Neurodiversity: Are you losing out on skills of people with autism?

Given that around 10% of the population is neurodivergent in some way, can HR afford to miss out on this important pool of talent? What are the implications for staff supporting neurodiverse learners in workplace learning? Interested in reading new guidance from CIPD?

People with autism can have negative experiences of recruitment and selection. The same applies for learners applying for workplace learning.

“At job interviews I get very high anxiety, so it helps to know exact timings, whether there will be a test, what time it will finish,” says .Sarah Davis, a person with autism currently working for a charity.

“Then there are those questions interviewers sometimes ask with a hidden agenda or ‘right’ answer. An autistic friend was asked ‘What do you think you’ll be doing in five years’ time?’ and said ‘I don’t know’. She was given the feedback that her answer was wrong, but in fact none of us know what we’ll actually be doing in five years.”

Once in work, small adjustments can make all the difference and rarely carry a cost to the employer. Davis adds: “It can help to offer flexible working times to minimise my travel anxiety, or I ask colleagues to disturb my visual fields to get my attention, as I can get selective hearing when I’m busy.”

A recent a recent poll of more than 300 HR professionals carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) found that almost three-quarters of employers ignored neurodiversity – a term that also covers other neurological conditions such as dyslexia and dyspraxia – in their HR policies.

Sarah Newton, the minister for disabled people, health and work, says: “So many people on the spectrum fall out of work, and this also has an effect on the organisation that employed them. It starts off well but then maybe a manager moves. Perhaps the company then feels it didn’t work out and so they’re less inclined to take on other neurodiverse people in the future.”

A case study of good practice

Last year, consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble launched a work experience programme aimed at recruiting two candidates with autism into its innovation centre in Reading.

Dr Emma O’Leary, the section head for the centre, was inspired to look into the neurodiversity agenda by her autistic 10-year-old son who she says is a “natural innovator”.

Adjustments were made for the candidates, such as sending out “social stories” before their assessment day so they could have a visual walk-through of the day before they arrived.

A capability questionnaire was sent out before the day, based on candidates’ “at-home passions” rather than workplace competencies. They were asked, for example, whether they could build a Lego model with instructions or without, or whether they could build something more complex. This meant P&G could set up activities accordingly.

“The assessment day was set up for people wherever they might be on the spectrum,” says O’Leary. “So if you were non-verbal, you could write down answers to interview questions, or if more confident in a traditional interview situation, you could look at questions to process them before a face-to-face conversation.”

Candidates were not forced into social interaction with other candidates on the day, either – talks were held in between sessions so candidates could attend one of these instead.

The assessment day was originally designed to recruit two candidates but the company went on to hire three.

Finding a champion

One of the things that has made the difference at P&G is having a committed sponsor for neurodiversity initiatives. CIPD president Cary Cooper urges other organisations to find that individual if they want to access this untapped pool of talent.

“Find someone who is passionate about this in HR,” he says. “We’re already doing this with the mental health agenda, so should be doing the same for neurodiverse talent.”

The CIPD guide

The CIPD guide explains neurodiversity and common nuerodivergent thinking styles. It provides practical guidance on how to build an inclusive, neurodiverse workplace. You can download the guide here