Analysis
By s1jobs
FOR those struggling to find suitably talented staff, the problem might be that they aren’t looking in the right places.
There’s been much discussion and some progress on the issue of gender diversity, with the drive for ethnic inclusion following in its wake. Meanwhile, sexual orientation is dealt with as standard in virtually every diversity and inclusion policy.
What is often not addressed is neurodiversity. A recent report by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) found only 27 per cent of organisations could say with certainty that appropriate references are included in their policies.
READ MORE: Taxing questions being asked about remote working
This even though as many as one in seven people are estimated to be neurodivergent, which covers a range of conditions such as autism, dyslexia and Tourette syndrome. Furthermore, though the vast majority of neurodivergents are qualified and enthusiastic about gaining employment, half of leaders and managers in the ILM’s research admitted they would be uncomfortable hiring a person with one or more of these conditions.
The highest level of bias is against those with Tourette syndrome and ADHD/ADD, with the hesitancy seeming to stem from negative stereotypes of these conditions. For example, most people assume everyone with Tourette’s has a swearing tic, but only 10-15% actually do.
There are also prevailing misconceptions that neurodivergents will be more difficult to manage, or lack the ability to function well in a workplace. This too often overrides the skills they bring to the table – many are highly analytical and excellent at solving problems, with an outstanding ability to focus on the task at hand.
READ MORE: Mind the gap as pay parity stats get messy amid Covid
So how best to go about harnessing this talent? The obvious first step is for organisations to review their inclusion policies to ensure there are provisions for neurodivergent conditions.
From there, employers need to examine their hiring processes, as these are often set up in ways that filter out neurodivergents. Microsoft, for example, has implemented a more autismfriendly interview experience that takes place over several days to give applicants every chance of showcasing their talents.
For those who doubt whether it’s worth the investment, consider this: billionaire Howard Hughes suffered from OCD, entrepreneur Richard Branson has dyslexia, and teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg has Asperger’s syndrome. No one could question the impact each has had on the world around them.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here