Create A Healthy Environment For ND Employees- Let’s See How
God has created everyone differently. Some are good at writing, and some are not. While some people can pick up each word the other person pronounces, we also have people who listen to the sound and do not understand what they are saying. Everyone’s mental level is at a different level.
Also, we have some strange conditions related to a person’s brain, categorized into Neurodegenerative disorders. If which patient’s mind does not work the same as a normal person’s, they need special protocol or special treatment. It’s not like they can understand or can’t live a normal life; they can, but they will understand 70% compared to the normal person, and with some special protocols, they will live their life normally.
We all know that unemployment is very common in today’s generation, and a person with any neurodegenerative condition will also have to suffer unemployment. Also, if any company or institute gives them a job, it will be less suitable and deserving even if they have a high-quality degree.
Also working in the office or any working place might be difficult for them as if you give them a file to read out all the documents, they won’t be able to read that as all the words or alphabets will be just lines or rows to them. But you can’t neglect that those people are somehow more capable of doing much more than normal people as their perspective or way of thinking is different from the normal person. They will always get to the point a normal person can’t even think of.
So, if neurodivergent people have some disadvantages, they also have some benefits or advantages over normal people. In this article, we will discuss those people and tell you how you can support those people in the workplace.
Neurodivergent People
Neurodivergent people fall under neurological conditions like Autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and many more. Although those people have this disorder, they also have some unique things that can’t be present in a neurotypical person. We can take the example of a person with dyslexia; he will suffer in writing or reading, but on the other hand, he will have a good grip on visual thinking and mechanical skills. It is always said that when God takes away one ability in an alternate, he gives something special to the person.
These people think or take everything around them differently than the normal person. Their perspective and thoughts on life are different from normal people. It is also experienced that having a diverse mind in your office will help you grow more. You have all the employees of the same mind and strategies, but if just one person is neurodegenerative, he will help you look at all the issues from different perspectives.
According to certain research, it was concluded that any group in the office with Neuro neuro-divergent person will give you 30% more productive output than the other group with no diverse mind person. Having diverse-minded people at your workplace is very important so that they can take you to a different world of perspectives and ways.
As those people are different from normal people, they will also need different protocols compared to the normal person. Having a neurodivergent person at the workplace means you have to add some rules and regulations for him, which will differ from others, and also have to deal with him differently. Let’s see how you can help those people in your workplace so that they will get comfortable there, and you can also have that person in your company.
1. Understand The Neurodiversity
Above all, it is very important for you first to understand the term neurodiversity, what it is, and what conditions can fall under this word. Because when you don’t know about this thing, you won’t be able to understand which environment will be good for them and how you can make them more relaxed or comfortable at your workplace.
So first, know the conditions and learn about the situation or condition of a person having neurodiversity. As all of them have different symptoms, you have to understand the. And according to that, you can make the whole environment comfortable for them. You can also gain more knowledge or information from different community groups that have neurodivergent patients with them.
2. Renovate Your Hiring Procedure
According to the usual hiring process, everyone in this century has the mindset that the things that make a good candidate include:
- Having good eye contact.
- Being more friendly and mature.
- Having better communication skills.
- Having a bag full of various experiences with confidence.
But these are the norms that have made it difficult for the neurodivergent to make their earning, and yet most of them are unemployed. According to those norms and conditions that are required for the best candidate, no neurodivergent can pass the hiring test; for example, a person with Autism is not able to make eye contact, and, on that basis, the interviewer will not accept their hiring.
Also, because of these requirements, many people with neurodegenerative disorders will not disclose their disability during the interview and somehow pass the interview. Still, later, they will encounter many issues in the office and won’t be able to talk to the owner about their situation.
In this condition, the only possible way to help those people is to let them know you welcome neurodegenerative people, too. In this way, they will be comfortable in front of you, even in the interview, so that when you hire them, you will consider them while making the policies or rules for the office employees.
