Thinking about neurodiversity in the workplace? Here is a place to start.

When it comes to neurodiversity in the workplace, everyone should be willing to learn what works best to promote inclusion, well-being, and performance.

I’m no exception.

While I’ve thought about the intersection of work and neurodiversity in multiple recent contexts, I remain very much a neophyte. I just know it’s a critical topic—and an uncomfortable one for many, mostly for fear of making missteps. Faced with that fear, I remind myself that others don’t have the luxury of not having to think about it day-to-day, and I want to do my best for them. I also remind myself that the world doesn’t stop for our discomfort, and it’s better to start the conversation that needs to be had rather than leave it unspoken.

In fact, as soon as I get the sense that I and others are avoiding an important conversation, I feel compelled to say or do something; you may feel similarly. In my case, it comes from years of lamenting the instances that I didn’t speak up or take the time to see things from another’s viewpoint.

Yet for those reading who still worry about saying or doing the wrong things, I get it. That’s a natural response to a challenging issue. The good news is that we have some advice for you in a bit. But before that, let me suggest that in these early days your risks are actually lower than you might think. Everyone who is not steeped in this is sitting at a very elemental starting point. This means the risks of misstepping while trying to learn and help are low, and the fact that you care enough to pay attention and engage goes a long way.

That is, when others have been challenged by something and you are among the first to see them—to take the time to ask questions and put yourself in their shoes—it tends to matter to them. A lot. Even if it doesn’t always register as something big for you. So I plan to keep being uncomfortable and learning, knowing I’ll likely make mistakes. I’m happy to share my missteps and whatever I (or we) learn with you. Let’s all get smarter faster, together.

So here is what we, Heidrick, have learned from some of our consultants (Sean McLean and Kathryn Bardi), whose relevant experience and discussions with clients and others who intersect with the topic in a variety of ways. It is not comprehensive—that would be impossible. It is meant to make the topic a bit easier to digest and provide some mindsets and tips that one might deploy at some point.

The time to push out of our comfort zone on this is now: creating cohesive, neurodiverse teams is increasingly central to organizational performance. An estimated 15% to 20% of the global population is neurodiverse, a figure that matches the estimated proportion of neurodiverse people in the workplace. That proportion is increasing as businesses recognize the value of a diverse workforce and initiatives mount to improve accessibility across all types of disabilities. On the global level, for example, the UN has prioritized the inclusion of disabled individuals of all types within its organization. Similarly, Canada is working to revamp national accessibility standards with input from multiple groups representing specific disabilities. There are growing calls, moreover, to link ESG measures to neurodiversity.

Despite these gains and calls to action, many remain unfamiliar with neurodiversity—including leaders—and are unsure how best to approach it. That’s no surprise, given the perceived risk and natural related questions like: How will neurodiversity affect the individual and their team? Can I bring it up with a colleague? Will I say the right thing? Worse, those with neurodiversity may be subject to bias about performance and professionalism. Such stigmatization can limit opportunities for growth where those with other disabilities (such as blindness or limited mobility) face fewer constraints.

This reality holds across sectors, with some, like tech, beginning to fully understand the importance of supporting neurodiversity at all levels of the organization. In our conversations with college-age and early-career people, the topic comes up a lot, too. So let’s talk about it.

To develop this article, we talked to experts within and outside Heidrick, including those with backgrounds in neuroscience, research, and education, and those who have advocated for their own neurodiverse school-age children. Some of those I talked to are neurodiverse themselves.

In the next sections, we’ll define neurodiversity more fully and present practical tips for including, incorporating, and enabling neurodiverse colleagues.

What is neurodiversity? (By the way, we’re all diverse in our thinking, style, and preferences)

Part of the complexity of neurodiversity is that it’s not just one thing. Yet the term “neurodiverse” itself could imply that it’s OK to paint everyone who acts differently from the norm with the same brush. Don’t do that.

Instead, recognize that a wide variety of diagnoses and conditions fall into the category of neurodiversity. Regardless of the specific type of neurodiversity, step beyond the label to understand what challenges a given person may face and what strengths they bring to different situations. Not surprisingly, many neurodivergent people have been stigmatized and experienced difficult social and other dynamics growing up. So they need a safe workplace to fulfill their potential and contribute fully.

It’s also important to keep in mind that thinking differently is universal. While “neurodiversity” has come to mean a set of specific processing styles and behaviors, all of us have different ways of thinking and preferences. That means that while 15% to 20% of your workforce may qualify as neurodiverse, 100% of your people have different processing speeds, styles—as suggested by the Gardner model of multiple intelligences (logical, interpersonal, spatial, musical, etc.)—and other such frameworks.

