20% of your Workforce is Neurodivergent: How Are You Supporting Them?

Inclusion Isn’t Just About Policy, It’s About Leadership

If one in five of your employees were struggling to do their best work because of how your workplace was set up, would you leave it unaddressed? Probably not. And yet, that’s the reality for many neurodivergent employees, navigating workplaces that weren’t designed with different brains in mind.

Neuro-inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes or offering accommodations as an afterthought. It’s about creating workplaces where everyone, neurodivergent or not, can thrive. The real opportunity isn’t in making exceptions; it’s in designing environments that recognise and celebrate different ways of thinking, communicating, and problem-solving.

And let’s be honest, there’s no shortage of ‘awareness days.’ But real inclusion isn’t about a single event or social media post. It’s about shifting how we lead, structure work, and support people in a way that lasts.

Policy Helps, But Leadership is What Really Matters

Workplace policies and legislation play a crucial role in protecting employees from discrimination and ensuring access to accommodations. But the reality? Policies don’t create inclusion, leaders do.

A policy might allow for flexible working, but if a manager sees it as ‘special treatment,’ neurodivergent employees will hesitate to ask for what they need. Legislation may mandate reasonable adjustments, but that doesn’t mean teams will naturally create environments where neurodivergent colleagues feel valued, respected, and understood.

True neuro-inclusion depends on leaders having the right skills, and that’s where many organisations fall short.

The Leadership Skills That Create Inclusive Workplaces

To lead an inclusive team, you don’t need to be an expert in neurodiversity. But you do need to develop the core leadership skills that make it safe for people to show up as themselves.

• High Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Leaders who understand their own emotions and can tune into the needs of others create environments where people feel seen and heard. Without EQ, even well-intentioned leaders can shut down important conversations.
• Facilitation & Conflict Management: Diverse teams mean diverse perspectives. Leaders need the ability to facilitate discussions that include different ways of thinking, and to navigate conflict with curiosity rather than defensiveness.
• Curiosity & Growth Mindset: The best leaders don’t assume they know everything. They’re open to learning, willing to listen, and unafraid to ask, “What do you need to do your best work?” rather than assuming a one-size-fits-all approach. 
• Understanding & Managing Bias: Everyone has biases - it’s how our brains keep us safe and use less brain energy. But great leaders actively challenge their own assumptions. Dismissing ADHD as ‘just a trend’ or assuming that someone who struggles with executive function isn’t ‘leadership material’ reinforces exclusion.
• Coaching Style Leadership: Creating environments with high trust, autonomy, and belonging, are generally created with leaders who know how to coach.  They’ve created relationships with their team and know how to get the best out of them, and provide direction  in a way that plays to their strengths. This suits all brain types. 
• Courage: Real inclusion takes guts (I know this sounds like total BS, but it’s true). It means speaking up, challenging old ways of doing or thinking, it means holding people accountable for a lack of inclusive language or mindset. It means creating psychological safety, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Neuro-Inclusive Leadership is Just Good Leadership

There is a lot going on in the DEI space at the moment, and I get it, leaders might be thinking - that’s just something else I need to do.  The skills, and capabilities, that help leaders support all brains, help make workplaces inclusive and more effective.

• When leaders foster psychological safety, their teams perform better. 
• When they coach rather than dictate, they develop stronger talent. 
• When they manage their own biases, they make better decisions.

And that’s the real point here: building inclusive workplaces isn’t just about supporting neurodivergent employees, it’s about creating teams that work better for everyone.

The best workplaces aren’t the ones with the most policies. They’re the ones with leaders who know how to lead.

Want to know more about building Neuro-Inclusive workplaces?  Let’s Talk. 

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