James Neely used to work in an open-plan office. His journey to work included busy, stressful train journeys. “I tended to isolate myself from people, so I had my headphones on and turned up all day and I wore a cap to limit my peripheral vision and reduce the light,” he says.
However, the 33-year-old data analyst struggled to find the quiet he needed at work. Eventually he had a breakdown. During subsequent treatment for anxiety and depression he was diagnosed with an autistic spectrum condition.
Neely now works for Auticon, a company that employs 15 full time IT consultants who have autism. They work on projects at major companies in the UK, including Experian and GlaxoSmithKline. Neely’s found comfort in his new role. “We have back-office support from project managers and job coaches,” he says. This takes off some of the pressure if a difficult situation arises.
The job coaches encourage Auticon’s consultants to take regular time off, which, Neely says, helps to “avoid the build up of anxiety or sensory overload”. They also assist them with prioritising tasks and ensure the workplace environment is comfortable.
In the UK, just 16% of autistic adults are in full time employment, according to the National Autistic Society. And yet research has shown autistic traits can be associated with high numbers of unusual responses on divergent thinking tasks; a mark of creativity, which is sought after by ambitious startups. Meanwhile, research from University of Montreal suggests that people with autism are up to 40% better at problem solving.
Ray Coyle, Auticon’s CEO, says there’s a strong business case for employing neurodiverse people. One of Auticon’s clients, Siemens, say the two Auticon consultants who were working for them increased the team’s product testing efficiency by 50% within their first week.
Coyle adds: “The fact that Auticon is profitable [revenues have grown by around 50% each year since 2014] shows that our business model is sound and reflects the quality of our workforce.”
Dr Linda Buchan is director of Cheshire-based Axia-ASD Ltd, which offers assessment services, including for autism spectrum disorders. She says while running a small business with neurodiverse staff can bring particular challenges, the benefits are clear. Buchan has dyspraxia. She says many people assume dyspraxia just affects coordination, but it goes much further. “Dyspraxia can affect any muscle groupings in the body, it can affect your sense of time, distance and visual tracking too.”
For Buchan, who employs 11 people, dyspraxia affects her ability to do admin; she struggles with dates and finds writing difficult. To stay organised, she relies on lists. But she also notes the positive sides. “Dyspraxic people can go off on tangents and that can take you to a really interesting place. We’re good at noticing detail and we can be good at innovating and coming up with off-the-wall ideas.”
Buchan’s company has more neurodiverse than neurotypical staff – she says the exact split is vague due to lack of formal diagnosis in some cases – but she says this isn’t deliberate. “It’s more that there’s a like-mindedness,” she adds.
Sarah Hendrickx, an autism consultant and trainer, suggests that simple changes can make a huge difference to neurodiverse people’s experience of work. “[For example, neurodiverse] people can find it difficult to take in a lot of information from multiple sources at once.” This can make group meetings a challenge, and so Hendrickx recommends providing an agenda in plenty of time, that minutes are taken and that clear action points are emailed to attendees afterwards.
The recruitment process could be better streamlined too, adds Hendrickx. She is autistic, dyslexic and has Tourette syndrome, and was diagnosed as an adult: “Some highly talented, unusual thinkers may have struggled for many years to find their niche, and [might] not look great on paper.”
To improve the recruitment process, Hendrickx suggests offering work trials, which allow candidates to demonstrate their capability. She also recommends focusing less on CVs and more on evidencing the skill required for the job. “Put your preconceptions to one side – don’t assume that someone who doesn’t play the interview game well or make eye contact is bored or arrogant.” Neurodiverse people may only answer the questions asked and may not know how to expand in ways that will highlights their skills or experience, she adds. However, when hiring neurodiverse staff it is crucial to keep assumptions to a minimum, however positive, says Coyle. “Having an autism diagnosis doesn’t automatically make you good at maths. Some autistic people are chatty and sociable, whereas others prefer to avoid small talk. Some of our consultants love repetitive, structured tasks, while others thrive in creative areas.”
Nicola Whiting is chief operating officer at cybersecurity firm Titania, which works for organisations such as Nato and the FBI. Her company, which employs 50 people, has made practical changes to its recruitment process and workplace culture in order to attract young apprentices with autism.
“We completely changed our job adverts after speaking to people on the spectrum. We used to say we were inclusive and would take anyone as long as they could do the job. What we found was that unless you specifically said ‘neurodiverse’ or ‘autism’ they didn’t apply.” Similarly, she says, changing some of the assumptions about what makes a good worker is important. “If you’re not customer-facing, why would you need to be awesome at presenting? It’s looking at the detail and saying what do we actually need [from a candidate who takes on this role] rather than what we condition ourselves to think we need.”
Whiting has found that what’s good for neurodiverse people has wider benefits: “Asking what [type of] working environment is preferable, not springing surprises on people and clear communication are good for everyone.”