This point about universality is not to undermine the need to approach neurodiversity with care. Diagnosed disabilities must be respected and considered in the context of the tips we provide below. At the same time, recognizing we all bring our own form of diversity to the table can help more neurotypical readers empathize with others, including those with a specific form of neurodiversity, for better understanding and collaboration.

Consider these tips

Together, these tips can help you approach neurodiversity in your workplace, for the benefit of individuals, teams, and the broader organization.

• Be willing to go there: Just talking about differences is a way of acknowledging and validating others, while also normalizing the presence of any accommodations. But recognize that there may be legal, regulatory, and/or ethical considerations in discussing a given colleague’s unique situation. While not about neurodiversity, per se, one model for openness could be the recent shift in the handling of introversion in the workplace, which was previously more hidden but is now more recognized and even celebrated.
• Support the person, not the diagnosis: Neurodivergent people we’ve talked to point out how much of a difference specific people made in their lives—whether an elementary school teacher, coach, or colleague. Simply by caring, someone at some point in their past broke the cycle of shame, self-doubt, and negativity associated with neurodiversity. Aim to become that person where feasible, and also look to reward and reinforce “people-first” leaders/colleagues who make a meaningful difference with inclusion—especially beyond top-leadership levels, such as line managers and below. So it’s about thinking not just top-down but bottom-up to identify and promulgate positive leadership qualities wherever you find them, to address neurodiversity. The goal in general is not to “fix” or solve for anyone but to listen, support, and empathize. At the same time, it’s important to acknowledge that some managers simply aren’t as cut out to accommodate, and may resist, actively or passively; be prepared for that and think through how to handle it and help others learn from it.
• Consider the physical environment: Everyone has preferences for their physical environment: room layout, lighting, sound, potential distractions. But the trend in modern work has largely been toward increasingly generic cubicles, part of a one-size-fits-all approach. The environment is especially important, so it’s best to encourage open dialogue with people to understand what they might need to work effectively, then think about adjustments or accommodations that may be possible, such as providing quiet spaces without noise from conversations or phone calls. Let’s recognize also that remote/hybrid work brought more neurodiverse people into the workforce, so creating the right environment is that much more important.
• Follow the Platinum Rule: Speaking of asking people what they need, the Platinum Rule applies here: go beyond the Golden Rule to treat neurodiverse people as they would want to be treated. We see evidence of the Platinum Rule’s application to other types of diversity, especially that based in race and gender. So consider how best to motivate team members who may think differently. The simplest starting point is to ask, such as “What can I do to help you achieve your potential?” Answers might range from the type of feedback people handle best to the method in which they communicate best; most people want to hear that it’s OK to make mistakes, too, within reason.
• Generosity promotes flexibility: Neurodiversity may not align with the typical, general understanding of consistent, linear performance at work. By consciously cultivating a sense of generosity in ourselves, we open ourselves to the differences of others and are much better able to see who they are and what they need, looking beyond our potential biases and blind spots. Importantly, by being generous with our time and support, we incorporate the experience and needs of others into our thinking about what needs to be accomplished; furthermore, we better understand when and how things need to get done, yielding more flexibility in both expectations and creative solutions for working together as part of a cohesive, neurodiverse team. To put this into practice, consider how to shift goals for productivity, output, schedule, and behavior to align with the person and their specific needs. Be open to shifting your mindset, where needed, to be comfortable with inconsistency, as long as overall performance meets expectations. For example, where possible you could collaborate with a neurodivergent colleague to find the best ways to complete a given task rather than meeting specific non-urgent deadlines.
• Know yourself: Teachers at all levels go through workshops and other programs to identify their potential biases and how those might affect their teaching and judgment and, in turn, their impact on students. While there is more of this in corporate settings now, it’s still easy for bias to play a role. Be honest with yourself about what you might think, read up on neurodiversity and what falls into this category, and strive to get to know people beyond their labels, just as you’d want others to do for you.

Let’s close with an overarching tip: start somewhere.

Working to understand neurodiversity and how to include, incorporate, and enable neurodiverse teammates can feel intimidating, and it’s natural to be wary of making mistakes or failing to support, as we discussed at the outset here. To get past that, remember that it’s not about getting it right but being willing to try and also open to learning. Simply listening and accommodating go a long way. Doing so doesn’t require expertise but a trial-and-error approach that emphasizes making things simple for the other person and yourself.

The only way to reach an important destination is to start the journey. We hope the perspective and ideas here support you in creating, fostering, and leveraging the power of diverse teams.

DISCLAIMER: As a reminder, the information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter. Readers are advised to consult with their own legal counsel for advice related to their specific circumstances and their local legal obligations.