3. Give Them Comfortable Environment
Some neurodegenerative patients are very uncomfortable in noisy environments, even you will see that they are not comfortable around the employees in the office. In this situation, you should be willing to accommodate them in all possible ways.
You have to make them a separate quiet place where they can work easily, or also if you can, make them separate offices so that they won’t get uncomfortable that everyone is watching them or whatever. Also, people with ADHD may find it very difficult to sit for a long time and won’t be able to attend meetings well.
So, for them, you have to either create a short meeting or you can do some breaks in the meeting so that they will be comfortable and can easily pay attention to whatever is happening in the meetings. You also have to be considerate to those who have dyslexia because those people are not able to remember things for a longer time, so there is a huge chance of them forgetting the deadlines or any complex instructions that you have given them. So, it would be best if you did a daily reminder so they can remember it easily.
4. Always Have Plain Communication
We see in normal employees or head conversations that sometimes there is sarcasm, rudeness, or serious conversation. Still, for people with neurodegenerative conditions, communicating in simple or clear words is very helpful for both people.
In this way, you can easily deliver your message, or the ND person can easily understand it. Most people with Autism have the issue of not understanding the words. Sometimes, they are unable to understand normal or plain words. So always try to communicate with them in easy or plain words.
For people with Autism, it is also a common habit to stick with the same daily routine, or they won’t adjust the sudden changes in the plan. So, if you change the plan or any routine, you have to inform them early, even before telling the other employees, so they can easily adjust to the new plan.
5. Training And Coaching
Training and coaching on neurodiversity are also very effective as this will help other organizations get out of their stereotypical thoughts and can easily welcome diverse minds in their companies. It will also help the other employees understand the nature of the neurodegenerative person and how they can create a comfortable environment for them and support them differently.
When a whole group is working on a certain thing, this is very important to have an understanding among members, but having an ND person in the group sometimes may create a rift as his perspective and the normal person’s perspective are different, and they might not agree with each other.
In training, you should also train other employees and the ND employees on how they can manage that situation without creating any issues between them. This training will also help the ND person to know that the company is working hard to cooperate with their situation, and they also have to cooperate with them.
6. Engage With Community Groups
In our society, hundreds of communities represent the neurodegenerative people. Although you welcome any person with a neurodegenerative condition, how do they know that specific company is hiring people with ND conditions? As people with Tourette’s syndrome are very obvious and can’t hide it, they have so low confidence that they think they can’t have a normal job.
Some of them don’t even try their luck. For those people, you can communicate with different community groups that have access to ND people and can also work with them so that they can give you different ND people who are willing to work but can’t because of the mindset of neuro-typical people. You can also get different types of advice or training from these groups to create a positive environment for neurodegenerative people.
7. Commit To The Induction Target
Many companies or organizations already has set the target of having a particular amount of neuro-divergent employee in their company. This act is only done by those who know the true effect of having a neurodivergent in your workplace.
There is a company named SAP, a German software company, which introduces programs that say Autism at work, which means they will welcome all the people having Autism; they made a target that they will have at least 1% of autistic employees in their company.
This was all done back in 2013. and after that, many other companies started setting this kind of target to have diverse minds employees. After the initial taking by the companies, they all started to create a hiring process neuro diversity-friendly so that no one can feel uncomfortable coming there.
It was noted in that process that all companies with neuro-divergent employees had their best outcomes. They were experiencing quality improvement, a boost in innovation, and increased employee engagement. With these or many more benefits, all those companies decided to change their criteria and make it neuro-diversity friendly so that they can also enjoy those improvements or gains for their company.
8. Positive Language
More than just having neuro-divergent employees in your company is required. You have to make them feel encouraged or valued so that they can be comfortable in that place. Also, they don’t have to hide their disorder if you create an encouraging environment for them.
