This is a five-part series on the benefits of recognising and supporting neurodistinct talent in your organisation.
Yasmin, an HR Talent Officer working for local government, shares her experience:
I struggled all through school. Despite a love of books, I was a slow reader and I even now spelling can be a problem. I could remember every detail of a film I saw, but revising for exams was a nightmare.
Understanding dyslexia
Getting my dyslexia diagnosis at college was a light bulb moment: I listened to podcasts and devoured YouTube videos and discovered that I wasn’t actually stupid after all. I came to understand that I had a learning ‘difference’, not a learning ‘disorder:’
- People like me tend to see things from a big-picture perspective, which is very useful when a strategic approach is required.
- At the same time, oddly enough, we can be great at recognising patterns that others don’t, and can see details if they are somehow out of place. This is critical, apparently, in the world of astrophysics where making sense of enormous quantities of visual data paves the way to spot black hole anomalies!
- We also think in pictures rather than words and can quickly take in a whole scene. So you might think we are day dreaming but what is really happening is that our brains kind of go into neutral and then, seemingly from nowhere, creative solutions appear.
But I knew that for a lot of people dyslexia still means poor reading and spelling, and so I was reluctant to mention it in job applications.
Opportunity
That was until I found the job I’m in now. Although the selection process was bureaucratic, I really enjoyed the interview and was excited to join the department. I felt ok owning up to being dyslexic.
Not long after I joined, I was asked to be part of a diversity initiative, looking specifically at recruitment. This was going to be great I thought: I could really put my neurodistinct creativity to good use.
Obstacle
Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out to be that straightforward!
There was no doubt that everyone was serious about inclusion, but there was a feeling that our standing in the community was already bringing us as many good candidates as possible in what was a difficult skills market, and that there was little more we could do to improve the situation.
My recent experience had painted a different picture and I wanted us to look beyond the obvious. But when I turned up to a meeting as the ‘new girl on the block’ armed with coloured pens, flip chart paper and post it notes, I wasn’t taken particularly seriously. I had the impression that, because of my dyslexia, I should be protected from ‘biting off more than I could chew’.
Resolution
Luckily for me the HR Director was present, and she gave me just the encouragement I needed at that point. Using images and diagrams I shared my experience of the hiring process and described how, for me as a dyslexic:
- The whole recruitment process was so overwhelming that I nearly gave up: everything I read was very text heavy, difficult to navigate and quite repetitive
- The list of ‘must haves’ in the role description was very long – now I am doing the job many of them are, in reality, only ‘desirable’.
- I didn’t know how to answer the disability disclosure question – I don’t identify as ‘disabled’.
- What I really wanted to do was to pick up the phone and ask some questions, but it wasn’t clear how I could do this or who I could talk to.
Fortunately, my story helped to get us thinking differently and led to some key changes:
Impact
- We introduced more imagery and flow charts and improved the navigation and accessibility.
- Managers are being encouraged to be more realistic about required skills and experience.
- They are also getting better at matching selection techniques to the role, performance and environment of the vacancy: anxiety-inducing timed tests, for example, which rarely allow neurodiverse candidates to perform at their best, are now rarely used.
- We communicate that we are happy to offer reasonable adjustments where required, and we provide a named HR contact for anyone wanting more information.
As a direct result, the number of high-quality potential recruits increased over time. And I also helped my colleagues see some of the potential advantages of bringing diverse thinking to the table!
What can we learn from Yasmin's experience?
When you understand more about neurodiversity, it is easier to spot hidden talent.
Neurodiversity refers to the range of differences in individual brain function and behavioural traits: a natural variation in the human population. Neurodiverse conditions include, amongst other things, Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Tourette Syndrome. There is a huge amount of overlap between each of these conditions and no two people with the same condition are completely alike.
These ‘neurodistinct’ individuals often think quite differently from the majority of people, learn in different ways, have different interests and motivations, and possess particular talents.
Often it is difficult to tell if someone is neurodistinct – the statistics suggest that the likelihood that you have colleagues and customers who are neurodistinct is high.
Assume competence and look for innovative differences in perspective.
A neurodistinct employee is not automatically right, but there is a good chance they will see the world a little differently and may well spot opportunities and solutions that a neurotypical employee may not. Yasmin’s perspective could have been overlooked had she not been encouraged to share her experience and allowed to articulate what she saw as inconsistencies in her colleagues’ thinking.
When neurodistinct employees are supported to use their strengths effectively, it is easier to find ways of working from a newer, fresher perspective, and the whole team benefits.
Create the right conditions to attract and retain neurodistinct skills.
Unintentional and unconscious bias can lead to situations where neurodistinct applicants are at best ignored and at worst unfairly treated.
Understanding neurodiversity and making reasonable adjustments for candidates will gain you access to a wider pool of talent and enable potential employees to demonstrate their skills and what they can offer an employer.
Studies have shown that job-seekers prefer socially inclusive organizations.
- How can you better tap into and encourage valuable innovative thinking from your neurodistinct colleagues?
- What are the costs of failing to nurture neurodistinct talent in terms of reduced productivity, or to losing talent to more inclusive, attractive employers?
Clare McNamara
[email protected]