How AI can revolutionise work for neurodivergent employees

Neurodivergent employees sometimes need support in the workplace to conduct tasks others may find easy. We explore how artificial intelligence can be used to improve productivity and promote a more inclusive, fair, and equitable working environment for all.

5 mins read
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over 1 year ago

​Neurodivergent challenges in the workplace

Around 15% to 20% of the global population is thought to be neurodivergent, i.e., their thinking works differently to what society expects. This term refers to people with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s syndrome, or chronic mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

Promoting neurodiversity and inclusion has proven business benefits, and it’s an employer’s responsibility to provide a workplace where the wellbeing of all employees is considered and accommodated.

Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but the needs of neurodivergent people might differ from those of neurotypical individuals and can often be overlooked. Tasks that seem easy to others may be a struggle for neurodivergent people. Conversely, their strengths might far surpass those of neurotypical people.

Challenges neurodivergent people face usually relate to communication and professional relationships. For example, people with ADHD can struggle to stay focused in meetings or take longer to process information. And people with dyslexia may struggle with written communication and could misunderstand instructions written in emails. There are also many people who are unable to communicate with spoken words, such as non-verbal autistic people, those who are physically mute, or deaf people who find it difficult to speak aloud.

AI as a reasonable adjustment

Just as you would add a ramp to your workplace for disabled people to allow equal access to a physical building, employers must also make reasonable adjustments for neurodivergent people to have an equal chance of navigating neurotypical workplaces.

Employers with outdated systems may not be utilising technology that could vastly improve their workforce’s productivity.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has developed a lot in recent years, to the point where it is all around us. Today, it exists on almost every new phone, computer, and TV. AI already in use in the workplace includes:

  • Facial recognition for security

  • Text-to-speech software in word processors and browsers

  • Dictation software and voice assistants such as Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant

  • Scheduling assistants within most digital calendars and to-do lists

  • Automated workflows

  • ChatGPT and other chatbots

  • Automatic transcription, and closed caption creation

  • Google Lens automatic translation and image searching

For most people, AI is simply an extra convenience, but much of it is proving essential to people with certain disabilities or neurological differences to help them complete their work to a similar standard as neurotypical people – i.e., those whose minds work as society expects.

Most AI is free and easy to implement into workplace systems and just requires employers to unblock the technology or allow its installation for those who need it. It would also create a more inclusive standard working practice to normalise the use of such tech in all meetings and other forms of communication.

Normalising digital accessibility

Making it standard practice to use certain accessibility tools, like autogenerated closed captions on video communications, for example, is a small way to show consideration for those with invisible disabilities and neurological difference. They don’t take much effort but can have a hugely positive impact on individual employees.

Another way might be regularly recording meetings and allowing participants to access AI generated transcripts. Other tools that should be encouraged include text-to-speech AI software on webpages or on-screen text. This can also be useful for face-to-face communication between colleagues, where one person struggles to communicate aloud.

Normalising these processes could be a game changer for those who need them but feel uncomfortable asking, especially if they are the only one who needs the accommodation. Neurological difference is still not widely understood, and those in need of these adjustments won’t necessarily know they need them until they use them and see a positive difference.

Those who struggle with written communication can integrate software like Grammarly into their systems and use voice assistants to help them complete certain tasks. We use these tools every day, but some employers may not provide them on company computers. External websites and browser add-ons like these tend to be blocked for security reasons within companies, but employers should consider allowing accessibility, where possible, for those who need it.

The future of AI systems at work

AI is already revolutionising the workplace for those who need additional support to unlock their most productive selves, and ongoing technological developments will soon see AI further integrated into our everyday working lives.

There has been a huge buzz around the latest piece of AI, ChatGPT, a chatbot that uses machine learning and data from across the internet, to answer users’ questions as if it were a real person. Microsoft has recently bought Open AI, the platform that developed the technology, and has plans to introduce a new AI assistant, 'Copilot' which would integrate into all its existing products. Instead of writing code to command it to complete tasks, users will be able to make requests in plain English.

There will always be a need for professionals in any industry. All the way back to the printing press or the production line, professionals feared technology would make us redundant. However, the technology we have developed so far has only led humans to advance. It has removed the burden of monotonous tasks to allow us instead to take on more creative, innovative, and interesting work.

As Reed has found since implementing our digital workplace systems, promoting the use of technology such as AI into a business inspires greater productivity and morale among employees. Those with invisible disabilities and neurological differences will feel especially grateful to employers for creating a supportive and inclusive environment where using AI is encouraged and assistive technology is normalised and available to all who might need it.

To find a talented professional to join your company, or take the next step in your career, contact your nearest Reed office.

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Scientific CV Template
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Scientific CV Template

​If you are looking for your next position in the science industry, it is important to optimise and tailor your CV to give yourself the best possible chance of securing your dream role.

