A Hidden Force: Unlocking the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work by Ed Thompson

Author:Ed Thompson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781639080465
Publisher: Fast Company Press
Published: 2023-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Similar advocacy became more and more common in organizations in the late 2010s and early 2020s. At Verizon Media, ADHDer and inclusion leader Margaux Joffe was perfectly positioned to lead change and to source and reflect the opinions of her neurodivergent colleagues. “We had an integrated team of both allies and also neurodivergent individuals themselves,” she recalls, “that were involved with creating the mission, the strategy, the programs, the events. And I think that’s really important.”43 At Seagate, a global data storage firm, a new Minds of All Kinds network connected all levels of employees with a shared passion for the topic.

At some organizations, a single neurodivergent staff member managed to catalyze internal conversations—and action—on neuroinclusion. One such employee was Leena Haque, a UX designer at the BBC, who had “almost given up on employment” before being hired by the UK’s national broadcaster. “I found that employers didn’t really understand or know how to support neurodiversity,” Haque remembers, “which meant I often struggled to fit in.”44 Encouraged and empowered by her success in finally securing a trainee placement, Haque ventured to suggest that the BBC itself consider taking further steps to better understand the issues facing neurodivergent people in employment.

With the organization’s blessing, a new employee group—CAPE (Creating a Positive Environment)—was born. Its message, in Haque’s words, is “that individuals aren’t weird, they are just part of a neurodiverse spectrum upon which we all sit. . . . It is often simply about empowering an individual, so they can feel comfortable in sharing their feelings, as well as making sure you listen to what they need.”45

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