IOSH
Neurodiversity in the workplace
The term ‘neurodivergent’ describes people whose brains develop or work differently for some reason. Their strengths and struggles are different to those of people whose brains develop or work more typically. Some neurodivergent people also have medical conditions.
Bringing strengths
IOSH takes the view that neurodivergent people are not victims or sufferers. They merely are different in the way they approach things, including work. In fact, there is increasing recognition that some neurodivergent people bring particular strengths to a workplace.
Read IOSH’s white paper on neurodivergence at work to see how employers can support their workers. Find out what occupational safety and health professionals can contribute.
What do we mean by neurodivergent?
Being neurodivergent does not mean having mental ill health. People who identify themselves as neurodivergent typically have one or more of the conditions or disorders listed below. However, since there aren’t any hard-and-fast medical criteria or definitions of what it means to be neurodivergent, other conditions can fall under this term as well. People with these conditions may also choose not to identify themselves as neurodivergent.
Some of the conditions most common among those who describe themselves as neurodivergent include:
- autism spectrum disorder (including what was once known as Asperger’s syndrome)
- attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
- Down’s syndrome
- dyscalculia (difficulty with numbers)
- dysgraphia (difficulty with writing)
- dyslexia (difficulty with reading)
- dyspraxia (difficulty with coordination)
- intellectual disabilities
- mental health conditions like bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder
- sensory processing disorders
- social anxiety (a specific type of anxiety disorder)
- Tourette’s syndrome.
Many of the considerations for business are similar to those outlined in IOSH’s collection of material on mental health and wellbeing.
Member stories
“I’ve come to see my dyslexia as a strength. I know my brain works a little differently to others, but it also means I approach things a little differently. I know where I’m strong and where I’m weaker. I have worked out how to help myself.”
Stuart Hughes
- Job role
- Immediate Past President
- Company
- IOSH
A powerful case for inclusion
Former IOSH President Lawrence Webb speaks passionately from personal experience. He makes a compelling argument for businesses to be more inclusive in their approach to workers who are neurodivergent.
ADHD and the workplace
Professor James Brown, Chair and co-founder of ADHDadultUK, takes part in an IOSH trailblazer podcast. He discusses the adjustments that businesses should consider to include workers who have ADHD.
An inclusive approach to OSH is good practice
A study from 2020 estimates that perhaps one in seven or even one in five of the global population is neurodivergent. Yet two polls conducted by IOSH in 2023 showed that the extent of stigma attached to neurodivergence is high. IOSH found that two thirds of neurodivergent workers would not reveal their condition to their employers.
This implies two things. First, it means that roughly one in ten workers is working in either fear or embarrassment that their workplace should find out about their condition. Second, employers are potentially missing out on the particular skills, capabilities and strengths that their neurodiverse colleagues could contribute.
So it is important that employers take advantage of initiatives such as Neurodiversity Celebration Week, which encourage openness and reduce stigma. They can also make use of resources such as the neurodiversity toolkit produced by the Business Disability Forum.
How workplaces can meet the challenge
IOSH webinar series
Exploring the world of neurodiversity
Featured course
Managing occupational health and wellbeing
Modern organisations make health and wellbeing a strategic business concern. They understand the need to focus on what they do and how they do it. If an organisation is healthy and well it is more likely to be productive, innovative and competitive.
This course enables managers and supervisors to improve their organisation’s health and wellbeing. The tools and methods apply to all kinds of organisation, in any industrial sector.
Neurodiversity Celebration Week
This worldwide initiative challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about neurological differences. It aims to change perceptions and encourage support for individuals who are neurodiverse. It also gives an opportunity to recognise their skills and talents, and create more inclusive and equitable cultures that celebrate difference and empower everyone.