Neurodiversity in the Workplace is here to stay!

Hello Dear Friends,

I hope you're well.

There are 52 days left in this year, which is brilliant!

As we think about how we can in our workplaces finish 2022 strong and in a way that recognises the talents, skills, contributions, learning, growth and successes in ourselves and in our teams.

I'd like to take a moment to reflect on our neurodiversity journey together. Because we've learnt a lot about what it's like to be neurodiverse in the workplace, we looked at a small range of conditions which include ADHD and Dyslexia.

Here are a couple of highlights I'd like us to reflect on 4 key neurodiversity learning points:

• Taken from Amazon AWS, "1 neurodiverse person is 1 neurodiverse person" and this means that although there are commonalities in some neurodiverse conditions, each neurodiverse person experiences it uniquely. Workplace Take Away: One size does not fit all! Be curious, ask questions and seek to implement support that is tailored and individual.
• Onboarding new members of staff that join your organisation and have declared that they are neurodiverse is an opportunity to create a working environment that is inclusive and supports their needs and your needs to enable thriving and high-performing teams. Workplace Take Away: Making reasonable adjustments at the start is easier than you think by working together with all relevant parties, HR, IT and occupational health. Make it a part of your on-boarding process to know what you offer and what you will do to meet needs that are new to your organisation.
• The talents of neurodiverse people are an asset to themselves and to forward-looking companies who wish to be at the forefront of innovation, transformation and ground-breaking new products and services. Workplace Take Away: Neurodiverse people are different, so your recruitment processes will need to change in order to attract and hire the right neurodiverse candidate for your opportunity. It's a two way street, and as an organisation starting with an inclusive hiring procedure deepens the breadth of the talent your organisation has access too!
• Neurodiverse people are human. We have good and bad days too! Because of how our brains are wired this can vary in the negative consequences of how we perform on those days. It can look like procrastination, strong negative emotions or thoughts, withdrawing and keeping to ourselves, being angry or frustrated. Workplace Take Away: Neurodiverse people are human too and so be compassionate. Take the time to ask how you can best support them when things are not going well. Give them grace and remember that tomorrow is a new day!

I also wanted to share with you that my Neurodiversity Myth-Busting Series has ended. I did 14 episodes and I'm happy to leave that content out there in the LinkedIn universe for people to discover and learn from!

Here are 4 of my favourite episodes which are bite sized 10minsish on replay below:

Neurodiversity doesn't affect us. Watch the replay: HERE

Neurodiversity isn't covered by the Equalities Act 2010. Watch the replay: HERE

People with ADHD just need to get organised! Watch the replay: HERE

Dyslexics are SLOW and have limited intelligence. Watch the replay: HERE

Today I'm in re-capping mode, so it would only be fair to let you know of some of the incredible work I'm doing in the neurodiversity space. Check out this list below on some of the ways I can support you to build a neuro-inclusive workplace.

1. Educating your employees on neurodiversity through workshops, lunch and learns or bespoke training. Topics include: ADHD and ADHD in Women, Dyslexia, Autism and Dyscalculia
2. Neurodiversity Training for Managers. For Managers that are seeking to recruit, retain and create high-performing teams. This group container for 8 managers will give you access to neurodiversity masterclasses, neurodiversity flashcards with tips for workplace productivity and support and access to consultancy for working towards a kitemark or regarding a specific neurodiversity issue such as implementing new recruitment or on-boarding procedures.
3. Providing your Employee Resource Groups with talks, and resources to support neurodiversity awareness, career development and talent retention.
4. An incredible enhancement for your Employee Assistance Programme, I offer a coaching product for those women that have been diagnosed with a neurodiverse condition later in life, my NeuroBrilliance Coaching programme is to help them adjust to their diagnosis, provide support with an action plan on how to thrive, be confident and accept all of themselves in this new version of them. You can refer an employee to this programme and sponsor their investment. Get in touch for more details.

So today I ask what's 1 thing you're going to do this week to support neurodiverse people in your workplace?

Have a good evening.

Warm Regards,

Ekua