How neuroinclusive are your hiring practices?

As the popular paradigm goes: ‘There is no such thing as a “typical” brain’. The term ‘neurodiversity’ was coined to describe the differences in human brains, in the same way the word ‘biodiversity’ is an all-encompassing word for the variation of life on our planet.

Given our differences are something to be celebrated, it’s surprising how consistently people are encouraged to conform to an extremely narrow and limited definition of what’s considered ‘typical’. This not only prevents many individuals from fulfilling their potential in numerous aspects of life, but keeps society from exploring what this diversity can bring.

Neurominorities face significant barriers into work

These barriers and enforced homogeneity are arguably particularly pronounced in the world of work, where inflexible and pre-defined rules govern much of what we do. Misconceptions around the impact of neurodiverse hires on the culture of an organisation are also prevalent amongst employers, many of whom are concerned about potential disruption to established ways of working.

This means that many neurominorities encounter hurdles during typical recruitment processes that put them at a disadvantage compared to their neurotypical contemporaries. Filling out an application form, participating in job interviews and performing at assessment centres can all present significant challenges, with even something many would consider straightforward, such as journeying to a prospective workplace, causing significant stress.

However, this doesn’t mean that they’re wrong for the role, or wouldn’t excel if given the opportunity. On the contrary, neurodivergent cognition is thought to have vast potential for creative approaches to problem solving, presenting a unique opportunity for employers who are looking to approach organisational challenges in novel ways.

Step by step: How to make your recruitment processes neuroinclusive

• Provide the job description in different formats
• Help applicants showcase their potential
• Ask about any reasonable adjustments
• Create opportunities to try out the job

The fact is, traditional routes into work have historically been difficult for a great many groups of people to access – not just neurominorities. These groups – known as underrepresented talent – often have unique skillsets that can help bridge the talent gap.

In response to this challenge we created Skills and Learning at Hays, whose team help organisations address complex talent acquisition challenges by sourcing and upskilling high-potential, hard-to-access talent. Neurominorities are a key target demographic for these recruitment campaigns, and our hiring processes are designed to help individuals from these backgrounds showcase their full potential.

The term ‘neurodiverse’ is of course very broad, and can encompass a range of neurological conditions, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism or dyslexia, among many others. This can lead employers to question the kind of accommodations they should make for candidates – with all this infinite variety, how can they meet their individual needs?

Here are just a few simple steps organisations can take to reduce obstacles for neurominorities during the recruitment process:

1. Provide the job description in different formats

Neurominorities may approach the processing of information in a different way to the norm, but the truth is that we all have different learning styles. Some people are visual or aural learners, while others prefer to read things or absorb information in their own time. An accommodation that should be simple enough for most employers to make is to provide the job advert or description in a variety of mediums for optimum accessibility, whether this is in writing, or via an audio or video recording. You could consider creating one in the form of an infographic, so the key information is both eye catching and easy to digest.

This approach can even be extended to the applications themselves – depending on how a candidate feels most comfortable communicating, they could be given the option of submitting a personal statement in written, audio or video format.

2. Help applicants showcase their potential

Job interviews and other assessments should not exist to catch candidates out, expose gaps in their knowledge, or dismiss them out of hand. Instead they should be used to encourage and enable the applicant to be the very best version of themselves, and allow them opportunities to showcase this.

With unemployment across the neurodiverse community disproportionately high at 30-40%, it’s clear that many could be at a disadvantage when it comes to drawing on experience in interviews. Hiring for potential, and asking future-focused, life-based questions that are purely designed to gauge someone’s core skills can help to remove roadblocks for neurominorities. Making clear what exact skill you’re wanting candidates to showcase with each specific question – communication or adaptability, for example – can also help to make the process more transparent.

3. Ask about any reasonable adjustments

Reasonable adjustments are – technically speaking – any changes that organisations must make to ensure workers with disabilities or physical or mental health conditions are not substantially disadvantaged when going through the recruitment process. But they’re more than just a tick box on a form. Rather, they’re an opportunity for employers to ask: how can we help you to work at your best?

This support could take many forms, and needn’t be complicated. It may be, for example, that an applicant would prefer to keep the same point of contact throughout the application process. Or they might need a map to help them visualise their journey to an assessment centre in advance.

In terms of the interviews and assessments themselves, judging candidates on what they communicate, rather than how they communicate, can also help people to showcase their potential more freely. They may prefer to walk around while talking, for example, or give an answer in bullet points rather than prose.

4. Create opportunities to try out the job

For many neurodiverse individuals, the opportunity to fully realise the day to day of a prospective role with hands-on experience could be invaluable. The assessment centres we conduct through Skills and Learning at Hays frequently incorporate a ‘day in the life…’ approach, where applicants are given the opportunity to try out the tasks they’ll be expected to undertake firsthand. This element of the recruitment process is beneficial to all applicants, not just neurominorities, allowing them to demonstrate their abilities more widely rather than responding to specific competency-based questions. It also gives people the opportunity to realise whether or not it’s a job they’d enjoy and be suited to, leading to improved engagement and retention rates further down the line.

Ultimately, diversity in organisations enhances trust and facilitates innovation. Many of the modifications that can help clear the pathway into job opportunities for neurominorities will also help make the recruitment process fairer for all applicants, perpetuating a democratic culture that gives people from a wealth of backgrounds a say in the decisions that shape our future. For this reason, we recommend reviewing and revising hiring practices with neurodiversity in mind.

If you’re interested in hearing how our Skills and Learning Academy Programmes can help you tap into undiscovered talent – including those from neurodiverse backgrounds – please get in touch.