Stop leaving the neurodiverse community out of DEI strategies

Exclusion should be a direct adversary of DEI policies, yet organisations are actively leaving out strategies that increase neurodiversity awareness in the Australian workplace.

Considering that 30 to 40 per cent of the Australian population is a part of the neurodiverse community, the lack of awareness and training in regards to fostering a neurodivergent-friendly working environment is quite disheartening.

According to a study undertaken by DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), over 60 per cent of neurodivergent respondents stated that they would not feel comfortable disclosing their neurodivergence to a potential employer due to the concerns that it would impact their career progression.

Despite Australian organisations’ best efforts to support and implement DEI strategies, it’s clear that a stigma still exists around the employment of neurodivergent or disabled workers – one that those workers especially still feel.

This is partly because workplace disability awareness and neurodiversity support tend to lag behind in implementation compared to other DEI policies.

HR Leader reached out to Gabrielle Stevens, chief people and culture officer at Konica Minolta Australia, on the importance of workplace disability inclusion and supporting neurodiversity.

“I do think a lot of organisations focus on LGBTQI in terms of inclusion, and I do think a lot of organisations focus on gender. We very much focus on both as well, and globally, we very much do. But I think that disability is one of the areas of diversity and inclusion that needs a greater focus. I think it’s easy to overlook that because a lot of disabilities are invisible,” Stevens said.

“It’s not something that probably gets talked about as much in the media. People probably aren’t as familiar with it. But 46 per cent of complaints from the Human Rights Commission are around disability. And then neurodiversity needs to be viewed as not just a disability. It’s some people who are neurodiverse may have a disability, and some may identify as not having a disability.”

“But it’s something that we really need to mature and we need to be really, really conscious of.”

Not only is it the right thing to do, but the business possibilities that fostering a neurodiverse-friendly working environment can bring are monumental. As Stevens explained, it’s an aspect that organisations tend to overlook.

“The main thing for us is to be able to make reasonable adjustments for people that might be neurodiverse or may be neurodiverse and have a disability, but people won’t disclose unless they feel comfortable. So that’s creating that psychological safety and making sure of that from the very, very beginning and then also very much through the onboarding process, that it is safe for them to disclose because we’re here to support and help them.

“And it’s not only emphasising that we want to support people that might be neurodiverse, but to understand that that’s a strength for us. So we want that. We want people who have different objectives, different ways of communicating, different styles, because it makes our business better,” Stevens said.

“It’s actually a strategic advantage as 30 per cent of people are neurodiverse. That means 30 per cent of our customers are neurodiverse. That means 30 per cent of our employees are neurodiverse. And we want to really tap into that market of talent, and we want to have a diversity of thought in our organisation because it makes us better.”

Investing in neurodiverse policies will not only create a more inclusive workplace, thus following DEI principles, but it can also have a very positive impact on business outcomes in the long term. This is without mentioning the benefits it can have in the recruitment and retention space.