By Natalie Homan from In The Cloud Copy
The new reality of the COVID-19 pandemic means that workplaces are changing very quickly. This requires every employee to adapt, and neurodiverse employees may be at particular risk for being abandoned and left to struggle without the support that would help them succeed.
Neurodiveristy
For many, the concept of neurodiversity may be unclear. The term “neurodiverse” usually refers to those with Down syndrome, Asperger syndrome, autism, ADHD, and other similar conditions that are defined by neurological differences when compared to the majority of the population. The term highlights and celebrates the diversity that those with neurological variations can bring to any setting. Many employers hire high-functioning and capable neurodiverse employees and find that they’re able to function as well as any other employee, even if they may need some accommodations to help them work to their full abilities.
In the era of COVID-19, many may be concerned that neurodiverse talent will struggle to adapt to the challenges of working from home. The real question is not what employees are capable of, but how employers are willing to adapt and help all employees handle this new reality.
Recognize What is a Problem and What is Not
Many neurodiverse employees, especially those born in the last 30 years, have spent their lives using technology to help them adapt to the demands of the modern world. Working from home may be a challenge for some, but for others it may ease anxiety and increase productivity. Most neurodiverse employees are highly focused and productive and can follow directions precisely.
Adapting quickly without any assistance can be a challenge for many of these employees, but if employers are willing to offer a little bit of extra coaching and guidance, neurodiverse employees will be quickly on their way to being as productive at home as they were in the office.
The Need for Empathy and Consideration
Going from a workplace environment to an at-home work situation requires a change in perspective from every employee, not just those who might have needed special accommodations at the office. Employers will improve their teams’ ability to work together remotely if they’re considerate of every single person on the team, regardless of their position and talents.
For example, many people are uncomfortable with video calls, and others will struggle to interpret the nuances of a conversation if they can only hear audio and not see facial expressions and body language. Most, if not all, will deal with added distractions of working from a home-based setting, and these distractions might be particularly challenging for neurodiverse employees. A team lead needs to find out how their team members prefer to communicate, understand their individual challenges while working at home, and make every effort to ensure no employee feels left out or unable to contribute.
Helping Everyone in Conference Calls
When communicating remotely via conference calls, team leads can help all team members participate more fully by:
- Asking each team member for opinions or thoughts by name. It can be hard to be heard in a conference call, and some will be too timid to speak up.
- Making recordings of meetings available after the fact to help everyone who may have been interrupted by distractions at home.
- Sending out a synopsis after every meeting or phone call to make sure that team members are clear on meeting objectives. Again, this is crucial when everyone is at home and dealing with distractions they wouldn’t face in a conference room.
It’s clear that these considerations don’t just help neurodiverse employees; they will help every member of a team communicate more clearly in a time when the only communication available is through remote technology. Employers who are willing to put in a little extra time to help struggling employees adapt will hopefully find that their team members are able to thrive and contribute as well from home as they could in the office. Everyone may struggle a bit with the current situation, but the compassion and consideration employers show now will help everyone transition back into the workplace when this crisis is over.
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