Build the perfect scientific CV with our free template below:

[Full Name]
[Home Address]
[Contact Number] • [Email Address]

Personal Statement

This section is your chance to summarise the rest of the CV, and convince the recruiter to get in touch. It is important to keep it brief, between 50-200 words and outline; who you are, any specific skills you have to offer (including ‘soft skills’) and your career aim.

Depending on the role, the key ‘soft skills’ employers are likely to look for include: communication, decision making, leadership skills, problem solving and being a team player. Be sure to reference your ability in these areas wherever possible in your CV.

I have gained valuable experience in [area of expertise] at [organisation name] and have a particular wealth of experience and skills in [specific area]. I graduated in [year] from [university name] with a [degree class] degree in [subject], and am now an [industry] professional.

My important achievements include working alongside the [team name] team at [organisation], and contributing to projects such as [project name]. I was responsible for/organised [task] and increased/decreased [profit/other metric] by [£X/X%].

I am looking for my next opportunity within an [business type/industry] organisation, where I can bring real value and develop my [scientific/research] skills further.


Education

This is your chance to talk about your qualifications, academic and vocational. This is a particularly important section for those with no relevant work experience. You should give detail about what you studied, where and when, and list them in chronological order. If you have many of one qualification, such as GCSEs you might find it useful to group them together.

  • [University Name]

  • [Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

Degree subject and class achieved (list Masters/PhD first)

  • Modules studied

  • Skills used

  • Dissertation brief

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

A-levels:

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

  • [Subject] – [Grade]

[College/School Name]
[Date M/Y– Date M/Y]

GCSEs:

  • [Number] GCSEs, grades [range], including Maths and English

Skills

This section is useful to clearly outline the laboratory/scientific skills you’ve gained at university or in industry. Include even minor relevant skills to increase your chances of being discovered in a CV database search.

Work experience
This should be brief and, as a general rule of thumb, focus on the last five years of your career, or last three roles, in chronological order with most recent at the top.

If you are a recent graduate then work experience should be listed before your degree details - if the work undertaken was relevant. If it was not relevant to your industry then list detailed degree/dissertation information first.

You should highlight your key achievements and use bullet points rather than lengthy descriptions.

[Job Title], [Company Name] [Location]
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Hobbies and Interests

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References

References are available upon request.

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Coaching for intersectional inclusion
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Coaching for intersectional inclusion

​Everyone has multiple layers to their identity, and no one is one label. There are other aspects of their identities to consider, and no one should be put in a box. Many businesses, which celebrate Pride Month, for example, are perceived as not doing enough for people who are underrepresented in more than one way.

Recent research by Culture Amp in ‘The Workplace Diversity and Inclusion Report 2024’ found disabled women and black women are more doubtful of their employers’ equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDI&B) efforts than any other group.

This is likely because women might feel their entire identity and additional barriers aren’t being considered, if they are part of more than one underrepresented group. Some employers’ initiatives provide a base-level overview of inclusion for women, but they might only explore the perspectives of white women, for example, or women in general, with no specific solutions explored for LGBTQ+, disabled or black women, for instance. Each may have very different experiences of what it means to be a woman.

Coaching people within your organisation can help leaders and employees gain a deeper understanding of intersectionality and why it’s important. We interviewed Mary-Clare Race, CEO of Talking Talent, for her insight and best-practice tips on all things coaching and inclusion.

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Q: What's the difference between coaching, mentoring, and other types of training, especially when it comes to equality, diversity, inclusion and belonging?

A: These terms are often used interchangeably in the world of talent development, but we see a clear distinction between them that is especially important when it comes to EDI&B.

In a training situation, the primary goal is typically to transfer knowledge from the facilitator to the participant, to raise their awareness and understanding of a particular topic or skill and provide them with practical tips on how to put that skill into action for themselves.

In a mentoring situation, there is also an element of knowledge transfer, but in a more personalised, relationship based, one-to-one situation where the mentee is paired up with a more experienced mentor who is there to provide them with support, advice and guidance.

Coaching takes the relationship-based approach one step further and focuses on supporting and facilitating the coachee to actively step in and facilitate their own outcomes. It is not about giving them the answer but rather supporting them to find their own answer, their own way forward.

At Talking Talent, we favour a coaching-led approach because it enables a deeper level of behavioural change. The coachee must be actively engaged and motivated to do the inner work on themselves and the coach is there to hold them to account. However, there is a role for all three approaches when it comes to solving EDI&B challenges and real power in combining all three.

Q: How can coaching help businesses become more inclusive and diverse?

A: If you look at what it takes to really move an organisation forward with their EDI&B strategy, we believe you've got to take a systemic approach and build inclusion into your culture and in how people behave every day.

There are several ways coaching can help with this:

Leadership behaviours: by working with a coach, leaders become more aware of their own biases, preferences and how their own identity shapes how they show up as a leader. The coach can help them develop the skills needed to foster a culture of inclusion and hold themselves and others accountable.

Developing talent: in many organisations there are pockets of talent who have been overlooked because of some aspect