What They Did
The researchers collected data from 985 neurodivergent
employees in the United Kingdom, primarily from people in office workplaces but
including a few from retail, transportation, and policing. In addition to
demographic questions, they asked about people’s overall well-being,
individualized workplace accommodations, workplace neurodiversity knowledge and
support, workplace psychological safety, career satisfaction, and likelihood of
leaving their job. Most of the participants had more than one neurodivergent
condition, and they generally rated their well-being as relatively low.
Participants with dyscalculia seemed to have the greatest
difficulty, generally rating the workplaces as less informed and supporting and
providing lower psychological safety. They tended to rate themselves as having
low job satisfaction and being likely to leave their job in the near future.
Job satisfaction was also low among people with dyslexia, dysgraphia,
dyspraxia, and tic conditions. People with tic conditions ranked their
workplace support as low, and those with dysgraphia were likely to leave their
jobs. Despite the low job satisfaction of people with dyslexia, they reported a
high degree of psychological safety and were likely to remain in their
jobs. Autistic people were also likely
to remain.
The researchers found that psychological safety was the
strongest influence on well-being, career satisfaction, and likelihood of remaining in the job. Well-being also
directly affected satisfaction and likelihood of remaining, and satisfaction
directly affected likelihood of remaining. The researchers note the importance
of designing workplace policies and accommodations with neurodivergent needs
included throughout the developmental process, rather than adding them on to
already-established systems.
Further Exploration
One of the strengths of this study was the inclusion of
underrepresented neurodivergent conditions, not just autism and ADHD. Even in
this study, about half the participants were autistic and about 60% had ADHD (most
participants had more than one condition). The researchers did, however, make a
concerted effort to recruit people with other neurodivergent conditions.
A possible weakness
is the conceptualization of career satisfaction in terms of personal
advancement and alignment of work with abilities. While these are certainly
important, other potentially important values are not captured. If I were
writing the career satisfaction measure, I might include such items as: “I
believe that my work supports the common good,” “I find my work to be
stimulating but not overwhelming”, and “I have enough autonomy to develop an
effective and sustainable work style.”
The researchers asked participants whether their workplace
accommodations, if any, were tailored extensively, somewhat, or not at all, but
they did not provide any examples of accommodations. The following websites provide
information about accommodations for various neurodivergent conditions: https://www.tourettes-action.org.uk/blog-235-.html,
https://www.dyslexia.uk.net/workplace/equality-at-work/,
https://cognassist.com/insights/blog/dyscalculia-in-the-workplace/,
https://cognassist.com/insights/blog/dyspraxia-in-the-workplace/,
https://www.disclo.com/resources/top-10-workplace-accommodations-for-people-living-with-adhd,
https://autismalliance.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/PUBLIC-Inclusive-Workplaces-Discussion-Tool_-An-Accommodations-Checklist-for-Autistic-Employees-2.pdf.
Remote work and flexible schedules in particular can be helpful accommodations
for many neurodivergent conditions. Remote work allows employees to manage
their sensory needs, avoid distractions, and reduce social anxiety. Flexible hours
provide a sense of autonomy and help employees manage inconsistent focus and
energy more productively. Despite the benefits, many employers seem reluctant
to offer remote work and flexible hours. It might be interesting to delve into
the reasons, but that’s a rabbit hole for another day!
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Workplace_Stress_Illustration.jpg
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