What is Neurodiversity in the workplace?
Neurodiversity in the workplace is creating an inclusive and supportive environment for your neurodiverse employees. It is about attitude and acceptance that your employee’s minds all work differently, and this needs to be considered when planning your office space. Neurodivergent conditions can include ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, and autism spectrum condition all of which work best in different environments.
Why designing an office space for everyone is important
20% of the population is neurodiverse. These individuals bring unique strengths and perspectives contributing to innovation and problem solving in business. You do not need to reinvent the wheel when designing an office space for all minds, but a good designer should always be thinking about how the space will affect everyone.
Designing a space to suit your employee’s neurodiverse needs will have a big impact on overall well-being and comfort creating a positive atmosphere with a more united team dynamic. Your company will not only be attracting neurodiverse people but also gain a competitive advantage with an increase in employee productivity.
Key challenges for Neurodiversity at work
- Acceptance that your employees work differently
Your office space may work well for you and a number of employees, but not accepting your workspace does not work for everyone will lead to having an uninclusive environment. This could lead to either a high staff turnover or teams not working at full productivity, due to the office environment causing discomfort or difficulty in concentrating for your employees. - Designing a space for multiple needs
Supporting neurodiversity in the workplace is about providing personal control over their environment, as no two neurodiverse people are the same. This brings the challenge of designing a space for multiple needs, often more space is required to create areas suitable for individuals to choose to work from. - The stigma
According to research, 60% of neurodivergent people experience stigma or feel misunderstood at some point in their careers. Some examples of the stigma include lack of support, discrimination, lack of knowledge and unreasonable adjustments. Specialised training to support neurodivergent employees is key to getting around the stigma and understanding how their minds work.
Best in class Neurodiverse office designs
In 2021, Barclays opened five buildings to attract the best talent, driving innovation and collaboration. They had a specific focus on neurodiversity through a partnership with Scottish Autism. Key considerations in the design process included lighting, sound environment, colours, textures, signage and fire escapes.
SAP go further than focusing on office design for their neurodiverse employees. They make inclusivity a focus in their culture. One initiative they own is the ‘Employee Network Groups’ where like-minded employees are able to come together and discuss, learn and develop the way their minds work best. These groups include the Autism Inclusion Network, Generations Network, and Cultures Network. This is one of many initiatives SAP runs to support their employees and is why they won 42 D&I awards in 2022.
The Guinness Storehouse has received an accreditation from Ireland’s National Autism Charity for the work they completed on the sensory-friendly visitor experiences. The work included the staff receiving extensive training to better understand how to cater for neurodivergent visitors, the attractions offer sensory kits at their reception areas, designated low-sensory areas and tours, and additional signage is placed around the buildings marking sensory triggers so guests can be aware of these in advance. By focusing on training, equipment, signage and effective space planning Guinness Storehouse has opened up its market to a neurodiverse audience.
Creating your own Neurodiverse workplace
Where do I start? What do I need to do? How can my workplace be more inclusive?
These are common questions we come across when discussing and learning about neurodiversity in the workplace. The approach you should start with is understanding how to get the best out of your employees, and you should be using questions such as ‘Could we make improvements to our space to help with your productivity?’ or ‘does our environment allow you to do your best work?’.
Once you understand how neurodiverse people work, you can then start creating an inclusive space to help make your team more comfortable and productive. These can include adjustable lighting, clear signage, acoustics, ergonomic furniture, colour psychology, variety of space types.
Our team of space planners and office designers can accommodate designs for all types of neurodiverse conditions, and help make your workspace a fully inclusive environment. Talk to our team today to start discussing your space.