Neuroinclusivity in Onboarding and Development

15 November 2024

In the third in a series of articles, Cybill Watkins MCIPP MBCS, product legislation manager, Zellis, reviews how employers can support new neurodivergent recruits at work and help them reach their full potential

The first two articles in this series explored the minefield of job applications and some of the struggles and hurdles a neurodivergent applicant may face. Now it’s time to review the life of a payroll professional and how to help the successful candidate flourish within the team.

Starting a new job, whether it’s within the team you’re already established in or a different one, can be extremely daunting for anyone. Then add in the challenges of neurodivergent conditions and the whole process can become too overwhelming, pushing us toward inadvertently shutting down before we have even started.

Onboarding

What helped me the most prior to starting a new job was meeting my new manager informally a few times, as well as those that I would be working with most closely. It’s very important to have a rapport in place at the beginning, to know a person and how they work, how they think and how I can behave around them. It also helps when they can get to know me too, understand my strengths, struggles and fears, and know that I just want to please. These informal ‘chats’ have been invaluable, especially as neurodiversity has only very recently been brought to the attention of employers.

As a manager, it’s very important to get to know the employee and what support they may need from the beginning. It could simply be having someone they’ve already met greet them on the first day, away from the office, and walking them in so that they don’t feel overwhelmed being in a strange place with strange people. Or it could be something more, such as offering a quiet space, different lighting or even a phased start over the first week.

Once the job offer has been made and accepted, you can ask what adjustments the employee will need. There are so many possible options, but these could include:

a desk away from the main thoroughfare
software additions
flexible working, maybe an extra day at home or flexi hours
limiting the number of people in a meeting
changes to communication methods
coaching / counselling sessions
adjusted lighting, heating, visual stimulants
time away from the desk after a long period of concentration
only dealing with queries from certain sources, i.e. not on the phone, time off straight after a significant event (paid).

Many of those who have lived with traits may already have some idea of what they need, but managers should remember that the employer has a legal responsibility to make adjustments and recent court cases have proved that an employee doesn’t necessarily have to ask for them if the employer notices their struggles.

Even before their first day, you can organise informal chats with the new team member to plan their first few weeks. On their first day, you can then set out a daily plan for meeting the team and key stakeholders around the business and make sure that they are happy with the speed of introductions, setting up workloads and any compulsory training that is needed. They could be someone who wants to delve into work without being phased by anything, but do remember there could be a neurodivergent struggle behind this. They may be so well tuned to masking that they won’t consider burnout or adjustments that would make their work life more comfortable. You should still offer and ask at each stage, as well as plan a steady introduction.

When it comes to the first few days in the office, gentle team introductions should be staged throughout the initial period. Follow the new employee’s ability to take in the meetings and how they respond. They may be absolutely fine meeting strangers or this could be an area that they really struggle with. This could be planned together before their first day, so let them guide you and be prepared to postpone meetings if they say it’s too much or start to show signs of feeling overwhelmed. Again, they may well be able to guide you on the signs that indicate things are getting too much.

Something else that’s helped me, and in turn helped my manager, is a work health passport. This is a formal document that the employee can fill in, and keep adding to over time, that has information about them and what helps them. It could be one that the employee or business has designed themselves or a free downloadable one, such as from Autistic Network (see https://ow.ly/vSOy50TVHlQ) or one that NHS has designed for their employees (see https://ow.ly/p5H050TVHr0). These passports have been used for a long time for those employees with physical or health conditions but are just as helpful for those who are neurodivergent. The employee can write down what works and doesn’t work for them and how to or how not to communicate with them, how to help them in times of need. It can also include the best time of day to set a task or what type of working space helps them manage challenges. The great thing about this document is it’s fluid and can be added to and amended when needed. It can also be used to record reasonable adjustments and what part of it helped / didn’t help.

It’s so important to have regular catch ups, not only to help the employee develop in their role, but also to give them a safe open space to bring out struggles or worries. These don’t have to just be about work – to be able to offload can help someone move forwards or learn to live with / adjust to the situation.

All of the above has been aimed at a new employee, but another consideration could be someone already working for you who has been promoted. Most adjustments wouldn’t be needed as they already know the team and their manager. Whether they are neurodivergent or not, you could still use some of it to help the individual transition into the new role, such as introducing a daily plan, and having regular catch ups is a must.

Retention

As we all know, the first few months build the foundation to a career within a company, but even getting that right doesn’t mean that amazing talent is retained. It is very hard to give an exact solution to retention, but some of the following could help:

understand your team and what / how to engage and motivate them
ensure the culture is open, supportive and inclusive
keep the environment stable, and if changes have to happen, engage with the team early on, i.e. if you’re introducing hot desks or moving office / location
have a robust and inclusive development programme / policy.

Remember to be positive and encourage your team. Don’t compare them to each other or previous post holders and actively encourage their personality to shine through.