More than two-thirds (68 per cent) of U.S. employees say they’re either unfamiliar with or don’t understand the concept of neurodiversity, according to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting.
The survey, which polled more than 1,200 workers, found fewer than a fifth (16 per cent) said there have been formal conversations about neurodiversity in their organization and only 19 per cent said neurodiversity is part of their employer’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
More than half (57 per cent) of respondents said training in sensitivity to social differences would be valuable and a similar number (56 per cent) indicated they’d be interested in training on managing neurodivergent employees. However, only 14 per cent said this training is offered at their workplace.
Read: Sounding Board: How employers can foster a neuro-inclusive workplace
Seven in 10 (69 per cent) workers said their employer doesn’t seek out advice and input from neurodivergent employees when designing office spaces, teams and project management systems.
As well, a majority (85 per cent) said they aren’t aware of promotions of neurodivergent workers. The survey noted this finding isn’t surprising, given that performance metrics for neurotypical employees may not be aligned with the skills of neurodiverse workers. Indeed, the ability to communicate clearly (55 per cent) and stay organized (54 per cent) were important evaluation criteria among employees, skills that are often challenging for neurodivergent workers.
“Our research is clear that there is much work to be done in terms of raising awareness in the workplace about neurodivergent employees and implementing training and accommodations that enable these employees to thrive,” said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer at Eagle Hill, in a press release. “If leaders aren’t trained on how to effectively manage workers and there isn’t a culture that values their skills, companies can’t leverage the unique strengths of these employees.”
Read: How KPMG is recruiting, supporting employees with disabilities, neurodiversity