Companies today strive for a diverse workforce. In this episode, we’ll be exploring why opening the door to neurodiverse workers can not only increase staffing levels, but also bring valuable, new ways of thinking and problem-solving to your organization – ways that can give your company a competitive edge. Today, we talk with Susanne Bruyère, Professor of Disability Studies and the Director of the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at the Cornell University ILR (Industrial and Labor Relations) School, co-editor of Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Issues, Interests and Opportunities. Here, she explains:

What falls under the umbrella of the term "neurodiversity"; Why neurodiverse workers today are considered a valuable, untapped talent pool; The truth behind who demands the vast majority of accommodations in the workplace today; and How to identify gaps between neurodiverse and neurotypical employees, and how to develop effective practices to minimize those gaps!

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The Meaning of Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity describes the natural way that people think, learn, and perceive the world.

While there is no “right” way of thinking, neurodiversity describes how people experience the world differently.

There is an umbrella list of words that fall under the term, including autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, depression, and more.

A Neurodiverse Workforce

Many employers are embracing affirmative hiring programs, actively seeking neurodivergent candidates, because of the way they perceive the world.

Neurodiversity in the workplace can demonstrate expanded focus abilities and other advantageous characteristics. There is especially great interest in neurodivergent candidates within the tech industry.

While it is also important to amplify other diversity initiatives in the workplace, companies have been slow to include people with disabilities, and neurodivergent people, in the conversation.

Reactions to a Neurodiverse Workforce

Statistically, there are fewer opportunities for neurodivergent people in the workforce.

As of 2021, the employment rate for individuals with autism was 22% - and even when hired, many are in positions where they are underemployed and underpaid.

Historically, employers have not adequately adapted to neurodiversity in the workplace. Labels can be very off putting, and create stereotypes that infuse an unnecessary fear in the workplace.

Addressing concerns about accommodations, studies show that 95% of people who request workplace accommodations are NOT people with disabilities - so we’re already accommodating, all the time. Accommodation should not be a reason to avoid hiring neurodiverse employees.

Being a Neurodivergent Employee

Neurodivergent people have a wide range of experiences when it comes to employment.

Some have success finding a job, and thrive in the workplace. Some neurodivergent people have reported negative experiences at work, facing discrimination, harassment, or ridicule. As a result, some feel like they need to hide their neurodiversity at work.

Neurodiversity in the Workplace

Ms. Bruyere is the editor of Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Issues, Interest, and Opportunities, which is part of a larger collection launched by The Society for Industrial Organizational Psychology, which makes scientific contributions to the field of industrial psychology.

The goal of the series is to inform and stimulate members, students, and researchers, to think about issues with neurodiversity in the workplace and integrate them into educational efforts.

Inspiration for this book came from the fact that neurodiverse people are a largely untapped talentpool,