Neurodiversity at work: bridging research, practice, and policy

Executive summary: This report provides insight into neurodiversity at work from a UK perspective, focusing on what good policy and practice look like for organisations and nationally. Neurodiversity is a broad concept and describes how all humans differ in their thinking and behaviour from each other (Walker, 2021). It encompasses a range of neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism, dyslexia, and Tourette's syndrome. Individuals who identify with or are diagnosed with any of these conditions are considered neurodivergent. Neurodevelopmental conditions are lifelong and may require environmental adaptations and appropriate healthcare for individuals to thrive both in life and at work. These conditions, when their effects meet the definition of disability, are protected under the UK Equality Act (2010), obligating employers to make reasonable adjustments for employees who disclose prolonged impairments to day-to-day functioning. How early in life and how accurately people are diagnosed depends on many factors including their gender identity, their race, and their socioeconomic background. Employers thus need to take a holistic perspective to neuroinclusion, which is defined as the conscious and active inclusion of all types of information processing, learning and communication styles at work. This report emphasises a strengths-based perspective on neurodiversity, which refers to recognising and valuing the unique abilities that neurodivergent individuals bring to the workplace.