More Small Businesses Seek to Include Neurodiverse Talent

More Small Businesses Seek to Include Neurodiverse Talent

Following in the tech industry's footsteps, small businesses in a variety of sectors are beginning to consider how to create more neuroinclusive workplaces.

Some small businesses are looking for better ways to tap -- and support -- a talent pool that is often overlooked: neurodiverse workers.

Large tech companies have made a practice of recruiting autistic and other neurodiverse employees, many of whom have an aptitude for pattern recognition and detail, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday. But now, companies in retail, construction, and finance are falling in the tech giants' footsteps, according to the Journal -- and this includes small businesses.

Ed Thompson, founder of Denver, Colorado-based neurodiversity training company Uptimize, has implemented neuroinclusve training programs at large companies such as IBM, Microsoft, and Accenture. But as of late, Thompson says, the greatest increase in demand for Uptimize's services has come from SMBs.

"Some big tech companies got this 'on the map', and other companies in different industries see that and want to do something themselves," Thompson says.

Around half of the small and medium businesses that have recently sought Uptimize's services have been tech companies, but the rest represent a wide range of industries, according to Thompson. With their smaller, more nimble teams, Thompson notes, SMBs have a unique ability to reimagine their hiring practices and workplace culture.

"You're increasingly starting to get a split in the economy between this small but growing number of organizations that 'get' this and are really taking efforts to make sure all different types of thinkers can thrive, and then everywhere else," Thompson says.

Neurodiversity broadly refers to the many different ways people process information, but is often used in the context of autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other neurodevelopmental conditions, according to the American Psychological Association. Many top entrepreneurs, including Elon Musk and Richard Branson, identify as neurodivergent. But research has shown that neurodivergent professionals such as autistic workers experience higher-than average rates of unemployment.

Building a workforce that is inclusive of neurodivergent workers starts with your job postings, according to the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion. Using straightforward language in job descriptions and clearly stating your company's commitment to diversity in all forms is key to attracting neurodivergent workers, per EARN.

EARN also discourages employers from making attributes like "strong team player" or "great communicator" a requirement for every position in your company. If the role is more behind-the-scenes or independent, these traits may not actually be essential, and including them unnecessarily could discourage neurodivergent candidates who are apprehensive about the role's social expectations.

Inclusive onboarding practices are also key, says Jennifer Alumbaugh, founder of San Antonio, Texas-based neuroinclusion accessibility consultancy Expansive Expressions: "Onboarding and training -- does that accommodate diverse learning styles? Are meetings designed in a way that are accessible to people?"

Remote work also creates opportunities for employers to increase their company's accessibility. For example, turning on closed captioning during virtual meetings can help employees with auditory processing disorders, Alumbaugh says.

Small businesses that commit to hiring neurodivergent workers and creating an inclusive culture could see clear benefits, Alumbaugh says, as these workers' knack for pattern recognition can help them "anticipate where there are gaps or problem areas and essentially create solutions to those problems before they even become problems."

"There absolutely is a cost of exclusion," Alumbaugh says.

This post originally appeared at inc.com.