Promoting Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Diversity in the workplace is a topic that is often discussed. Providing a culturally inclusive workforce that reflects the world at large is an important goal to work towards. Most often we think about this in terms of gender, racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. And these are all important, after all, as Leonid Hurwicz, a University of Michigan professor says, “Ten copies of the same person doesn’t do you much good.” However, there is one element of diversity that is often overlooked, but is starting to gain more attention. Neurodiversity is defined as the “range of differences in individual brain function and behavioral traits” and often times it specifically refers to individuals on the autism spectrum. But it can also refer to the different ways that people think, problem solve, and relate to others. While the traditional ways we view diversity provides neurodiversity more often than not, there are extra steps you can take to ensure your organization has it.
It is often hard to tell at first glance if someone is not neurotypical. One of the first steps to building a neurodiverse work place is in the interviewing process. Recently, there has been a shift away from relying on traditional resumes alone. They are still used to confirm candidates have the necessary qualifications during a prescreen process, but often times the hiring team or managers will not see the resume before the interview process. Exercise-b