New diversity
Emma Whiting, co-founder and partner at Torque Law, on teaming up with a neurodiversity specialist as more employers tackle creating a diverse workplace
Q What is neurodiversity?
A The term is used to recognise that everyone’s brains are wired differently. In HR circles, neurodiversity is the movement to create a more inclusive working environment for people who have ‘hidden’ disabilities such as autism, ADHD and dyspraxia. People with these conditions are neurodivergent in that they’re different from those who don’t have those conditions and are ‘neuro-typical’.
Q How did the opportunity to work with Creased Puddle come about?
A We wanted to find a team to complement our own, and who would be able to help take clients’ neurodiversity initiatives to the next level. We’re expert employment lawyers in the field of discrimination law; we’re not experts in any of the conditions or knowing the sorts of adjustments that will work and make a difference in the workplace. We worked with Creased Puddle to deliver a seminar and, off the back of positive feedback received, we’ve started to work more closely in partnership.
Q What was the drive to start a neurodiversity campaign?
A We were finding that neurodiversity issues were cropping up in the workplace and becoming a feature of our
work. Employers are familiar with good practice in areas such as sex discrimination, race, age, physical disability, and mental health. A lot of employers are now more in tune with mental health issues and develop campaigns around it but there’s very little done presently around neurodiversity. The campaign started off as a drive to educate employers to avoid the legal pitfalls around mishandling of situations involving employees or candidates with these types of hidden disabilities. But the more we delved into it, the more we felt that there was a real opportunity for employers to exploit the flipside – their creativity, loyalty and brilliance – at a time of an everdecreasing talent pool. We want to get employers to see the competitive advantage that can be gained by embracing neurodiversity and seeing it as a positive.
Q What does the campaign involve?
A It’s about education and awareness. We’re delivering seminars to a broad audience of employers and business owners targeted predominantly at a local (Yorkshire) level. We were delighted to be asked to deliver one of the keynote addresses at an event organised by Westminster Briefing in London in March, with industry experts in the field. We delivered the legal angle, with other attendees from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, the National Autistic Society, and Uptimize, a neurodiversity training firm. We have other speaking engagements planned for September and October. It’s great to hear this subject being spoken about, embraced and focused on as opposed to the negative image that’s often portrayed. There’s also an element of pro bono work – supporting local neurodiversity charities and advising individuals for no charge where their cases have a neurodiversity angle.
Q Top tips for firms looking to become more neuro-savvy?
1 Consider the positive side of those who are neurodiverse and the benefits that they could bring to your organisation. Recruitment processes and workplace practices are typically geared towards recruiting and retaining generalists. There’s a huge missed opportunity as only 16% of adults with autism are in employment – think about all those great potential employees you’re missing out on. Cast the slide rule of neurodiversity across those practices and procedures and make them neurodiversity friendly.
2 It may surprise you to know that the majority of the adjustments/accommodations for people with hidden disabilities are either no cost or low-cost items. So give it a go – what have you got to lose?
3 Create an inclusive culture where disclosures of disabilities are positively encouraged and role modelled. Easier said than done? Most businesses will employ people who are neurodiverse without necessarily knowing it and manage to accommodate them – so bring them to the forefront of your organisation and promote their positive stories to encourage others to share theirs.
4 Look afresh at your policies and procedures to see whether they’re inclusive enough. Ask whether they allow your neurodivergent employees to flourish just as much as your neurotypical employees and change them where they do not.
