How Neurodivergent Professionals Are Shaping the Finance Industry
The term neurodiversity seems omnipresent in the media, even if you do not work in the field and live and breathe everything related to the topic. The relevance of this topic is further highlighted by the fact that approximately 15-20% of adults in the UK are neurodivergent. It would not be wrong to think that this figure in itself makes a clear business case for creating a neuro-inclusive workplace. Data on neurodiversity in the finance sector is limited, and neurodiversity appears to have been an afterthought for some financial firms. However, it is a topic that has increasingly been gaining traction in this industry, and there are some great examples of leadership and neuro-inclusion in the finance sector.
The Business Case for Embracing Neurodiversity
Thompson and Miller (2024) in their Neuro-inclusion at Work Survey Report, produced for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), explain that neuro-inclusion is crucial for the future of work, yet, it often is not considered in how workplace processes, practices, and environments are designed or, in fact, in how work is organised. However, there is a clear business case for creating a neuro-inclusive workplace.
Businesses have recognised that employment rates of neurodivergent individuals have been historically low and that this is an untapped source of high-quality talent, especially at a time when certain industries such as the financial services, are experiencing a war for talent. This situation has, in turn, led to various companies like JP Morgan Chase, Deloitte, and EY to adapt their recruitment and HR processes to become more neuro-inclusive, which in turn has led to increased productivity, employee retention, and revenue. For example, Neurodivergent employees in JP Morgan’s ‘Autism at Work’ programme were found to be 90% to 140% more productive than their neurotypical coworkers. EY found that increasing neurodivergence in a workforce can drive innovation and positive change, and increase overall company wellbeing, which may indirectly impact on productivity.
In addition, more and more people entering the workforce are looking for organisations that are socially responsible, giving neuro-inclusion an even heavier weighting as organisations want to be the employer of choice in attracting skilled people. And looking to the future, neurodivergent individuals have shown to possess unique qualities that are immensely valued in the quickly shifting business environment of the finance sector. For example, studies have shown that organisations with diverse leadership teams outperform their competitors in terms of profitability.
Considering the fact that up to 1/5th of adults in the UK are neurodivergent, employing neurodivergent staff makes business sense as a neuro-inclusive work culture helps promote diversity of thought, which can benefit organisations in various ways.
Key Contributions of Neurodivergent Professionals in Finance
As within any industry, neurodivergent employees can make significant contributions to their workplace and industry, if they feel safe, respected, welcome, and valued. It is about creating this kind of psychologically safe space that can help everyone thrive.
In practical terms, there are a few examples of how embracing neurodiversity in finance can be beneficial, leading to key contributions of neurodivergent professionals in terms of:
Out of the Box Thinking – neurodivergent individuals can have very unique thinking styles that can enable them to think creatively and innovatively about problems. This, in turn, can help make advances in technology and in solving complex problems creatively as these individuals may think more laterally and apply reverse engineering, which could help organisations to differentiate themselves from their competitors and respond to the dynamic market.
Product Offering – neurodivergent individuals can provide perspectives to customer and client experiences, which can help organisations enhance and expand their products as well as their customer services. This can lead to better customer experiences and to the organisation potentially attracting more customers. In addition, neurodivergent professionals themselves have unique insight and experience of banking and financial services as customers, which is an important opportunity for financial organisations to harness.
Pattern Recognition – being able, through systematic thinking, to recognise patterns and to logically think about data, which could benefit finance companies. This is also particularly true and relevant when dealing with financial data.
Attention to Detail – many neurodivergent individuals can show strong attention to detail, which can benefit them in multiple ways, for example in recognising incongruencies. It can also be beneficial in that they can hyperfocus on topics they find interesting, which can result in higher output.
One instance of how successful it can be to tap into the neurodiverse talent pool is outlined in an article for Strategic Finance Magazine, where one wealth management provider got a neurodiverse team onto a project to improve their analytics platform and their business intelligence. Using key skills such as attention to detail and innovation, the team introduced daily testing to their analytics platform as well as automation, which improved overall productivity, and led to further improvements which positively impacted future reporting and data integrity.
Supporting Neurodivergent Professionals in the Workplace
In his book, The Power of Neurodiversity (2010), Thomas Armstrong talks about niche construction and that neurodivergent individuals, instead of having to adapt to a static, fixed, and ‘normal’ environment, can alter the environment in accordance with their unique brain. This niche construction involves a combination of personal considerations neurodivergent individuals can make, including career and lifestyle choices, assistive technologies, human resources, and other strategies tailored to the specific needs of the neurodivergent individual. It can be further enhanced by, as Armstrong states, surrounding oneself with people who see the best rather than the worst in them. This is supported by positive psychology and applying a strengths-based approach to neurodiversity in the workplace.
While there is not much data available on the numbers of neurodivergent professionals in the finance industry, there are examples of companies that are trying to create inclusive workspaces. The insurance firm Zurich UK, for instance, has last year started providing so-called sensory office maps that allow staff to find a workspace that may best suit their sensory needs in the moment. The benefit of this kind of support is that not only is it neuroinclusive, but it is inclusive of anyone who may have particular needs, for example those who may go through menopause. These sensory maps give staff the freedom of choice, which can lead to increased comfort, satisfaction, and productivity.
Other examples of creating a neuroinclusive workplace, are providing tailored support to the individual as not one size fits all. Further support and adjustments can be in how information may be communicated to a neurodivergent individual, offering flexible working arrangements (for example in terms of location as well as timings), providing awareness training to managers and colleagues, and offering assistive technologies. But this list by no means is exhaustive. In fact, there are ways in which the full breadth of an organisation can be made neuroinclusive by looking at recruitment and talent management, productive and adaptable working environments, adjustments processes, ensuring effective communication across the organisation, and by providing inclusive customer services.
The approach is highlighted in Bank of America’s ‘Neurodiversity in the Workplace’ Report which states that in order for organisations to be truly neuroinclusive, they must get into the fabric of their organisation and ways of working by looking beyond the immediate adjustments and by considering the “systems, processes, physical environments and cultural” aspects of their organisations.
The Impact of Lexxic’s Services
And, there is promising data coming from us at Lexxic, where the results from a recent impact study at a leading bank reviewing our assessments and follow-on services to change the working lives of neurodivergent individuals have shown that:
90% of HR professionals reported that employee performance had improved.
91% of managers reported an increase in employee confidence levels.
93% of employees said that they feel more confident to disclose their neurodifference.
94% of employees said that they are likely to remain with the organisation for the next 2 years.
At Lexxic, we’re here to help finance organisations harness the unique strengths of neurodivergent talent. Contact us to learn how our tailored support can foster an inclusive and innovative workplace.