HR’s Role in Supporting Neurodivergent Talent: The Employee Lifecycle Series
‘A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.' - Lao Tzu
Diversity Means Nothing Without Inclusion
The benefits to organisations of a diverse workforce are well established. Yet it is only comparatively recently that organisations have begun to look to diversify their workforce and deepen their recruitment pool by attracting talent that recognises the breadth of diversity in human neuro-cognition. Those that have actively recruited neuro-divergent professionals, including organisations like JP Morgan and Hewlett Packard, have seen impressive results.
But it is not enough to simply diversify the workforce. A diversity of people needs to be complemented by a diversity of working practices. Diversity, or at least the benefits of diversity, are seldom realised without the development of inclusive practices. A commitment to organisational change and development which recognises that people excel when they can work to their strengths is imperative. This is fundamental to successful neurodiversity management.
HR has a critical role to play in developing an organisation’s neurodiversity strategy and fostering an inclusive workplace culture, which both realises the benefits of and supports neurodivergent talent. In this blog, we will begin to answer the following question:
What Can HR Do to Support Neurodiversity Management and Develop Neuro-Inclusive Practices?
This is the first blog in a series in which we will explore this question. As well as posing questions for you to reflect on, we’ll be offering some practical suggestions.
Starting Your Neurodiversity Management Journey
This might seem like a big undertaking and a daunting journey to start out on. So, given the merits of breaking down large tasks into a series of smaller ‘bite size’ pieces, we might begin by asking:
How Can HR Begin to Plan a Strategy to Support Neurodivergent Talent?
The Employee Lifecycle
One approach you might consider is to use the Employee Lifecycle Model. This can help to create a structure for your planning as you begin to develop your neurodiversity management strategy. Start by choosing just one phase of the model illustrated in the image. You might choose to merge some of the phases. It is worth noting that the image we’ve chosen is just one of several ways the model is illustrated.
But Which One Should I Choose? It Depends!
The answer to this question, to use a well-established work psychology mantra, is: ‘It depends!’ It would seem logical to start at the beginning, not that the start is easy to determine in a cycle! The starting point will differ from organisation to organisation. It might be influenced by the employment sector your organisation sits within; it might be influenced by the wider organisational change and development journey your organisation is travelling. It might depend on existing organisational knowledge and expertise. However, eventually, if your neurodiversity strategy is to be comprehensive, embedded, and effective, each phase of the employee lifecycle model will require your attention. Attraction, Recruitment and Selection as a single, combined phase of the model might be a logical starting point. However, that doesn’t mean I think this is where you must start your journey.
What Is Right for You?
You might quite correctly point out that meeting the needs of your existing neurodivergent employees is your priority. If that is the case, you might choose to start by focusing on Onboarding or Development. One thing is for sure, a great way to attract neurodivergent talent is to make sure you look after the neurodivergent talent you already have. With 20% of the population likely to be neurodivergent, you’ve got neurodivergent talent already in your organisation – whether you know it or not. What better way to attract new talent than your existing employees speaking highly of their employer? Get your onboarding and development right and you’re already starting to develop a strategy for attracting neurodivergent talent without even trying! There is no right starting point, but the Employee Lifecycle Model can help to break down what can appear to be an overwhelming task into more manageable pieces.
The next blog article will focus on attraction, recruitment and selection as a combined phase of the model. Making practical suggestions and posing questions for you to reflect upon to guide you as you review and evaluate existing policies and practice. In subsequent blog articles, we will cover the remaining phases.
Ready to start your journey toward your neurodiversity management strategy? Book a chat with one of our experts today to see how we can help you achieve your neuro-inclusion goals.