Why do BUSINESSES invest in neurodiversity-affirming culture and practices?

Businesses that understand and value brain-differences capitalise on their strengths:

• Unique perspectives, creativity and innovation: Diversity of brains results in a broad range of ideas. The more diverse the perspectives of your staff, the better chances of arriving at products and solutions that will best serve the company and the wide spectrum of you customers' needs.

  
  

• Diverse skill sets and strong abilities: Diverse staff have a broad range of contrasting and complimentary abilities - it is in your business' interest to tap into them! Attention to detail and great pattern-detection, outside-the-box and conceptual thinking, risk-taking, passion and resilience are contributed by neurodivergent staff.

• In-depth expertise: Many neurodivergent individuals have interest-driven nervous systems - growing our expertise in the area of interest is a powerful source of motivation and satisfaction for us. As a result, many are true experts with great depth of knowledge.

• Positive Workplace Culture: Active effort to create a work environment where everyone feels included is a good investment: in those environments staff engagement, retention, creativity, productivity, motivation and wellbeing increase.

• Reaching all kinds of customers: Diverse staff = diverse perspectives = a broad range of customers' needs that businesses foresee and satisfy.

  
  

• Tapping into the rich and under-utilized talent-pool: Most neurodivergent people are unemployed or employed below their ability-level. Given the shortage of skilled staff in the marketplace, as well as the unique value neurodivergent staff bring, this large, quality talent-pool is a resource your business should take active steps to benefit from.

Further reading:

NiB and University of Birkbeck, Research Report 2024 - Neurodiversity in Business

2023-11-08_NiB_BKK_Neurodiversity-in-Business-Report-2023.pdf (neurodiversityinbusiness.org)