Neurodiversity as a Competitive Advantage in the Workplace

Imagine commuting to work. What should be an uneventful journey is interrupted by a series of jolting potholes, then a long, winding detour. Unfamiliar road signs appear. You suddenly find yourself moving against the flow of traffic as frustrated drivers glare you down. This stressful scenario offers a glimpse into what it can be like for neurodivergent professionals to navigate an “ableist” workplace.

Ableism refers to the discrimination or social prejudice against individuals with divergent working or communication styles, stemming from the belief that “typical” abilities are superior. The growing support for neurodiversity in the workplace challenges these assumptions and suggests that a work environment that better accommodates everyone leads to greater efficiency and inspires innovation.

Still, the pervasive ableist structure of many corporate workplaces, including those in the insurance industry, creates barriers to entry and advancement for neurodivergent professionals—professionals that the industry will strongly need as it approaches a global worker shortage.

By promoting neurodiversity, offering simple accommodations, and acknowledging the mental health impact of discrimination, employers can engage with neurodivergent professionals and tap into their unique and highly valuable skill sets.

What is Neurodiversity?

Neurodiversity refers to the diversity of human minds. It represents the differences in the way people process information, communicate, understand, move, and engage in society. It recognizes that brains naturally vary from person to person.

• Neurotypical: Describes a person with a brain that functions in ways that align with the central, most common range of the neurological spectrum. These individuals’ cognitive and social processing styles match what society generally recognizes and accepts as the norm.
• Neurodivergent: Refers to having a brain that functions in ways that diverge from the neuro-normative majority. The wide range of neurodivergent conditions can be broadly categorized as neurodevelopmental (conditions that typically manifest early in childhood development) and acquired (conditions that arise due to experiences, illnesses, or injuries).

Because of the neuro-normative structure of many corporate workplaces and hiring practices, neurodivergent people are at greater risk of being unemployed or underemployed. A 2022 analysis by Deloitte found that an estimated 85% of people on the autism spectrum are unemployed, compared to 4.2% of the overall population.

Many typical expectations for what constitutes a “good” employee—communication skills, teamwork, persuasiveness, outgoing personalities, and networking abilities—often do not align with behaviors seen in neurodivergent individuals. This mismatch in expectations can inadvertently exclude otherwise qualified neurodivergent individuals from being considered for employment or advancement.

The Unique Skills of Neurodivergent Workers

Neurodivergent people often offer extraordinary or competent strengths in some areas, combined with significant challenges in others. Neurotypical people tend to have a more equal range of competencies.

Maddie Elbe, Business Analyst, RGA Global Financial Solutions Co-Lead, EveryMind@RGA Employee Resource Group, states:

"Thinking differently does not make me less able, less intelligent, or less employable. Rather, it gives me a competitive advantage. Having ADHD provides me with a unique perspective because I see and process the world differently than most."

Some scientists have connected the unique strengths of neurodivergent people to evolutionary advantages. For example, the three-dimensional thinking common in people with dyslexia could have been useful in ancient cultures for making tools, planning hunting paths, and building shelters. Similarly, traits related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), such as being active, easily distracted, and impulsive, could have been helpful in societies where survival depended on continually moving to find food, quickly reacting to changes in the environment, and skillfully approaching or avoiding prey.

Neurodivergent employees can be:

• Detail oriented
• Retentive
• Punctual
• Reliable
• Academically smart
• Logical

Challenges Facing Neurodivergent Professionals

Like other groups with non-majority identities, neurodivergent individuals may experience challenges in interacting with others individually or in groups. They may face unequal distribution of social power, limited social-cultural representation (or stereotyped and biased representation), and difficulty navigating environments tailored towards neurotypicals.

Challenges can even begin in the job application process, which is usually structured in a way that does not accommodate neurodivergent people. For example, during in-person job interviews, autistic individuals may not make eye contact and may have touch sensitivities, which place them at a disadvantage with an interviewer who expects eye contact or a handshake. Similarly, neurodivergent candidates with social awkwardness may be unfairly compared to socially confident candidates, as if confidence equates to competence.

Strategies to Engage Neurodivergence in the Workplace

Providing a seat at the table for NDIs ensures that their experiences inform any workplace policies and communications around neurodiversity. Encouraging neurodivergent employees to form an employee resource group (ERG) is a great place to start.

Acknowledge Current Barriers and Adjust

With input from NDIs or a neurodiversity ERG, companies can identify possible barriers throughout their organization, from the hiring process and employee evaluation criteria to formal and informal policies for communication, meetings, and work assignments.

Many workplace challenges can be remedied through simple accommodations like the examples below:

• The “curb-cut effect”: Named for the national effort to “cut” into street curbs with ramps to accommodate wheelchair-users—which ultimately also benefitted bicyclists, runners, walkers, and stroller-pushers—the curb-cut effect describes how addressing the disadvantages or exclusions faced by one group of people fosters an environment that allows everyone to fully participate.
• Celebrating Difference: To recognize Neurodiversity Celebration Week, RGA’s neurodiversity employee resource group introduced fidget tools to meeting spaces in our U.S. headquarters. The spinners, squeeze balls, and pop-boxes are not toys but tools that any employee can manipulate to reduce stress, anxiety, and boredom, and improve focus, memory, and creativity.

Allow Everyone to Be Their Authentic Selves

When working alongside neurodivergent individuals, be aware of potential biases. Do not assume past experiences with people with disabilities will apply directly to another individual. Because each person is unique in their experiences and perspectives, the best way to engage with NDIs is to ask about their individual preferences and needs.

Heather Pressler, Associate Marketing Underwriter, RGA U.S. Group Re Healthcare Turnkey Co-Lead, EveryMind@RGA Employee Resource Group, says:

"I tell anybody and everybody that I’m autistic. Disclosure for me is all about breaking the stigma and creating a safe space where everyone can be authentic. I’m proud to be on the spectrum."

Pay Attention to Mental Health and Wellbeing

Neurodivergent individuals do not automatically need mental health resources simply because they have a diagnosis. However, just as it can be for neurotypical individuals facing challenges, therapy can be beneficial in enhancing daily functioning at work and in community settings. Neurodiversity-affirming therapy emphasizes acceptance, respect, empathy, empowerment, and advocacy.

From a mental health perspective, being "different" as a child or adolescent can trigger bullying by peers, including exclusion. Bullying results in anxiety, depression, perfectionism (including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder or OCD), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. Some neurodivergent individuals adopt “masking” skills in response to this type of trauma.

• The 3 layers of masking:
  • Compensation – Deliberate effort to learn social skills that are not intuitive.
  • Masking – Active suppression of typical behavior to fit in.
  • Assimilation – Presenting as someone you are not to avoid exclusion.

NDIs can struggle with the mental health toll of “masking” in neurotypical environments. Masking is associated with anxiety, depression, perfectionism, and poor self-image, and can lead to burnout. Fostering neurodiversity in the workplace creates an environment where NDIs can experiment with unmasking, share their diagnosis with colleagues, and move closer to bringing their authentic selves to work.

Neurodiversity is a Superpower

Fostering neurodiversity in the workplace is not just an inclusion imperative but also a strategic advantage for organizations. Neurodivergent professionals possess unique skills and perspectives that, when leveraged correctly, can offer substantial benefits to such industries as insurance and financial services. The challenges posed by ableist structures and societal norms can undoubtedly pose barriers. However, through enhanced understanding and awareness, proactive accommodations, and genuine engagement strategies, these obstacles can be mitigated, allowing neurodivergent employees to participate fully in the workplace.