As organizations continue to embrace diversity in all its forms, neurodiversity initiatives have gained increasing attention and investment. Despite the challenges facing traditional DE&I efforts, the growing priority placed on neurodiversity signals a shift toward new employment practices aimed at improving employee retention and well-being.
It is shown in research that while wellness techniques like meditation and mindfulness have some benefits, they are not enough to create a truly supportive environment. To enhance employee well-being and reduce burnout and turnover, organizations are increasingly adopting strategies based on human-centered approaches, including a neuro-inclusive approach.
In light of this observation, the World Economic Forum’s October 2024 briefing paper, “Neurodiversity: The Chief Health Officer’s Role in Realizing Business Opportunities and Fostering an Inclusive, Healthy and Psychologically Safe Work Environment,” presents evidence that integrating neuro-inclusion strategies:
- enhances employee well-being
- reduces burnout and turnover
- fosters safe and supportive work environments
This approach not only promotes the mental and behavioral health of all employees but also leverages the unique perspectives and strengths of individuals to drive innovation and complex problem-solving.
As experts in neurodiversity, we believe organizations should focus on these three strategies to drive employee growth and productivity in the year ahead:
- Empower Employees Through Executive Function Support
- Provide Comprehensive Mental Health Resources
- Adopt a Behavioral Approach to Workplace Inclusion
To fully understand and implement these strategies, it is important to first recognize the distinct yet interconnected nature of mental and behavioral health, as both play a critical role in addressing workplace well-being holistically.
The Distinction Between Mental and Behavioral Health
Many people face challenges related to both mental and behavioral health.
Mental Health
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and covers conditions like:
- anxiety
- depression
- bipolar disorder
These conditions can be influenced by factors such as brain chemistry, trauma, and genetics, and are typically treated with medication and/or therapy.
Behavioral Health
Behavioral health, on the other hand, focuses on the importance of healthy habits and executive functioning for overall well-being.
Executive functioning refers to foundational skills that help us manage our behavior, plan and prioritize our time, and make decisions.
At work, these skills are key for:
- managing daily tasks
- supporting social interactions
- staying focused and organized
- achieving success
When these skills are not well developed, people may find it difficult to perform well at their jobs, engage with others, and manage stress.
Approaches to promoting behavioral health often include consultations with credentialed experts aimed at improving healthy habits and executive functioning, as well as creating environments that support these skills, helping individuals turn their intentions into actions.
To enhance employee well-being and reduce burnout and turnover, organizations are increasingly adopting strategies based on human-centered approaches, including a neuro-inclusive approach.
3 Strategies to Drive Employee Growth and Productivity
Building on this understanding, we recommend that organizations focus on the following three strategies in 2025 to enhance employee well-being in a neurodiverse workforce.
1) Empower Employees Through Executive Function Support
Supporting executive function skills is crucial for many employees, including neurodivergent individuals with autism or ADHD, as well as neurotypical employees who may also experience challenges in this area. In 2025, this type of support is expected to become a standard employee benefit for improving employee well-being. By incorporating executive function resources into the workplace, organizations can create environments where everyone can thrive.
Focusing on executive function skills provides employees with strategies and tools to manage their tasks, projects, and interactions more effectively, thereby:
- improving self-efficacy
- reducing stress
- enhancing their overall quality of life
Also, this emphasis on executive functioning helps reduce barriers that limit individuals from fully utilizing their unique strengths, leading to a more engaged and productive workforce.
2) Provide Comprehensive Mental Health Resources
Neurodivergent individuals often face higher rates of mental health concerns, which can affect their job outcomes. This highlights the need for organizations to provide additional mental health support. These supports should be customized to address the unique challenges that neurodivergent employees face, especially considering the complex relationship between neurodivergent conditions and mental health issues.
We’re seeing many organizations introduce comprehensive mental health first aid training and anticipate that the number of companies investing in this strategy will only grow in 2025. This training helps employees recognize and respond to mental health crises and connect those in need with appropriate support, while also ensuring they understand the specific needs of both neurodivergent and neurotypical individuals. Separate training promotes a broader understanding of neurodiversity throughout the workplace.
As companies update their practices, they will need to tackle job stressors like heavy workloads and unclear expectations that affect employee mental health. It will be important to identify the unique challenges faced by neurodivergent employees and make adjustments to reduce those stressors.
Organizations can implement targeted strategies to support their neurodivergent individuals well-being by understanding the specific difficulties that they encounter at work, such as challenges with:
- social interactions
- sensory sensitivities
- flexibility
3) Adopt a Behavioral Approach to Workplace Inclusion
With many organizations reevaluating their approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) in 2025, we recommend adopting a behavioral approach to promote inclusivity for all employees. This approach examines how our behaviors, rather than just our attitudes or beliefs, impact the workplace. This focus on behaviors highlights practices like active listening and creating opportunities for dialogue, which can transform workplace dynamics. It underscores that people are more influenced by the behaviors of those around them than by the biases that may reside in the brain.
By focusing on inclusive interactions, these efforts can enhance existing diversity initiatives and improve the overall workplace experience for everyone. These initiatives not only improve communication and collaboration among team members but also create an environment where cognitive and identity diversity is valued and used for collective success.
Aligned with this behavioral approach to DE&I, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) will continue to emphasize the importance of workplace civility, especially as organizations navigate politically sensitive periods, such as this post-inauguration period.
SHRM and other professional associations and employers are aiming to build a culture of thought diversity where a broad range of viewpoints is acknowledged and incorporated into discussions geared toward finding common ground by encouraging prosocial behaviors like:
- kindness
- empathy
- respectful communication
Building a Neuro-Inclusive Future of Work
All in all, as organizations acknowledge the importance of diverse cognitive styles and perspectives, incorporating neuro-inclusion principles into workplace practices will benefit not only neurodivergent employees but also enhance the entire organizational culture.
By starting the year with a comprehensive approach to employee well-being that includes strong support for executive function, mental health, and workplace inclusion, organizations can build a thriving workforce ready to tackle future challenges.
References:
• Fleming, W.J. (2024). Employee well-being outcomes from individual-level mental health interventions: Cross-sectional evidence from the United Kingdon. Industrial Relations Journal, 55(2), 162-182.
• Townsend, M., & Romme, A. G. L. (2024). The Emerging Concept of the Human-Centered Organization: A Review and Synthesis of the Literature. Humanistic Management Journal, 9(1), 53-74.
• World Economic Forum. (2024). Neurodiversity: The chief health officer’s role in realizing business opportunities and fostering an inclusive, healthy and psychologically safe work environment. World Economic Forum. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Neurodiversity_2024.pdf
• Golden, D., Sniderman, B., Buckley, N., & Holdowsky, J. (2024, July 12). The neurodiversity advantage: How neuroinclusion can unleash innovation and create competitive edge. Deloitte Insights. https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/value-of-diversity-and-inclusion/unleashing-innovation-with-neuroinclusion.html
• Hollocks, M. J., Lerh, J. W., Magiati, I., Meiser-Stedman, R., & Brugha, T. S. (2019). Anxiety and depression in adults with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological medicine, 49(4), 559-572.
• Ackerman, N. (2024, July 15). How to support employee wellbeing at work. The Times. https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/entrepreneurs/article/how-to-support-employee-wellbeing-at-work-enterprise-network-p2kf29566
• Bernstein, R., Salipante, P., & Weisinger, J. (2021). Performance through diversity and inclusion: Leveraging organizational practices for equity and results. Routledge.
• Society for Human Resource Management. (n.d.). Civility. SHRM. Retrieved 11/11/2024, from https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/topics/civility
