalisations. Literal thought is a pattern that many neurodivergent people have, and binary thought is often far more nuanced than the stereotype might suggest.

Consider that neurodivergent people look for clarification as previous experience has often yielded surprising (and bewildering, sometimes frightening) results.

Imagine what preceded this statement: “you told me that it shouldn’t be a problem - I’d like your assurance that it won’t be a problem, or for you to acknowledge that it might be a problem, and that if it is, you have both the authority and a plan to deal with it”.

If that kind of direct, logical, and reassurance seeking communication doesn’t feel comfortable to you, imagine what the neurodivergent person saying it has gone through to cause them to feel like they have to say that.

The good news is that it is really simple to avoid reading/hearing that kind of statement; be much clearer in your communication as unambiguous, direct, clear communications are always preferable, especially when delivering bad news. “Yes, we broke your product. Here is what we want to do to show you we care about what we have done and the impact that it had on you.”

Often simply asking “does that answer your question?” is enough to show that you actually care.

Top Tip:

If you are working with a neurodivergent staff member or customer longer term (or on a repeated basis), acknowledging that mutual communication can be challenging, that this is something that you’d like to work together to improve, and asking the neurodivergent person what you can do to communicate better, for them – is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to building a positive and ND-inclusive business.

Sensory sensitivities

Many neurodivergent people experience sensory sensitivities which can range from relatively mild to acute, and can vary from individual to individual. Very common sensory sensitivities include photosensitivity and audio sensitivity - most often bright lights and loud environments.

Some supermarkets have introduced “autism hour” or similar [3] where they dim the lights, turn down the checkout sounds and music/tannoy announcements. This makes shopping a more bearable experience for people with these sensory sensitivities, although on an anecdotal level at least, there is no evidence that anyone wants the lights and sounds turned back up - most people want their groceries in Tesco and their party in the disco!

Top Tip:

Consider whether there are adjustments that you can make in your workplace or how you offer products and services to customers, to take account of sensory sensitivities. If you have scope and resources to do so, consider surveying your neurodiverse staff or customers to understand – from a lived experience perspective – what is challenging about working with your business, and what would make things better for them.

Delayed processing

Have you ever been frustrated because 5 minutes after a conversation you have thought of the perfect response to something someone has said?

Many neurodivergent people experience this all day every day, it is known as delayed processing, and by simply giving people an extra couple of seconds to respond to their situations, environments, questions etc can make all the difference, and result in a happier interaction for all involved.

Top Tip:

Consider whether – in your usual business meetings, when conflict or complaints arise, or in your hiring and promotion practices, whether there are adjustments you can make to you day-to-day working that could allow everyone a little more time to take in information, work through it, and make a contribution to the discussion – a change to what used to be “regular working practice” that again, could benefit everyone.

Going beyond support

I am often asked “how will I know someone is neurodivergent?” - my favourite answer to that is “does it matter?” Does it matter if you know that someone is neurodivergent or not? Nothing about supporting neurodivergent people is really that different to being a kind, considerate, and thoughtful person to everyone - and ultimately isn’t that a world we all want to inhabit?

Neurodivergent people are an inevitable reality, you can benefit from us, both as staff and as customers - all that we ask in return is for you to make it easier for us to give you the benefit of our minds, our loyalty, and our wallets.

Written by: Andrew Burnett, Founder and Director of helleau. Andrew has over 20 years of experience as a brand and marketing strategist, his personal website is the first search result for “social media Scotland”.

For the first 38 years of his life he didn’t know what neurodivergence was, much less that he himself was autistic and ADHD. Finding this out has been a revelation, so many of his traits now make sense!

Andrew has recently founded DiffandNet - a network for neurodivergent people and businesses to connect, learn, and grow together. Andrew passionately believes that a more equitable world is not only possible, but also better, for everyone.

[1] - https://education.gov.scot/res...
[2] - https://www.acas.org.uk/neurod...
[3] - https://www.standard.co.uk/new...