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Soundbites | Catalyst
Neurodiversity
IN THE WORKPLACE
How can business embrace neurodiversity? Ralph Jones
reports from a roundtable on this topical issue.
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eurodiversity is a relatively new
term, increasingly used in talent
strategy, referring to people with
dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism and other
neurological conditions. Still poorly
understood, it was the theme of a recent roundtable
for senior talent-acquisition and recruitment
specialists in the world of banking.
Participants included special guest Ray
Coyle, UK chief executive of Auticon, a unique,
multinational IT consultancy and social enterprise,
which exclusively employs adults with autism as
IT consultants. He stressed that the UK faces a
shortage of STEM skills in fast-growing areas such
as data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and
machine learning. Meanwhile, only 16% of the
700,000 people diagnosed with autism are in full-
time employment, despite many having talents
vital to the STEM industry.
Autism, Coyle explained, is a life-long
developmental condition for which there is no
cure. The neurons in an autistic brain are visibly
different. However, staff at Auticon resist the
condition being framed as a disability. Many
people with autism are exceptionally proficient
in specific skills but below average in others.
Through work with the University of Berlin,
Coyle learned that people with autism are often
better at pattern recognition, attention to detail,
sustained concentration and logical analysis than
the general population – an understanding that
inspired Auticon’s launch.
“It’s about getting everybody to do what they
do best,” said Coyle. “People with autism will
not be led by assumptions in the same way as
neurotypical people are.”
To recruit neurodivergent people, Coyle
advises employers to start by identifying and
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publicising the positives of their business for this
demographic. Applicants will be more likely to
disclose their neurodiversity if they understand
that their skills are welcomed – a crucial step
if businesses are to make adjustments to their
recruitment process.
“When people diagnosed with neurological
conditions are applying to big, scary banks,
there’s a temptation to keep their diagnosis to
themselves,” he explained.
He added that “an employer should tell an
autistic applicant what changes would be made
to the recruitment process to accommodate
his or her requirements.
“Just saying ‘our doors are open, come on
in’ isn’t going to be enough. It’s multifaceted
and more complex than that.”
Unfair disadvantage
The phrasing of job advertisements
often deters neurodiverse people
from applying. For example, someone
with autism, being very literal, might
not apply for a role simply because it
specifies two years of Java experience,
when they only have 23 months’ worth
of experience.
Chairman of Auticon’s advisory board,
Sir David Walker, added that interviews pose
similar obstacles, since massaging the truth to
impress an interviewer isn’t something that
comes naturally to many neurodiverse people.
If the role in question is never going to require
this sort of skill, the process seems unnecessary
and unfair.
Asked whether any companies have made
progress in this area, Coyle explained that one
company he works with removes details such