If you have any company’s vision, statement, or any other rules or regulations, make sure to change it for the neuro-divergent employees when you welcome them so that they can see that you are not just having their mind for your benefit but also giving them more importance and you truly understand them.
Only in that way, they can be more of themselves at your workplace. Make an ad or something on your company’s social media accounts for neurodivergent so that everyone with this condition knows you welcome them and have no issues with them. It will attract them to your company and help you get more benefits or gains.
9. Rearrange Your Workplace
There are some neurodiverse who have issues with different things like they can’t see any place messed up or they can’t work in a noisy environment. For all those employees, you have to rearrange your workplace so they don’t get in trouble.
When you hire any person having neurodiversity, you can also ask them if they need a proper cabin or some privacy or a calm environment. Although the office environment is always very convenient or calm but still many neurodivergent people can have crowds or bunches of people around them.
So you have to provide them with a separate room or cabin where they can work properly. You may have to rearrange all the office setup just for one neuro-divergent employee, but you must do this. If you want the change in your company, you must first do the changes for the person who can bring the changes.
Having a comfortable environment for neuro-divergent employees will also help them to work with ease, and in that way, they can overcome all their challenges. Along with the environment, you have to change the employees’ behavior and make them understand the neurodivergent employees so that they can’t create any problems for them.
10. Ask Them If They Are In Need
In providing them comfortable environment, it is also your duty or responsibility to frequently ask them whether they need anything. There are some neurodivergent who are shy in asking anything, so you have to take the initial step and ask them if they need anything.
Please don’t make it look like you are pitying them. Make them feel special and can bring change to the world. You have to make them feel different or special but in the correct manner. You have to make them comfortable with other employees. Though they are your employees, just like others, they need a special protocol compared to others. It’s not like you are giving them a favor; it’s more like helping them to overcome their situation.
11. Make Other Understand
Doing something for one person and not for others will create a bit of competition or rift among them. They will start having the vibe that you are giving them more importance than them. In that situation, you have to be more considerate to both sides; you have to make other employees understand his situation and make them know him so that they will understand that he is somehow special and needs that protocol.
If you pay no heed to this situation, it will create a mess at your office and will not be good for the results of your company. When other employees hate for you and the company, they won’t be able to give you a more productive outcome, and, in this way, your company might suffer a loss. So, handle the situation with more carefulness.
12. Make Them Identify Their Strength
People having neurodiversity conditions always have the nature that they don’t know what they are capable of. They need to learn their strengths. Although they have disorders or different conditions, that condition also helps them in different ways. They have a new perspective on all things.
You have to help them by knowing their strengths so they can know what the difference in them is, making them capable of changing the world. Make them know their strength and also help them to polish it so that with the help of their strength, they can live their lives with more passion or productivity.
Along with strengths, you can also tell them their weakness not insultingly but only to help them overcome their weakness in all possible ways. Create different types of activities in your office that can help them identify their strengths to work on them and make them more polished.
You can also give them different tasks in the office to make them do different things and see which particular thing they are good at. It will also benefit you as you can decide which work will suit you and which can give you more productive results.
13. Give Them Suitable Role
You can’t give a person with a problem remembering words the duty of remembering all the files or presenting them to all the staff members. Or giving the whole PPT to a person to present in the meeting, knowing that he is shy and can’t say a word in front of 10 to 20 people.
It is not like making them adapt to that situation. It is like insulting them in front of the whole staff. So, for the best, you have to choose the most suitable and deserving role for them; for that, you should first know what they are good at. So, you can give them that position to handle. It will also help them to work easily, and you can help them polish their skill more easily.
14. Make Work-From-Home Opportunity
You have hired a neurodivergent person in your office, but he needs to get you efficient work or create a mess at your working pace. Upon asking, he told you that this environment, these bright lights, noisy voices, all of these things are making him uncomfortable, and he can’t do his work with more concentration.
So, what action will you take? At this point, you can make only one decision: allowing them to work from home, and they can submit their work online because you can’t dim the office light just for them as it will be more inconvenient for other employees.
