How to support neurodiversity in the workplace

Around 15% of the population (or one in seven people) in the UK is neurodivergent. As our awareness of neurodiversity increases, so does our understanding of the wide range of ways that neurodiverse people process information.

We believe it’s crucial to embrace neurodiversity and take steps to cater for neurodiverse people’s needs in the workplace. By making reasonable adjustments, you can have a real impact on the day-to-day lives of your neurodiverse employees.

As we gain a better understanding of neurodiversity, we recognise increasing ways that workplace design can affect all team members - both neurodiverse and neurotypical employees. Everyone benefits from a carefully considered inclusive workplace. Here, we’ll share five ways that you can create a more inclusive work environment.

Understanding neurodivergent individuals

Neurodiversity explains the natural variations in how human brains process information differently. Neurodiversity isn’t a singular condition. It encompasses a variety of neurodivergent conditions including autism spectrum disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dyslexia, developmental language disorder, Down syndrome and Tourette’s syndrome.

Neurodiversity can be seen as a superpower. Neurodiverse individuals possess unique strengths. You often find that autistic people have strong attention to detail and pattern recognition. Those with ADHD may hyperfocus on tasks. Dyslexic individuals are often excellent at problem-solving or creative thinking.

Adding this diversity to your workplace brings different perspectives, skill sets and strengths that can really benefit your business. Research has proved that this inclusive culture can give your business a competitive advantage. And when your team members feel valued, listened to and understood, they’ll be more engaged which improves staff retention and productivity.

How do you make a workplace neurodivergent friendly?

Alongside your moral obligation and desire to make the workplace inclusive and supportive for all employees, there’s also a legal obligation. The Equality Act of 2010 provides neurodiverse employees with legal rights in the workplace. Employers must make “workplace adjustments” to help neurodiverse employees to work as effectively as possible.

Here are five workplace adjustments that can support a neurodiverse workforce and create a more inclusive workplace culture.

1. Create zones

Large open-plan workplaces can be imposing, overwhelming and overstimulating. Think of all the flickering screens and conversations happening at one time. It can cause sensory overload.

By creating zones with different purposes and feelings, you can benefit all employees. You may have a more stimulating zone for brainstorming meetings or social gatherings, and a tranquil breakout space to support relaxation and regeneration.

Our Colonnade system was created with this concept in mind. It allows you to define a zone for a particular activity with built-in flexibility to customise it for your particular needs.

2. Consider colour schemes

The colour palettes and interior design schemes that you choose can have a significant impact on neurodiverse people in the workplace. Bright colours and bold patterns can be very distracting and uncomfortable for those with sensory sensitivities.

Adopting more muted colour palettes can help with better concentration, creativity and productivity. Promoting a more tranquil atmosphere aids positive mental health and well-being all round, not just for those with additional needs.

Another helpful tactic is to use different colours and textures on the floor to assist with navigation and signposting.

3. Encourage movement

Sitting still for long periods of time doesn’t come naturally to most of us, but even more so if you have ADHD. Fidgeting and moving around really helps to release excess energy and anxiety. Movement breaks should be encouraged. Your workplace layout needs to facilitate that, so that people can move around freely without interrupting others.

The office furniture that you choose should also be carefully thought through. Sit-stand desks can benefit those who like to fidget or jiggle. Adjustable chairs help too, so you can spin around or move up and down to suit your needs. Then there’s our innovative Ricochet stool that’s been designed to wobble with you. It’s cleverly engineered to support movement and actively engage your mind and body.

4. Provide personal workspaces

For neurodiverse individuals (and even some neurotypical employees), the thought of spending a day in a busy, open plan workplace would be unthinkable. Their senses would be totally overloaded and overstimulated, rendering them unable to cope.

You can create personal partitions or individual pods relatively simply. It allows people to still work in the office, whilst being slightly removed and cocooned. Noise-cancelling headphones are also useful tools for reducing the cacophony of sounds in the workplace.

5. Be flexible

Modular and movable furniture allows you to reconfigure the workspace relatively easily. This makes it a more inclusive space for those with varying abilities. You can also modify the space to help control noise and visual distractions.

We created Colonnade with the concept of user control in mind. Instead of expecting people to conform to a traditionally rigid workstation, they can adapt their workspace to suit their unique needs.

How to support someone who is neurodivergent

Successfully supporting a neurodiverse workforce starts with the recruitment process and is ongoing. It’s crucial to ensure that your hiring practices, recruitment and onboarding processes are inclusive and don’t present barriers to those with neurodivergent conditions.

Effective communication is a key part of this. Fostering open and honest communication is a great starting point. Line managers should feel comfortable asking about potential differences in communication and learning formats so that they can adapt their methods accordingly. Have regular check in meetings to ensure they’re ok or have any unmet needs. For example, you could check if there’s assistive technology (such as screen readers or noise cancelling headphones) that would help your new recruit.

Flexible working arrangements can really benefit the mental health of all employees, not just neurodivergent people. That can include remote working, reduced or variable hours and flexible work schedules. Be open to different ways of working and you’ll get the best out of your employees.

Creating a supportive, neuroinclusive work environment for all employees is vitally important. It positively impacts the company culture and that has a ripple effect across all aspects of the business. Introducing supportive initiatives like mentor schemes or workplace buddies for neurodivergent colleagues is hugely beneficial and helps to nurture, value and develop your employees.

Create a more inclusive workplace

We’re passionate about creating inclusive environments. As an innovative and creative team, we’re constantly learning and ideating ways to embrace neurodiversity and support people’s diverse needs. Please get in touch to discuss your specific needs and workplace constraints.

Explore our product range specifically designed for those with special educational needs [include SEN products component used here.