“And as a result, there’s been multiple promotions, very long-term highs…and really incredible career pathways.”
How employers can be neuro-inclusive
For businesses or HR teams who may want to embark on creating a more neuro-inclusive workplace but are concerned about “getting something wrong”, Clonan encouraged them to keep trying.
“As long as you just commit to wanting to do better and just recognise in the early days of trying to become more neuroinclusive, you’re going to make some mistakes,” she said. “But the very best start would be to have folks with lived experience within your senior leadership team, especially in the places that influence the processes the most around hiring, retention, and so on. Because those people can fluently read what might be misinterpreted in the workplace as being something different.
“But beyond that, I would encourage most people to consider upskilling. And I would genuinely encourage people to pick providers who’ve got the lived experience of neurodivergency.”
Clonan further described the benefits of a neuro-inclusive workplace, highlighting that neurodivergent strengths can play well in many roles.