So, for the betterment of all the employees, make them stay in their comfortable area and tell them to work online from their homes. This way, they can do their work to their full potential, benefiting the company’s outcomes. Looking at this opportunity, many other neurodivergent can also approach your company, which can’t stand a single person in front of them so that they can easily work from home and get paid.
15. Make More Accommodations
Without taking any steps, you can directly ask them if they are comfortable with that because there is a chance that when you arrange a party for them, they won’t like it as they are uncomfortable around people. You can ask them that we will do this for you.
Are you OK with it? Also, make them understand that you can do everything that is best or comfortable for them, but you can assure them you will do all the possible things for their comfort that will be easy for the company. Don’t just say that you can’t do this, make them know what are the things that you already have done for them, and what you will do in the future and also what are the reasons that you won’t be able to do the others.
Why Having Neuro Diversity In The Workplace Is Important?
Having different people at your workplace with diverse or different minds will help you grow more and look at things from different perspectives other than the normal one. Let’s see what the benefits of having diverse-minded people in the workplace place:
1. Having Different Talents
When you hire different people with different neurodiversity, you invite different abilities or talents into your workplace. People with different neurological conditions have their own way of thinking; some enjoy gatherings, and some do not. Some people like to work around people like normal people, but some avoid people in all situations. Having these different abilities at your workplace will help you do much more than have positive results.
2. Streamlined Process
When neuro-degenerative persons of different abilities work at a place, they open the door to new inventions or new ideas. This is because having different people with different neurological conditions will make them think differently and give you different ideas that a neurotypical person can’t even imagine thinking.
Even some ideas or thinking of neurodegenerative persons are out of the league for a normal person’s mind. Even if you have the record of your company, you will see a huge difference in the company from the date Neurodivergent joined.
3. Learning Process
When you work with different people’s minds, you learn many things. Whenever you join a new job or office, you meet people of the same mindset. But for neurodivergent people, you will feel the great difference in their mindset. Working with them will also help you to think differently.
You can question them why they have done this, and when you get the answer, it will be shocking for you as to why you think that way. It is always said to be friends with the good person in his mind. When you are friends with a person of a brilliant mind, every conversation between you will open different gates of knowledge and interests for you. Being friends with neurodivergent people will help you to gain new experiences to tackle their mood swings or different situations.
4. Improved Culture And Morale
Having neuro-divergent people at your workplace means having different perspectives in a single place; with this diversity, you can also improve your office employees’ culture and morale. They will develop a more understanding nature toward other people. And also helps neurodivergent in many situations. Also, it will be a new topic or knowledge for those who did not know about neurodegenerative conditions; they can learn more and experience it with them.
Conclusion
Neuro diversity means the difference in the brain’s neurons compared to the normal person’s neurons. This condition will develop different symptoms in the patient due to which some might be comfortable, and somethings might not.
All those conditions are different from one another, like dyslexia, which is a learning disability. Learning, writing, reading, or spelling skills will affect patients with this condition. Those people can only write or pronounce some of the words correctly.
Many other conditions fall under neurodegenerative conditions. These types of people need a specific environment to work in, and you have to create a peaceful and suitable environment for them so that they can perform well in their work and also give you potentially strong outcomes. Having this type of person at the workplace is also very important as it will help you understand things differently.
In this article, we have shared all the possible ways with the help of which you can easily create an environment that will be more comforting and suitable for employees with neurodegenerative conditions.
FAQs
Isn’t it a loss having neurodegenerative employees at your workplace?
If you understand their abilities or strengths, they will become your lucky charm. Their brilliant ideas take your company to the next level of success.
How can we deal with the mood swings of neurodegenerative employees at the office?
You have to make the environment comfortable so they won’t have any difficulty there. Also, you have to be more understanding towards them so they can open up to you whenever they face any difficulty at the workplace.
