Over half of businesses “can’t make reasonable adjustments for neurodiverse”

IOSH posed the question of its followers on LinkedIn, made of up of mostly occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals and other OSH-interested stakeholders. 

Of those who responded, 55 per cent did not believe their employer would make the reasonable adjustments to support people who are neurodiverse. 

IOSH is raising awareness of how organisations can support neurodiverse people as part of Neurodiversity Celebration Week, an annual awareness week. This year it runs from 17-23 March. 

The Institution has developed a page of resources on its website, which includes a link to guidance and stories from its members. It also held a webinar last week hosted by President Kelly Nicoll and featuring organisational psychologist Almuth McDowall. 

IOSH also published a white paper on the topic last year, called Divergent thinking. In this white paper, IOSH looks at building a positive organisational culture in which diverse employees thrive and are encouraged to share details of their needs. IOSH says this goes well beyond just having policies and training and making individual adjustments wherever feasible, although those are all important building blocks.

IOSH says organisations must also think of ways to show to all employees its commitment, including: 

• leaders openly discussing their own experiences of neurodiversity 
• encouraging the setting up of neurodiverse groups or networks, and 
• ensuring there is a neurodiversity section in diversity and inclusion policies. 

The paper calls for line managers to be trained to help them recognise and control unconscious bias and assumptions about individual capacity or behaviour.  There is also a call on businesses to ensure they cater for individual needs rather than a blanket approach. 

IOSH Immediate Past President Stuart Hughes said: “In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 made it a legal duty for employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate workers’ needs around neurodiversity and other conditions. 

"It isn’t just a matter of staying within the law; businesses can really benefit from having such positive cultures where people be open and really thrive at work. Given the value that people with neurodiverse conditions bring to a business, failure to do this is a failure to maximise resources in their organisation. 

“So our call to businesses is to ask themselves if they are doing all they can. They need to review the policies and procedures they have in place and act accordingly. There are significant benefits to be had from a diverse workforce where everyone is comfortable in being themselves.”