The case for change: Why encourage neuro-inclusion?
We are living in a world of increasing rates of identification and eventual diagnosis of neurodiverse conditions.
Some are confident in disclosing this information to employers, but many are still reticent. This has led to a tendency of bottom-up pushes within organisations for adjustments and more inclusive practices but organisations aren’t always best equipped for this.
What is needed in conjunction with this movement of the workforce is change at board, policy and culture level to enable full inclusion and for organisations to fully benefit from the differences neurodiversity can bring.
Despite some progress, a significant employment gap persists.
Only 53.7% of disabled individuals are employed, compared to 82.7% of non-disabled people (ONS, Jan-Mar 2023).
Among autistic individuals, only 30% are employed (Buckland Review, 2024).
To address this, the Disability Employment Charter proposes nine key changes, such as employment and pay gap reporting – see Appendix 6 Disability Employment Charter for the full listing). Moreover, companies are increasingly joining the Neurodiversity Employers Index (NDEI) to measure and demonstrate neuro-inclusivity.
These statistics show that there have been and still are significant barriers in place to the employment of neurodiverse people.
Change must begin with Neuro-inclusion at the board level and extend through the organisation.
Co-operatives, with their election-based recruitment strategy, face challenges due to low neurodivergent employment rates. Additionally, some older neurodivergent adults may not yet be diagnosed or self-identified, adding further barriers to board participation.
This demonstrates a number of risks in play to the progression and success of UK co-operatives and below is an outline of some of these, along with the benefits of bringing in a neuro- inclusive culture from board level and beyond.
| The benefits of Neuro-inclusion | The risks from Neuro-exclusion |
|---|---|
| Being ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding societal and legislative change as it occurs rather than after the fact. | Not aligning with legal and social trends The introduction of the employment charter [1] and the general increasing awareness of the UK workforce of their own Neurodiverse conditions. |
The diversity of experience, thought and innovation from Neurodiverse people is a strong mitigator of group think.[2] Through other co-op publications, group think is something that we strive to mitigate against. | A lack of diverse perspectives means organisations risk missing out on opportunities to do things differently, stand out from the crowd and meet their full potential. |
| Greater organisational adaptability through trends and gaps in the market being identified more efficiently with the attention to details to back thoughts up with data. This would engage the Neurodiverse members, drive positive leadership and mitigate risks. | Being less adaptable. Neurodiverse people are often known for their ability to see patterns emerging quickly, this includes within evolving markets and societal trends. Missing out on these could have serious implications to financial management. |
| Due to the current underemployment of Neurodiverse talent, availability in this market will be higher than in others.[3] | Talent pools - Not fully tapping into currently untapped pools of talent. |
| Employing more Neurodiverse people at board level increases the visibility of Neurodiversity in the workplace, invites initiatives to adapt policies, workplace adjustments and culture to eradicate ableism by embracing neuro-inclusion. | Increasing levels of bias and discrimination - A lack of neurodiverse representation may reinforce workplace ableism and bias, creating barriers to inclusivity throughout the organisation. This can lead to higher turnover, lower employee morale, and challenges in attracting top talent. |
| Neuro-inclusion encourages disclosure. If people become comfortable to disclose, conversations about the effects of conditions become possible and not looked upon as ‘difficult conversations’ from both sides. | Non disclosure makes it harder to gain a true picture on both numbers and to track how changes are benefitting the individuals and the organisations. |
| Neurodiverse people and their families look to be employed by and buy from organisations that have a good reputation for neuro-inclusion. This will keep increasing as awareness continues growing and in the workplace and will increase team cohesion.[4] | Reputation and stakeholder trust – the boards and organisations are made up for members, there is a risk of the members losing trust but also of reputational damage outside of membership. |
Incorporating neurodiverse members on boards not only reduces the risks listed, but also positions our member organisations as forward-thinking, inclusive, and innovative leaders in industry, no matter the size of the organisation, further embedding the principles listed within the co-operative corporate governance code.
References
See Neurodiversity in the boardroom: Appendices page for full references and links.
[1] Appendix 2: Addressing disability employment disadvantage
[2] Planning for board Excellence, Co-operatives UK
[3] Appendix 2: Addressing disability employment disadvantage
[4] Appendix 1: Psychological Safety, Iterum Ltd